The New Jersey Law Journal has announced this year's honorees for the New Jersey Legal Awards, including the Attorney of the Year and Law Firm of the Year finalists.

The honorees will be recognized, and the Attorney of the Year and Law Firm of the Year winners announced, at this year's gala, scheduled for September, as well as in special magazines to be published at that time.

Congratulations to the honorees:

 

Attorney of the Year Finalists

Joe Lubertazzi, McCarter & English

Nandini Nair, Greenspoon Marder

Karen Thompson, ACLU-NJ

 

Law Firm of the Year Finalists

Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi

Pashman Stein Walder Hayden

Porzio Bromberg & Newman

 

Litigation Departments of the Year

Riker Danzig Scherer Hyland & Perretti – General

Brach Eichler – Health Care

Methfessel & Werbel – Insurance

Lerner David Littenberg Krumholz & Mentlik – Intellectual Property

Pashman Stein Walder Hayden – Appellate 

 

Dealmakers

Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi – Real Estate Development & Land Use Group

James Fischer, Faegre Drinker

David Glazer, Morgan Lewis & Bockius

James Kim, Cole Schotz

Porzio Bromberg & Newman – Bankruptcy & Financial Restructuring Group

Lori Waldron, Sills Cummis & Gross

 

Innovators

Archer & Greiner – Cannabis Law Group

Shirley Emehelu – Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi

Lance Kaplan – Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy

Randi Kochman – Cole Schotz

Megha Patel - Law Office of Megha K. Patel

 

Lifetime Achievement

Gwendolyn Robosson – Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy

Maurice Gallipoli – Porzio Bromberg & Newman

 

Mentors

Victor Afanador, Lite DePalma Greenberg & Afanador

Dawn Attwood, Pashman Stein Walder Hayden

David Freylikhman, Greenberg Traurig

Vanessa Kelly, Clark Hill

Julia Lopez, Reed Smith

Gerard Onorata, Peckar & Abramson

Beth Rose, Sills Cummis & Gross

Bari Weinberger, Weinberger Family Law

Gary Werner, Schenck Price Smith & King

Michael Zogby, Faegre Drinker

 

Unsung Heros

Cheryll Calderon, Mazie Slater Katz & Freeman

Wendy Klein, Cole Schotz

Sandra Grannum, Faegre Drinker

Sean Moriarty, NJDEP

Jose Ortiz, Essex-Newark Legal Services

Maureen Pavely, Epstein Ostrove

Gabrielle Pelura, Bressler Amery & Ross

Lingyan Wang, Lerner David Littenberg Krumholz & Mentlik

Brian Yarzab, Pashman Stein Walder Hayden

 

In-House Impact

Rahat Chatha, New Jersey Reentry Corporation

Chubb's North America Office of General Counsel

Brian Cupka, Konica Minolta

Rippi Karda, Verizon

Michael Lyons, Becton Dickinson

 

New Leaders of the Bar 

David M. Alberts – McElroy Deutsch Mulvaney & Carpenter

Michael Ansell – Brach Eichler

Bethany Barrese – Saxe Doernberger & Vita

Stephanie K. Benecchi – Montgomery McCracken Walker & Rhoads

Alex S. Capozzi – Brach Eichler

Jenny Chung – Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi

Stefanie Colella-Walsh – Stark & Stark

Kelly A. Dabek – Duane Morris

Rahil Darbar – Porzio Bromberg & Newman

Sanmathi Dev – Capehart Scatchard

Kevin J. Duffy – Day Pitney

Ana Rita Ferreira – Starr Gern Davison Rubin

Nilaja Ford – Garden State Bar Association

Maria R. Fruci – Genova Burns

Chelsea Germak – Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy

Nicole M. Grzeskowiak – Hoagland, Longo, Moran, Dunst & Doukas

Sarah Hansel – Motley Rice

Irene Hsieh – Greenbaum Rowe Smith & Davis

Terrence J. Hull – Schenck Price Smith & King

Kate E. Janukowicz – Gibbons PC

Jennifer M. Jones – McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter

Jason Kanterman – Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson

Christopher Keating – Wilentz Goldman & Spitzer

Daniel Kluska – Wilentz Goldman & Spitzer

Naju Lathia – Day Pitney

Jack Losinger – Saiber LLC

Stephen Lund – Lerner David Littenberg Krumholz & Mentlik

Jennifer M. McCann – Law Offices of Joseph A. DiCroce

William C. Menard – Norris McLaughlin

Jeffrey P. Mongiello – Epstein Becker Green

Meghan Musso – Connell Foley

Travis W. Nunziato – Laddey Clark & Ryan

Esther F. Omoloyin – Goldberg Segalla

Erika Piccirillo – Cohn Lifland Pearlman Herrmann & Knopf

Christopher Pizzo – Fox Rothschild

Glenn P. Prives – Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith & Davis

Jasmine Brown Seabrooks – Epstein Ostrove

Scott Smedresman – McCarter & English

Scheherazade A. Wasty – Epstein Becker Green

Melissa M. Wangenheim – Organon & Co.