Essex Bar Installs Officers, Gives Achievement Awards

Kevin Walsh of Gibbons in Newark, NJ

The Essex County Bar Association installed new officers for the 2020-21 term at its annual dinner on Sept. 16 at Mountain Ridge Country Club in West Caldwell: 123rd president Kevin G. Walsh, Gibbons; president-elect Eileen O'Connor, Essex County Prosecutor's Office; vice president Shoshana Schiff, McManimon, Scotland & Baumann; treasurer G. Glennon Troublefield, Carella, Byrne, Cecchi, Brody & Agnello; secretary, James DiGiulio, O'Toole Scrivo; and immediate past president Matthew S. Schultz, Schindler Elevator Corp. Trustees inducted included: Matthew S. Adams, Fox Rothschild; Jodi Argentino, Argentino Fiore Law & Advocacy; Donna M. Cameron, Essex County Prosecutor's Office; Carmen Diaz Duncan, Newsome O'Donnell; Sandra C. Fava, Fox Rothschild; retired judge Harriet Farber Klein, Wilson, Elser, Moskowitz, Edelman & Dicker; Marc D. Miceli, SM Law; Arthur M. Owens, Lum, Drasco & Positan; Michael J. Rankin, Kozyra & Hartz; Cory J. Rothbort, Mazie Slater & Freeman; Mary E. Toscano, U.S. Attorney's Office, District of New Jersey; and Mauro G. Tucci Jr., Chiesa, Shahinian & Giantomasi. Also sworn in were the Young Lawyers Section trustee, Jessica C. Diamond, Fox Rothschild; and chair, Maria R. Fruci, Genova Burns. The association's ABA delegate was Lynn Fontaine Newsome, Newsome O'Donnell. And the association's NJSBA trustees were Jodi L. Rosenberg, Jodi Rosenberg Law, and G. Glennon Troublefield, Carella Byrne. The following achievement awards handed out: the Samuel S. Saiber Professional Achievement Award, to retired judge Patricia K. Costello, Chiesa Shahinian; the Civil Practice Award, to O'Connor, Parsons, Lane & Noble; the Criminal Practice Award, to Justin Edwab, of the Essex County Prosecutor's Office; the Family Practice Award, to Susan Reach Winters, Chiesa Shahinian; the Federal Practice Award, to Craig Carpenito, U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey; the General Practice Award, to Robert A. Gaccione, Gaccione & Pomaco; the Bernard A. Kuttner Pro Bono Service Award, to Mary Frances Palisano, Gibbons; the Outstanding Young Lawyer Award, to Jessica C. Diamond, Fox Rothschild LLP; and the Walter A. Lucas Special Merit Awards, to Judge Joseph A. Greenaway Jr. of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and Patricia Teffenhart of the The New Jersey Coalition Against Sexual Assault.

Collins to Chair Business Partnership HR Roundtable

Patrick Collins Appointed Chair of Somerset County Business Partnership HR Roundtable Patrick T. Collins                                         [Photo credit: Lynn Goodwin.]
Patrick T. Collins was appointed the chair of the Somerset County Business Partnership HR Roundtable. Collins is a partner and labor and employment practice chair at Norris McLaughlin, P.A. in Bridgewater.  He said in a statement: "As a long-time resident, I look forward to continuing to contribute to this community and the SCBP is the perfect outlet to do so." The partnership has four-star accreditation through the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and represents investors and members in Somerset County. Its HR Roundtable provides an opportunity for HR professionals to discuss important topics with an experienced employment law attorney and other experts in an informal setting, the firm noted. A resident of Branchburg, Collins practices labor, employment, and personnel law on behalf of employers and management. He is experienced defending discrimination and sexual harassment claims, wrongful discharge and whistleblower suits, and claims brought under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and other civil rights and anti-discrimination laws. He counsels employers on employment policies, employee discipline and terminations, reductions in workforce, and plant closings. Collins also has conducted sexual harassment investigations and employment law audits, and drafted numerous employee handbooks and policies. Collins received his J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law in 1983 and his B.S. from Glassboro State College in 1979. He is active with various professional organizations.