After Hours
A roundup of extracurricular activities for lawyers and judges in the Garden State.
October 16, 2017 at 12:06 PM
8 minute read
Soos Named Co-Chair of Lifland American Inn of Court
Jeffrey Soos, a member of Saiber's business litigation practice group in Florham Park, has been appointed co-chair of the John C. Lifland American Inn of Court, an association dedicated to fostering and developing the practice of intellectual property law and federal litigation. Soos focuses his practice in business litigation, intellectual property litigation, class action litigation and antitrust, trade regulation and unfair competition. He is a member of the American Bar Association, New Jersey State Bar Association, and the Association of the Federal Bar of the State of New Jersey. He received his B.S. from Syracuse University in 1991, and his J.D. from the University of Utah in 1994.
Thomas Prol Moderates First Amendment Free Speech Program at NJ Law Center
On Sept. 23, Thomas Prol, a partner at Laddey, Clark & Ryan in Sparta, moderated a legal education program regarding controversial Supreme Court decisions at the New Jersey Law Center in New Brunswick. The program featured remarks by Simon Tam, the lead singer of the rock group “The Slants,” and his attorney before the U.S. Supreme Court in Matal v. Tam. Tam recently won a landmark decision at the U.S. Supreme Court under the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment. He successfully fought to trademark his rock band's name, which was previously denied as disparaging speech. The Supreme Court struck down the part of the trademark law that called for U.S. Patent and Trademark Office staff to make assessments about whether speech is offensive or not, stating, “[w]e now hold that this provision violates the Free Speech Clause of the 1st Amendment…It offends a bedrock 1st Amendment principle: Speech may not be banned on the ground that it expresses ideas that offend.” Following the keynote address from Tam, Thomas Prol hosted Tam's counsel, Rutgers Law School Dean Ronald Chen, and other attorneys for a roundtable discussion regarding some of the most important cases of the nation's history, asking: “Did the Court get it right or wrong?” Licensed to practice law in both New Jersey and New York, Prol is admitted before numerous federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court. Prol is a graduate of NY Law School and holds a master of public health and a bachelor's degree from Emory University. Prior to law school, he worked as an environmental scientist and enforcement officer for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. He also served two years as a volunteer in the U.S. Peace Corps in Nepal and has held internships with the U.S. Attorney's Office (EDNY), the NYC Commission on Human Rights, CNN and the Carter Presidential Center.
Essex Family Judge Katz Elected to NCJFCJ Board
The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) has elected Judge David B. Katz of Essex County Superior Court, Family Part, in Newark, to its board of directors. Along with his duties as a board director, he is also the NCJFCJ's vice-chair of the Family Violence and Domestic Relations Advisory Committee, and a member of the Curriculum Development and Legislative committees. Judge Katz was appointed to the Superior Court in 2008. He currently serves as the presiding family judge in the Essex vicinage. Judge Katz has also served as the lead judge for Children in Court and Domestic Violence, the Family Drug Court judge, and chair of the Model Court. He received his law degree from Seton Hall School of Law in 1987, with honors, where he served as editor-in-chief of the Seton Hall Law Review. He also has an M.B.A. from Fairleigh Dickinson University and a bachelor's degree from the University of Delaware. Judge Katz is a former law clerk to U.S. District Judge Garrett E. Brown Jr. of the District of New Jersey.
