This year's Annual Meeting and Convention in Atlantic City will provide ample opportunities for participants to earn continuing legal education credits, plenty of time for networking, and the unique camaraderie of meeting colleagues and adversaries in a collegial and festive atmosphere.

The association made the decision this year to open the installation ceremony for bar leadership to all attendees. In past years, the ceremony was a ticketed event.

“We want to be inclusive and introduce everyone to the leadership of the state bar,” said incoming NJSBA President John E. Keefe Jr. “It should be open to everyone who has taken the time to be part of the bar and to come down and participate.”

Focus on Wellness

In addition, in recognition of the growing emphasis across the industry on attorney health and mindfulness, the New Jersey State Bar Association (NJSBA) has expanded programming in the Annual Meeting Mindfulness Lounge. Guests can learn tips for handling stress, take a yoga class or just spend a few minutes in meditation.

“Lawyers have very stressful jobs; they are under high pressure,” said Anthony Murgatroyd, a personal-injury attorney in Flemington who is among those who will be guiding participants through activities at the lounge in Atlantic City. “You have to take care of yourself and be well if you want to help people, and if you want to be productive in your legal work.”

Murgatroyd recalled how he began to pay attention to his own wellness a few years ago. “Three successive trials and a lot of working all week and weekends brought me to the point where I realized if I didn't stop and do something for myself I was going to really burn out,” he said. He did some research and started on the path of meditation and mindfulness.

The benefits have been significant. “Being a lawyer who can be more present, you can be more aware of what's going on,” he said. “I think it's made me a much better lawyer.”

The NJSBA first convened its first such lounge at the 2016 Annual Meeting. It has grown significantly since then. This year, activities will be spread out across the three days of the event, and include meditation breaks, vinyasa yoga, chair yoga, tips for disconnecting and more.

“The goal is to give lawyers a space to recharge and not have the tensions of having to be out there in the hallways networking and absorbing a constant barrage of new information,” Murgatroyd said.

The NJSBA Annual Meeting and Convention will be held at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City from May 16-18. To view the full program for the Annual Meeting, and to register, visit njsba.com.