Pro Bono Partnership Names New Executive Director

The Pro Bono Partnership board of directors announced the appointment of Nancy Eberhardt as executive director. Eberhardt started at the partnership in 2003 as a staff attorney, and has served as New Jersey program director since 2005. “I look forward to beginning the Partnership's third decade focused on improving our already strong programs through increased engagement with our volunteer lawyers and the nonprofit communities we serve,” Eberhardt said. “Understanding the needs of our clients is critical to providing meaningful assistance in a changing economy, when many individuals and communities may be under increased strain. Fortunately, it's also been the case that in these uncertain times lawyers are more interested than ever in leveraging their skills to help communities in need.” Eberhardt was interim executive director beginning last Nov. 1, taking over for, Marcia Levy, who returned to legal academia. Eberhardt seeks to grow the organization by continuing to raise its profile, streamlining operations, and increasing outreach to underserved communities.

Norris McLaughlin Receives 'Companies that Care' Award

Middlesex Bar Holds Practice Awards Gala

MIDDLLESEX BAR PRACTICE AWARD RECIPIENTS: Standing (l to r): Philip Nettl (Criminal Practice Award); Elizabeth Rozin-Golinder (Young Lawyer Award); Christine Marks (Pro Bono Award); George Barrood (Transactional Award); Seated (l to r): Peter Hendricks (Civil Practice Award); Edward Shamy Jr. (Municipal Court Practice Award); and Andrew Wolf (Robert Cirafesi Chancery Practice Award).

The Middlesex County Bar Association held its 13th annual Practice Area Awards Dinner on March 22, 2018, at the Pines Manor in Edison. This year's award recipients are:

Pro Bono Award: Christine F. Marks has been a participant of the Central Jersey Legal Services Volunteer Attorney Program for many years, primarily handling guardianship cases. Marks focuses her practice on litigation. She is a board trustee of the Middlesex Bar and is with Fox Rothschild in Morristown. She previously practiced with Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith & Davis in Woodbridge, which allowed her to dedicate her time to Legal Services. Marks is a graduate of Seton Hall University School of Law (magna cum Laude) and Seton Hall University (magna cum Laude). She is admitted to practice in New Jersey state and federal courts, as well as the Third Circuit.

Civil Trial Practice Award: Peter J. Hendricks, Hendricks & Hendricks, New Brunswick. Hendricks received his B.A. from Rutgers University in 1977. Before attending law school, he worked for the City of New Brunswick. In 1986 he received his J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law and in 1987 was admitted in New Jersey and U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey. In 2012 he received the distinguished Herman L. Breitkopf Trial Lawyer of the Year award from the Trial Lawyers Association of Middlesex County. He was also the recipient of the Municipal Court Practice Attorney of the Year award from the Middlesex Bar in 2009.

Transactional Award: George W. Barrood, New Brunswick. Barrood handles both sides of landlord-tenant actions and real estate closings. He has experience in buying properties at auctions like the Middlesex County sheriff's foreclosure auction and the City of New Brunswick annual tax sale lien auction. Barrood has been a speaker at a number of bar association CLE programs over the years and spoken at Rutgers University Student Legal Services events. He is a member and past president of the New Brunswick Bar Association.

Criminal Trial Practice Award: Philip Nettl, Benedict & Altman, New Brunswick. Nettl is a trial and appellate associate at Benedict and Altman. He received his bachelor's degree from Rutgers University, and his law degree from Rutgers Law School-Camden. He joined the firm in 2004. He is a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and its New Jersey chapter, the Middlesex County Bar Association, and New Brunswick Bar Association. He is a part-time lecturer at Rutgers University in the criminal justice program. He is president of the New Brunswick Bar Association, vice chair of the District VIII (Middlesex County) Ethics Committee and a member of the Supreme Court Committee on Model Jury Charges.

Municipal Court Practice Award: Edward P. Shamy Jr., North Brunswick. Shamy began his career at the law offices of George J. Shamy Sr. and Francis J. Lutz, PA. In 1985 he established his solo practice in New Brunswick, moving to North Brunswick in 1986. Shamy was municipal prosecutor in North Brunswick from 1986 to 2000, and in Hillsborough from 2000 to 2003. He concentrates on municipal court, personal injury, workers compensation and real estate. He is a member of the Middlesex Bar and American Association for Justice. He represented the Middlesex Bar in the acquisition of its current offices at 87 Bayard Street. In addition to serving on the Middlesex County Fee Arbitration Committee, Shamy has also served as a Superior Court arbitrator. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a B.A. in sociology in 1977, and received his J.D. from the University of Richmond in 1982.

Robert J. Cirafesi Chancery Practice Award: Andrew Wolf, The Wolf Law Firm, North Brunswick. Wolf has been active in chancery matters since opening his law practice in September 1997. He is a 1995 graduate of the Rutgers Law School-Newark, where he was a national member of Order of the Barristers for High Honors in the Art of Courtroom Advocacy, the winner of the intramural and regional finalist in the 1993 ABA Negotiations Competition, and the winner of the 1994 ABA intramural and regional Client Counseling Competition. He received his bachelor's degree from Queen's College (CUNY) in 1980, and his M.B.A. in finance from St. John's University in 1987.

Young Lawyer Award: Elizabeth Rozin-Golinder, Rozin-Golinder Law, East Brunswick. Rozin-Golinder has dedicated her career to matrimonial and family law. She earned a B.A. in political science and women's studies from Rutgers University, and a J.D. from New England School of Law. She is a member of the family law sections of the New Jersey State Bar Association, Middlesex County Bar Association, and New York State Bar Association. She is also a member of the New York County Bar Association. She is fluent in Russian.