Garden State Bar Association

Annual Report

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TO: The GSBA General Membership

DATE: September 15, 2011

RE: 2010 - 2011 Annual Report

Dear GSBA Colleagues:

It has been my pleasure to serve as your President during the 2010 -2011 Bar Year. We began this year with a singular commitment -- to raise the bar. We asked more of ourselves as leaders and more from each of you as members. Guided by our seminal mission, we expanded our vision and re-connected to the issues that have made The Garden State Bar Association the powerful institution that has impacted our communities statewide for 49 years.

As African American lawyers, we must never forget our responsibility to demand a better today and to build a better tomorrow. Success, for us, is not simply recognizing that we stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before us, but acknowledging that we are successful when we become the shoulders upon which others will stand. This year’s annual report reflects the hard work of your 2010 – 2011 leadership team in six critical areas: Leadership and Organization, Advocacy, Pipeline Activities (i.e., developing leaders for our future), Education, Networking and Other Key Activities. We hope you are as proud of this year’s efforts as we were proud to serve you. Again, we thank you for the opportunity serve.

We are pleased with what we have built together and excited about the future of the GSBA.

 

ANNUAL REPORT

I. Purpose

The purpose of the Garden State Bar Association (the "GSBA") is threefold:

(1) assist African-Americans and other ethnic minorities in becoming an effective part of the judicial and legal systems; (2) advance the science of jurisprudence, improve the administration of justice, support initiatives designed to improve economic condition of all individuals, and work to eliminate discrimination and inequality based on racial, ethnic or sexual considerations; and (3) establish programs and projects to pursue, support and facilitate the implementation of these purposes.

II. 2010 -2011 Executive Committee:

A. President: Thomas M. Jackson

B. President Elect: Lori E. Caughman

C. Vice President: Fruqan Mouzon

D. Secretary: Jennifer A. Watson

E. Treasurer: Akinyemi T. Akiwowo

F. Immediate Past President: Gwendolyn J. Williams

 

III. Year End Review

A. Leadership and Organizational Efforts

i. August 14,2010: 2010 - 2011 Strategic Planning Meeting to develop the vision, mission and objectives for the 2010 - 2011 Bar Year.

 

ii. September 25, 2010: “Fast Start” meeting to establish the statewide infrastructure, including appointing the Committee Chairs, Subcommittee Chairs, Regions and Regional Directors, who implement the   Strategic Plan for the 2010 – 2011 Bar Year.

 

iii. Established the "Judicial Council Planning Committee," which is tasked to re-establish and launch the GSBA's Judicial Council.

 

iv. Established the "Law and Technology Committee," which designed and launched new GSBA website that includes interfaces with Facebook™ and Twitter™ and Tumbler™.

 

v. Amended By-Laws to establish that the Immediate Past Treasurer is an ex-officio member of the GSBA Finance Committee to ensure continuity in the treasury function. (By-Laws Committee)

 

vi. Amended By-Laws to establish the GSBA Young Lawyers Division as a standing committee. (By-Laws Committee)

 

vii. Established the GSBA "President's Council," a committee of past presidents of the GSBA to promote the transfer of institutional knowledge between administrations and to provide an experienced

     leadership advisory council to each new GSBA President. The "President's Council" is chaired by the Immediate Past President.

 

viii. Increased actual membership by 6% and paid membership by 5% from the 2010 - 2011 Bar Year. (Membership Committee)

 

ix. Purchased QuickBooks™ Online to improve financial reporting, transparency and accuracy, and to provide the accounting infrastructure for annual audits. (Finance Committee)

 

B. Advocacy Issues

i. October 8, 2010: GSBA President Thom Jackson participated in the New Jersey Black Leadership Summit with African American community organizations, state legislators and churches from around the State of New Jersey.

 

ii. October 22, 2010: Letter to the New Jersey State Bar Association seeking the approval of an amendment to expand the number of Board seats from 44 to 49 members by adding two seats for section and committee representatives and three at-large seats for underrepresented groups. The amendment was adopted.

