January 2018 Volunteer of the Month: Mary Kenny

American veterans face significant struggles after serving our country and returning home.  Mary Kenny thinks that for many veterans these struggles cannot be overcome without the assistance of the courts, organizations like VLJ, and volunteers like her team at BASF Corporation.

Mary is Senior Counsel in the legal department of BASF, the North American affiliate of BASF SE, the world’s largest chemical company.  She supports one of the business units at BASF, doing transactional work for her group. In addition to her role as a business attorney, she also acts as BASF’s pro bono coordinator.

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December 2017 Volunteer of the Month: Laura Kelly

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It would be easy to make the assumption that low-income clients with very few assets would have little need for a will.  On the contrary, as Laura Kelly says, “That just makes the assets they do have even more important to them.”

Laura is a Partner at McCarter & English.  She has concentrated her practice in trusts and estates matters since 1994, and has volunteered with VLJ for the past several years both by taking pro bono estate cases for full representation and by speaking at VLJ’s clinics to train volunteer attorneys.

November 2017 Volunteer of the Month: Steve Weingarten

Steve Weingarten is Chief Counsel-Corporate Affairs and Corporate Assistant Secretary of Newark, New Jersey-based Panasonic Corporation of North America (PNA), a leading technology partner and integrator to businesses, government agencies, and consumers across the region.  Steve also advises both PNA’s community outreach and employee volunteer programs, and the Panasonic Foundation, which provides support to school systems in the greater Newark area and throughout the United States.

Earlier this year, in partnership with PNA and BASF Corporation, VLJ launched the Veterans Legal Wellness Clinic at the VA hospital in East Orange.

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VLJ In the News: The Long Road Home, a Report on the Recovery Process after Superstorm Sandy

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VLJ contributed to a recent report on the challenges of the recovery process after Superstorm Sandy.  The report, “The Long Road Home,” analyzed the results of a survey taken by over 500 Sandy survivors found that 22% of respondents were still out of their homes at the time of the survey; that 77% of respondents either did not have enough money to finish rebuilding their homes; and that more than 70% of respondents had developed new physical or mental health problems or a worsening of pre-existing health conditions since Sandy. 

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October 2017 Volunteer of the Month: Karen Edler

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For a parent, the process of securing appropriate services for a child in school can often be overwhelming, intimidating, and exhausting.  After experiencing this firsthand, Karen Edler has become a powerful advocate for parents who desperately need help understanding and navigating their children’s education rights.

Karen is of counsel at Price Meese Shulman & D’Arminio, P.C.  She has nearly twenty years of education law experience, and has been a volunteer with VLJ’s Children’s Representation Program (CRP), from taking pro bono cases to serving as a mentor for attorneys new to the area of law, since just after its establishment

September 2017 Volunteer of the Month: Richard Dennis

In an area of law dominated by creditors and debt collection agencies with years of experience in court procedures, it’s easy to see how not just clients but even attorneys unfamiliar with the litigation process might lack confidence.  But as Richard Dennis can report, even the most basic advice and assistance can make an enormous difference for low-income debtors who feel confused and powerless. Richard worked for AT&T for 17 years, first handling corporate matters including mergers and acquisitions, and then working in the company’s global operations legal team.  He is also a long-time volunteer at VLJ’s Consumer Law Clinic

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August 2017 Volunteer of the Month: Eduardo Santiago-Acevedo

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Nearly 40,000 people face eviction each year in Essex County.  The number seems overwhelming, but as Eduardo Santiago-Acevedo explains, even if attorneys can assist only a small percentage of families, “for those individuals, it means everything in the world.”

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Second Annual Summer Soiree Success

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Volunteer Lawyer for Justice’s second annual Summer Soiree was a huge success, raising awareness and funding for VLJ’s Children’s Representation Program (CRP).  Hosted by VLJ’s Generation Now Young Professionals Committee, the event was attended by almost 100 professionals at the Essex Fells Country Club on June 8, 2017 and featured an impassioned speech by exemplary volunteer Michael Malia.

VLJ In The News: BASF helps Vets with legal work and other biz news

VLJ In The News: BASF helps Vets with legal work and other biz news

The Daily Record, part of the USA Today network, highlights teams of lawyers from BASF Corp. and Panasonic Corp. who provide free legal help at one of VLJ's newest clinics so veterans can surmount barriers as they re-enter civilian life.

Spotlight on Service: Matt Leff

Spotlight on Service: Matt Leff

The primary wish of so many low-income clients struggling with debt is simply to have a fresh start.  That is exactly what Matt Leff has been providing for the past seven years through his volunteer work with VLJ.

Matt, a patent attorney at Merck & Co., leads the Bankruptcy in a Box Program, which offers low-income clients a new financial future after they have become overwhelmed by debt. Merck attorneys and paralegals work together to prepare and file Chapter 7 petitions on behalf of their clients.

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Introducing the Veterans Legal Wellness Clinic and Tenancy Clinic

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VLJ is excited to announce two new legal programs this year.  The Veterans Legal Wellness Clinic is the first legal services clinic to be held regularly at the East Orange VA Hospital; VLJ is proud to partner with the legal departments of BASF and Panasonic, as well as the law firms, Day Pitney LLP, Nukk-Freeman & Cerra PC, and McGuire Woods LLP on this ground-breaking new program. The Tenancy Clinic is our second new program and it is co-sponsored by Prudential and Lowenstein Sandler. 

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VLJ In the News: Why Tenants Lose When They Go Up Against Landlords in Newark

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VLJ In the News: Why Tenants Lose When They Go Up Against Landlords in Newark

There are 40,000 evictions filed in Essex County alone – the most in the state. VLJ helps low-income tenants facing eviction through a monthly legal clinic at the courthouse in partnership with Prudential and Lowenstein Sandler.  Learn why tenants face an uphill battle in this WNYC piece featuring our clinic:  http://www.wnyc.org/story/why-tenants-lose-against-lanlords-newark.

Congratulations! PSEG Receives ECBA's 2017 Bernard Kuttner Award!

Congratulations! PSEG Receives ECBA's 2017 Bernard Kuttner Award!

PSEG’s legal department approached VLJ about starting a pro bono program to address the legal needs of veterans in New Jersey, which led to the creation of VLJ’s Veterans Legal Program in 2014.  Three years later, PSEG’s tireless attorneys and support staff have hosted 30 legal clinics and provided much-needed legal services to this underserved community.  PSEG has demonstrated a long-lasting commitment to assisting NJ’s veterans and is most deserving of this honor!

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A Success! VLJ's 15th Anniversary Celebration

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On November 14, 2016, VLJ hosted our 15th Anniversary Celebration at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, NJ.  The night was enormously successful; nearly 300 guests attended the event and helped raise over $300,000 for VLJ.  In addition, BASF Corporation was presented with the 2016 Pro Bono Award (accepted by Matthew Lepore, Senior Vice President, Chief Compliance Officer).