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Association of the Federal Bar Holds Judicial Conference

The Association of the Federal Bar of New Jersey hosted its 42nd Annual Judicial Conference on March 29 at Mayfair Farms in West Orange. The event, which was attended by approximately 325 attorneys and members of the federal judiciary, featured three panels.

Association of the Federal Bar Holds Judicial Conference

The day started with opening remarks by Sabrina G. Comizzoli, organization president, then by Jose L. Linares, chief judge of the U.S. District Court, and Keith J. Miller, president of the U.S. District Court Historical Society.

Association of the Federal Bar Holds Judicial Conference

The first panel, “Ethical Responsibilities and Pro Bono Opportunities in the District of New Jersey: the Re-Entry/ReNew Program, Section 1983 Litigation, and Seeking Justice For All,” featured several panelists. U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Hammer and U.S. District Judge Noel L. Hillman discussed the court's re-entry program, which provides support to released federal prisoners in order to reduce recidivism, improve public safety, and save money. U.S. Magistrate Judge Lois H. Goodman and Edward T. Kole, a partner with Wilentz, Goldman & Spitzer and association first vice president, discussed how attorneys in private practice can volunteer their time to assist the court by representing plaintiffs in intellectually challenging, nonfrivolous actions, many of which involve constitutional claims brought by indigent, incarcerated litigants. The panel also featured Cathy Keenan, executive director of Volunteer Lawyers for Justice, who presented other pro bono activities available to members of the New Jersey bar. The panel was moderated by Charles M. Lizza a partner and litigation vice chair at Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr.

Association of the Federal Bar Holds Judicial Conference

The second panel, “Navigating Corporate Internal Investigations: Perspectives from the Company, Private Counsel, and the Government,” was a discussion of issues concerning corporate internal investigations from the perspectives of in-house counsel, white collar defense counsel, and the U.S. Attorney's Office. Appearing on the panel were: John J. Hoffman, general counsel of Rutgers and former state acting attorney general; Vikas Khanna, special litigation counsel in the U.S. Attorney's Office's Health Care and Government Fraud Unit; William F. Maderer, managing partner of Saiber; and Maureen Ruane, vice president and head of U.S. litigation at Novartis. The panel was moderated by Zahid N. Quraishi, a partner in the white collar criminal defense & investigations group at Riker Danzig Scherer Hyland & Perretti.