Prol to Receive Professionalism Accolade

The Sussex County Bar Association and the New Jersey Commission on Professionalism in the Law selected Thomas H. Prol, a partner at Laddey, Clark & Ryan in Sparta, for a 2018 “Professional Lawyer of the Year Award,” according to an announcement. The award is to be presented to Prol and others selected at the commission's professionalism awards luncheon on, Oct. 11, 2018, at the Pines Manor in Edison. Awards are presented annually to lawyers selected by bar associations for setting a positive example for others. Seton Hall University School of Law professor Paula A. Franzese, chair of the commission, described the award: “It signifies that you are someone we can all point to with pride as a true and esteemed professional.” Prol, who practices environmental law, recently completed a term as New Jersey State Bar Association president. During his tenure, he prioritized efforts to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution and to promote diversity and inclusion in the legal system. Prol has long been a vocal advocate on civil rights issues, and was a prominent voice pushing for marriage equality in New Jersey, as well as the state's anti-bullying legislation. He is a board member of Garden State Equality, an organization advocating for LGBT rights.

Bhattacharya Named South Asian Bar's Attorney of the Year

BHATTACHARYA RECEIVES AWARD FROM ASIA BAR ASS'N: Pictured left to right (top row): Robert Baker, Francis Sullivan, Grant Wright; (middle row): Gerard Hanson, Michael Kahme, Suzanne Marasco, Jonathan Meyers; (front): Supti Bhattacharya.

The South Asian Bar Association of New Jersey named Supti Bhattacharya , a divorce and family law partner at Hill Wallack, attorney of the year at the organization's fifth annual gala on Sept. 13, 2018, at the Marigold in Somerset. Bhattacharya has been an active member of the bar in New Jersey throughout her career, and served the community in various capacities. Bhattacharya is a trustee for the New Jersey Supreme Court Lawyers' Fund for Client Protection, a Superior Court family court early settlement program panelist, a trustee for Central Jersey Legal Services, and chair of the Mercer County Bar Association's Diversity and Inclusion Committee. She also is a former trustee to the New Jersey State Bar Association, past chair of the Minorities in the Profession Section of the NJSBA, and past trustee of the Women in the Profession Section of the NJSBA.