Hispanic Bar Installs 40th President, Officers

HBA-NJ Installs 40th President, Current Officers HBA-NJ PRESIDENT SWORN IN: Melinda Colón Cox, a partner at the law firm of Parker Ibrahim & Berg LLP (at left), is sworn in as the HBA-NJ 40th president by the Judge Michael A. Shipp,District Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey (at right), on October 22, 2019 at the Pleasantdale Château in West Orange. [Courtesy Photo.]
The Hispanic Bar Association of New Jersey held its 40th annual Installation and swearing-in ceremony for officers and trustees on Oct. 22 at the Pleasantdale Château in West Orange. U.S.  District Judge Michael A. Shipp of the District of New Jersey swore in the officers and trustees. After 11 years of service to the HBA-NJ, Melinda Colón Cox , a partner at  Parker Ibrahim & Berg , was sworn in as the 40th president. Longtime member Albertina "Abby" Webb , vice president for the organization's Southern Region a Hill Wallack partner, served as mistress of ceremonies at the sold-out event, which included some 400 guests, according to an announcement. Julia A. López , immediate past president and an attorney at Reed Smith, made remarks highlighting the HBA-NJ's accomplishments over the past year during her presidency, including the creation of its Scholarship Endowment Fund and the recent CBS news segment on the HBA-NJ's American Dream Pipeline Programs. Irene Oria , national president of the Hispanic National Bar Association and a partner at Fisher Broyles, also made remarks highlighting the importance of collaboration with the HBA-NJ and congratulating the organization for being named as the HNBA's 2019 Affiliate of the Year. During her presidential remarks, Cólon Cox announced this year's theme for the HBA-NJ: "Rise Up—Engage, Empower, Educate." She said to the attendees, according to the announcement: "Against all odds, we have succeeded and we should be proud. But with that success comes a great responsibility: we each have an obligation to pay it forward and to ensure the success of our Latino community." Celebrating four decades, the HBA-NJ also launched a "$40,000 in 40 days" fundraiser, and raised nearly $18,500 in one night, according to the announcement. All donations go to the HBA-NJ Scholarship Endowment Fund, and 100% of the proceeds are to be used to award annual scholarships to deserving high school and law school students, the organization said.

Rutgers Chancellor Haddon Wins Justice Ginsburg Award

Rutgers–Camden Chancellor Phoebe Haddon Selected for National Honors At the invitation of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Rutgers University–Camden Chancellor Phoebe A. Haddon visited the Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court in her Supreme Court chambers on Nov. 12, 2019. Haddon is the recipient of the 2019 Ruth Bader Ginsburg Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) Section on Women in Legal Education. [Courtesy Photo.]
Rutgers University–Camden Chancellor Phoebe A. Haddon has been selected to receive the 2019 Ruth Bader Ginsburg Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of American Law Schools' Section on Women in Legal Education, according to an announcement. Ginsburg was unable to attend the ceremonies for Haddon's honor earlier in the year, but invited her for a personal visit on Nov. 12.  The award recognizes individuals with exemplary careers that demonstrate outstanding contributions to the legal academy and the legal profession through teaching, service, and scholarship. The award recognizes recipients' impact on women, the legal community, and the academy through mentoring, writing, speaking, and activism, and providing opportunities to others. The AALS established the award in 2013, when the inaugural award honored to U.S. Supreme Court Justice . The AALS is an organization of 179 law schools in the U.S. seeking  to advance excellence in legal education. Haddon became chancellor of Rutgers University–Camden in 2014, overseeing a campus with more than 7,600 students and 1,300 employees.  Under her leadership, the university has widened affordable access through its " Bridging the Gap" program, which provides full or partial tuition coverage for New Jersey working families. She also has expanded the institution's  civic engagement program, the announcement noted . Haddon has received numerous honors, including  the Trailblazer Award from the New Jersey Women Lawyers Association in 2015. She earned her J.D. from Duquesne University School of Law in 1977 and her LL.M. from Yale Law School in 1985.