Soos Named Co-Chair of Lifland American Inn of Court
Jeffrey Soos, a member of
Thomas Prol Moderates First Amendment Free Speech Program at NJ Law Center
On Sept. 23, Thomas Prol, a partner at Laddey, Clark & Ryan in Sparta, moderated a legal education program regarding controversial Supreme Court decisions at the New Jersey Law Center in New Brunswick. The program featured remarks by Simon Tam, the lead singer of the rock group “The Slants,” and his attorney before the U.S. Supreme Court in Matal v. Tam. Tam recently won a landmark decision at the U.S. Supreme Court under the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment. He successfully fought to trademark his rock band's name, which was previously denied as disparaging speech. The Supreme Court struck down the part of the trademark law that called for U.S. Patent and Trademark Office staff to make assessments about whether speech is offensive or not, stating, “[w]e now hold that this provision violates the Free Speech Clause of the 1st Amendment…It offends a bedrock 1st Amendment principle: Speech may not be banned on the ground that it expresses ideas that offend.” Following the keynote address from Tam, Thomas Prol hosted Tam's counsel, Rutgers Law School Dean Ronald Chen, and other attorneys for a roundtable discussion regarding some of the most important cases of the nation's history, asking: “Did the Court get it right or wrong?” Licensed to practice law in both New Jersey and
Essex Family Judge Katz Elected to NCJFCJ Board
The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) has elected Judge David B. Katz of Essex County Superior Court, Family Part, in Newark, to its board of directors. Along with his duties as a board director, he is also the NCJFCJ's vice-chair of the Family Violence and Domestic Relations Advisory Committee, and a member of the Curriculum Development and Legislative committees. Judge Katz was appointed to the Superior Court in 2008. He currently serves as the presiding family judge in the Essex vicinage. Judge Katz has also served as the lead judge for Children in Court and Domestic Violence, the Family Drug Court judge, and chair of the Model Court. He received his law degree from Seton Hall School of Law in 1987, with honors, where he served as editor-in-chief of the Seton Hall Law Review. He also has an M.B.A. from Fairleigh Dickinson University and a bachelor's degree from the University of Delaware. Judge Katz is a former law clerk to U.S. District Judge Garrett E. Brown Jr. of the District of New Jersey.
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Who Got The Work
J. Brugh Lower of Gibbons has entered an appearance for industrial equipment supplier Devco Corporation in a pending trademark infringement lawsuit. The suit, accusing the defendant of selling knock-off Graco products, was filed Dec. 18 in New Jersey District Court by Rivkin Radler on behalf of Graco Inc. and Graco Minnesota. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi, is 3:24-cv-11294, Graco Inc. et al v. Devco Corporation.
Who Got The Work
Rebecca Maller-Stein and Kent A. Yalowitz of Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer have entered their appearances for Hanaco Venture Capital and its executives, Lior Prosor and David Frankel, in a pending securities lawsuit. The action, filed on Dec. 24 in New York Southern District Court by Zell, Aron & Co. on behalf of Goldeneye Advisors, accuses the defendants of negligently and fraudulently managing the plaintiff's $1 million investment. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Vernon S. Broderick, is 1:24-cv-09918, Goldeneye Advisors, LLC v. Hanaco Venture Capital, Ltd. et al.
Who Got The Work
Attorneys from A&O Shearman has stepped in as defense counsel for Toronto-Dominion Bank and other defendants in a pending securities class action. The suit, filed Dec. 11 in New York Southern District Court by Bleichmar Fonti & Auld, accuses the defendants of concealing the bank's 'pervasive' deficiencies in regards to its compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act and the quality of its anti-money laundering controls. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, is 1:24-cv-09445, Gonzalez v. The Toronto-Dominion Bank et al.
Who Got The Work
Crown Castle International, a Pennsylvania company providing shared communications infrastructure, has turned to Luke D. Wolf of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani to fend off a pending breach-of-contract lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 25 in Michigan Eastern District Court by Hooper Hathaway PC on behalf of The Town Residences LLC, accuses Crown Castle of failing to transfer approximately $30,000 in utility payments from T-Mobile in breach of a roof-top lease and assignment agreement. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Susan K. Declercq, is 2:24-cv-13131, The Town Residences LLC v. T-Mobile US, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Wilfred P. Coronato and Daniel M. Schwartz of McCarter & English have stepped in as defense counsel to Electrolux Home Products Inc. in a pending product liability lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 26 in New York Eastern District Court by Poulos Lopiccolo PC and Nagel Rice LLP on behalf of David Stern, alleges that the defendant's refrigerators’ drawers and shelving repeatedly break and fall apart within months after purchase. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Joan M. Azrack, is 2:24-cv-08204, Stern v. Electrolux Home Products, Inc.
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