Thomas Prol bears battle scars from formation of the state's leading LGBTQ+ advocacy group, Garden State Equality, and the long fight to achieve official recognition for same-sex marriage, as well as his own struggle to gain a foothold in the leadership of the State Bar.

Friends of Prol, best known in the legal community for becoming the first openly gay person to become president of the New Jersey State Bar Association back in 2016, say the bridge-building skills he developed when faced with pushback in those pursuits have served him well in everything he does and provide a model for others to emulate.