The following is New Jersey State Bar Association President Robert B. Hille's column in the latest edition of New Jersey Lawyer, the association's bi-monthly magazine. NJSBA members can read the current and back issues of New Jersey Lawyer at njsba.com. The most recent issue, for February 2018, focuses on family law.

The New Jersey State Bar Association (NJSBA) takes seriously the role it plays as an advocate for members of our profession.

Working on the issues and concerns of lawyers is chief in our mission statement.

That is no more evident than in the halls of the State House, where our volunteers and staff work closely with the Legislature, the governor and others in Trenton on civil liability, judicial administration, budgetary issues, and other legislation that impacts the practice of law.

Family law matters like alimony and custody issues, which have the capacity to touch so many lives in our state, also register high on our list of priorities.

In the fall, NJSBA Secretary Jeralyn L. Lawrence and Family Law Section Secretary Robin Bogan testified before the Assembly Judiciary Committee on A-327 (Singleton), which regulates the authority of a court to make provisions for the educational expenses of unemancipated children. The bill outlines the 22 factors courts must take into account when determining the contribution parents need to make to cover post-secondary expenses for unemancipated children.

The association proposed the bill after the Family Law Section's Executive Committee studied the issue and uncovered many instances of case law that used similar factors, but caused confusion among practitioners and the courts concerning which factors should be applied.

The NJSBA drafted the legislative solution to provide definitive guidance to courts, practitioners and litigants. The idea was to create a comprehensive statute to address the critical importance of providing access to post-secondary education to children.

The bill passed through the Assembly Judiciary Committee, with acknowledgement from Committee Chair Assemblyman John McKeon on the association's volunteer work and expertise on the issue.

It is that ability of our members, who are in the trenches every day, to look at an emerging issue, evaluate it and offer a substantive solution that is a hallmark of the role we serve in advancing legislation that touches on criminal, family, business, real property and many other legal fields. And as we embark on a new legislative session, it is that commitment we vow to apply to issues ranging from the passage of A-1982, which would provide fairness in professional malpractice insurance, to A-1786, which revises certain business partnership laws, to S-1609, dealing with adverse possession.

We are the voice of the profession.