Arnold Fishman has been tapped to receive the New Jersey State Bar Association (NJSBA) Professional Lawyer of the Year Award at the annual New Jersey Commission on Professionalism in the Law event this fall.

The commission's annual awards luncheon will be held Oct. 11 at the Imperia in Somerset. At the event, bar associations around the state – including county and affinity associations – recognize individuals within their organization who are respected by colleagues for their character, competence and exemplary professional behavior.

In addition, the event will recognize Richard Badolato as the recipient of the Daniel J. O'Hern Award and David Sciarra as the recipient of the Charles J. Hollenbeck Award.

Fishman, a former NJSBA trustee and member of the association's judicial vetting committee, is a South Jersey municipal court practice attorney who has been very active with the NJSBA's amicus program.

In making the selection, the trustees noted in particular Fishman's work on State v. Cassidy. The underlying matter of Cassidy involved a state police sergeant who was charged with failing to properly calibrate Alcotest instruments by not testing the simulator solutions with a National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)-traceable thermometer before calibrating the machine.

In a nearly 200-page report, a special master ultimately concluded that the failure to calibrate the instrument undermined the scientific reliability of breath tests subsequently performed on the machine. The NJSBA submitted an amicus curiae brief recommending the state take corrective action.

In addition to helping author the brief, Fishman attended each day of the four-week special master hearing in the case to ensure the association's interests were represented.

“The commitment he showed at the hearings alone is amazing,” said NJSBA President John E. Keefe Jr.

The New Jersey Commission on Professionalism in the Law is a cooperative effort of the New Jersey State Bar Association, the state and federal judiciary, and New Jersey's three law schools. The initiative's goal is to highlight the purpose that has historically made the practice of law a distinguished profession, and instill public respect for judges and the justice system.

For more information, visit njsba.com.