 

iii. November 2010 - December 2010: GSBA President Thom Jackson appeared in a MY9News report entitled, "Driving While Black," an update of the report with respect to racial profiling in New Jersey.

iv. February 2011: Re-engaged the GSBA as a member of the Board of the New Jersey Black Issues Convention, and joined the New Jersey Legislative Black Caucus' "President's Council." (Legislative Affairs Committee)

 

v. February 2011 - April 2011: Founding member of the New Jersey Legislative Redistricting Coalition, a coalition of Specialty Bars and Community Organizations (including the NAACP, NJBIC and the National Council of 100 Black Women - Bergen County Chapter) focused on ensuring that a fair and constitutional redistricting map was adopted by New Jersey, which accurately reflected the growth in the New Jersey's communities of color. (Legislative Affairs Committee)

 

vi. February 27, 2011 - March 3, 2011: Letters to the editor, letters to Governor Christie and to Senate President Sweeney in support of the independence of the Office of the Public Defender, and guest appearances on Fox T.V. and KISS FM (98.7 FM) decrying the Governor's treatment of Public Defender Yvonne Smith Segars. (Legislative Affairs Committee)

 

vii. April 7, 2011: "Education, Housing, Economic and Legal Issues Arising From A State Takeover Of Camden, New Jersey -- An Urban City." Guest Speak: Mayor Dana Redd (Cosponsored by GSBA Regions 4 and 5, and Legislative Affairs Committee)

 

viii. April 2011 - July 2011: Met with federal and state representatives to advocate for the fundamental principal of judicial independence and to ensure appropriate minority representation on the federal and state bench. (Judicial Affairs Committee)

 

ix. July 22, 2011: GSBA President-Elect Lori Caughman serves as a founding member of the Legal Issues Committee for a coalition of community stakeholders seeking to restore local control to Newark, N.J.

 

C. Pipeline Activities

i. November 6, 2010 and January 15, 2011: Established “Presidents’ Breakfast” with Presidents of ABLS and BLSA Chapters at Seton Hall and Rutgers (Newark) Law Schools. (Sponsored by Young Lawyers Division)

 

ii. November 12th: Co-sponsored Association of Black Law Students 20th Annual Jazz for Justice Scholarship Program. (Sponsored by Young Lawyers Division)

 

iii. January 27th: Co-sponsor UNCF: An Evening of Stars Tribute® to Chaka Khan Super Viewing Party. (Co-sponsored by Young Lawyers Division)

 

iv. January 27th: Co-sponsor 5th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Champions of Social Justice Awards Banquet, hosted by ABLS and BLSA Chapter at Rutgers (Camden) Law School. (Sponsored by Young Lawyers Division).

 

v. February 5th: Planning BLSA "Career Day," a collaborative effort between the GSBA Young Lawyers' Division and the ABLS and BLSA Chapters at Seton Hall, Rutgers (Newark) and Rutgers (Camden) Law Schools. (Sponsored by Young Lawyers Division)

 

vi. February 19, 2011: Black History Month Family Celebration: (Cosponsored by GSBA Region 4, the Toms River Branch NAACP and the Ocean County Library Toms River Branch)

 

vii. February 28,2011: MLK Commemoration Ceremony at Rutgers Law School, Camden MLK Commemoration Ceremony (Sponsored by GSBA Region 5)

 

viii. April 15, 2011: National Bar Association - Region III MLK Drum Major for Justice Competition at Rutgers Law School- Newark Campus (Co-hosted by GSBA Scholarship Committee and the Association of Black Women Lawyers of New Jersey)

 

ix. April 18, 2011: GSBA-Prudential 2011 1-L Summer Internship Program, a paid summer internship with Prudential Financial, Inc. in which the selected law school student has an opportunity to work with attorneys who support the broad reach of the various Prudential businesses. (Co-sponsored by Corporate Practice Group and Young Lawyers Division)

 

x. May 20, 2011: Keynote Address by GSBA President Thom Jackson at the Toms River Branch NAACP Freedom Fund Dinner: "Affirming America's Promise."

