After generating significant interest last year, the Dealmakers of the Year, recognizing excellence in transactional work, and Mentors honors were again part of our Professional Excellence program this year, and the interest only grew. And this year we have our inaugural Unsung Heroes honors—because sometimes the brief author wins the day as much as or more so than the lawyer who stands before the court. A special note of congrats to the dealmakers, mentors and unsung heroes, whose work often occurs behind the scenes. We've worked hard to get them some measure of the spotlight.

And congrats, of course, to our Attorney of the Year finalists, Lifetime Achievement winners and New Leaders of the Bar. Ask what professional excellence means, and learning about these honorees will help you begin to answer that question.

We talked to the honorees via interviews and Q&As, and as usual the insights they provide leave an impression.

There were some common themes. Lawyers in this state are concerned about professionalism, especially preserving it. They're rooted in their communities, and want to use their abilities, acumen and authority to help, in the pro bono context and beyond. And naturally, they care deeply about client service. They wouldn't have gotten here if they didn't. But to see the many ways in which that sense of service manifests is a rewarding project for us, and we believe it's instructive to the readers, too. It's that sense of service that drives the many accomplishments mentioned here, as well as the many more we could never hope to encapsulate.

Our panels of distinguished practitioners, along with the editorial staff, worked hard evaluating nominees. A special thank you to the panels. Attorney of the Year: Lloyd Freeman – Archer & Greiner; CJ Griffin – Pashman Stein Walder Hayden; Lynne Kizis – Wilentz, Goldman & Spitze; Loren Pierce – McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter; Christopher Porrino – Lowenstein Sandler. New Leaders of the Bar: Linda Berthold – Haley Stuart Group; A. Faith English – Lowenstein Sandler; Mary Gabriel – McCarter & English; Deirdre Laws - Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office; Hector Ruiz - Walsh Pizzi O'Reilly Falanga.

Click on the links below to access each honoree's profile, and view the digital edition here.

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Attorney of the Year Finalists

Edward Barocas – American Civil Liberties Union-New Jersey

Roy Wepner – Lerner David Littenberg Krumholz & Mentlik

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New Leaders of the Bar

(The names below are not hyperlinked. For full information on each honoree, click here. To view honoree photos, please access the magazine digital edition here.)

K. Raja Bhattacharya – Bendit Weinstock

Michelle Burke – Porzio Bromberg

Melinda Colon Cox – Parker Ibrahim & Berg

Danielle Corcione – Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi

Kiomeiry Csepes – Csepes Law Offices

Michael Dee – O'Toole Scrivo Fernandez Weiner Van Lieu

Robert DiPisa – Cole Schotz

Christopher Fallon III – Fox Rothschild

Daniel Farino – Archer & Greiner

Jessica Flynn – Greenbaum Rowe Smith & Davis

Ami Foger – Saiber

Gregory Green – Epstein Becker & Green

Jordan Hollander – New Jersey Attorney General's Office

Jennifer Laver – Weber Gallagher Simpson Stapleton Fires & Newby

Jason Levine – Hangley Aronchick Segal Pudlin & Schiller

Steven Llanes – Lowenstein Sandler

Van McPherson III – South Jersey Industries

Benjamin David Novak – Morgan Lewis & Bockius

Rachel Packer – Parker Ibrahim & Berg

Stephen Pagano – Riker Danzig Scherer Hyland & Perretti

Robert Ransom – Archer & Greiner

Marisa Rauchway Sverdlov – Law Office of Marisa Rauchway Sverdlov

Gregory Reid – Sills Cummis & Gross

Andrew Sayles – Connell Foley

Bisola Taiwo – City of Newark

Megha Thakkar – Hill Wallack

Corinne Trainor – Fox Rothschild

Matthew James Troiano – Einhorn Harris Ascher Barbarito & Frost

Lauren James Weir – Gibbons

Rebecca Zisek – Greenberg Traurig