 

xi. June 1, 2011: 36th Annual Scholarship and Awards Gala. Awarded $10,000 in Scholarships to minority law school students in New Jersey. (Hosted by Scholarship Committee)

 

D. Educational Activities

i. October 20, 2010: Co-sponsored with other Specialty Bar Associations (including NBA Affiliate, Association of Black Women Lawyers) "Pathways to the Judiciary," a panel discussion examining the process and career paths for becoming a state appellate judge or federal district court judge. The panel included former State Appellate Court Judges, State Supreme Court Judges, Federal Magistrates and Federal District Court Judges.

 

ii. November 11, 2010: Hosted a "General Counsel Roundtable," a panel discussion examining the career paths for becoming the chief legal officer of a corporation. The panel included former and current chief legal officers. (Sponsored by GSBA Corporate Practice Group)

 

iii. November 18,2010: Conversation on Mass Incarceration Prison Reentry at Rutgers School of Law-Newark; Guest Speaker: Professor Taja-Nia Y. Henderson, Esq. (Sponsored by GSBA Region 3)

 

iv. February 2011: Salute to Living Legends - Essex County College (Cosponsored by GSBA Region 3 and the Legislative Affairs Committee)

 

v. February 10, 2011: " Managing Your Small Firm Practice" (Sponsored by Small Firm Practice Committee)

 

vi. March 16, 2011: "Courageous Conversations in Education – Part II - Education Reform: How Do We Ensure That It Benefits All Youth?" Guest Panelists included: Christopher Cerf, NJ Acting Commissioner

of Education, NJ State Senator Teresa Ruiz, and Shavar Jeffries, President, Newark Public School Advisory Board. (Co-sponsored by GSBA Legislative Affairs Committee and the New Jersey Public Policy Research Group)

 

vii. March 23, 2011: The 7th Annual Rite of Passage Ceremony for the Female Offender Reentry Group Effort (FORGE) at the Paul Robeson Campus Center, Room 2311232 located at 350 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Newark, NJ. (Sponsored by GSBA Region 3)

 

viii. May 17, 2011: Union County Bar Foundation Annual Law Day. Chief Justice Stuart Rabner delivered remarks. Awards were presented to the winners of the Law Day 2011 essay, poetry and poster contests. The Vincent J. Apruzzese Mock Trial Award was presented to the county champions from Cranford High School.

 

ix. May 19, 2011: Co-sponsor of panel on "Diverse Trailblazers in the Legal Profession" at the Annual Meeting and Conference of the New Jersey State Bar Association.

 

x. June 15, 2011: "Prescription For Health Care Reform: Implications For Communities Of Color" town hall meeting. Guest Speaker: Robert Johnson, M.D., Dean of New Jersey Medical School. (Co-sponsored by GSBA Legislative Affairs Committee and the New Jersey Public Policy Research Group)

 

E. Networking Activities

 

i.                     November 4, 2010: Young Lawyers Division Networking Mixer.

ii.                    November 29, 2010: Participated in Specialty Bar Roundtable with New Jersey State Bar Association.

iii.                  December 28th and 29th: Regional Networking Mixers in Region 5 & 6 (i.e., the southern and northwestern parts of New Jersey) in celebration of Kwanzaa.

iv.                 March 16, 2011: Co-sponsored the Diversity Summit with the Specialty Bar Associations and the New Jersey State Bar Association.

v.                    April 2011: Mercer County Bar Association Award Dinner honoring New Jersey State Supreme Court Justice John Wallace, Jr.

 

F. Other Key Activities

i. Thanksgiving events at Bethel Presbyterian Church in East Orange, New Jersey and the James O. Bryant Food Pantry in Piscataway NJ. (Co-sponsored by Young Lawyers Division and GSBA Region 3)

 

ii. Christmas Holiday event at the James O. Bryant Food Pantry in Piscataway NJ. (Co-sponsored by Young Lawyers Division and GSBA Region 3)

 

iii. Collaborating with APALA-NJ to volunteer at the soup kitchen hosted by the Food Bank of New Jersey.

 

iv. Collaborating with community groups and Specialty Bar Association to educate African American, Asian, Hispanic and other communities of interest with respect to Congressional and State Legislative redistricting and reapportionment laws.

 

v. Appointed GSBA members to represent the GSBA on various NJ Supreme Court advisory committees and NJ State Bar Association committees.