Volunteer Lawyers for Justice is pleased to recognize Jason Scott Camilo as October’s Volunteer of the Month. Jason is the founder of the Law Offices of Jason Scott Camilo, LLC, a law practice focusing on immigration and nationality law. For Jason, pro bono work is part and parcel of his work as an attorney, simply explaining, “everyone deserves decent legal representation. As an attorney, doing pro bono work is one of the ways we can ‘stand up.’”
In Memory of Mark Daniel
This week VLJ lost a true champion of pro bono work. Mark Daniel, former VLJ Trustee, donor, and volunteer, died on September 29, 2020. He leaves behind not only a loving family, but also a true legacy in the New Jersey and national pro bono community for his tireless dedication to serving the unmet legal needs of our most vulnerable neighbors. VLJ had a long-standing partnership with Mark, a visionary leader who understood the transformative power of pro bono work.
September 2020 Volunteer of the Month: Eric Weinstock
VLJ is pleased to recognize Eric Weinstock from Lowenstein Sandler LLP as our September Volunteer of the Month. Eric is Senior Counsel whose practice focuses on counseling clients in the development and implementation of their estate plans, including tax and non-tax issues. Additionally, he counsels fiduciaries in the administration of estates and trusts, and works with clients on the formation and management of charitable organizations.
July 2020 Volunteer of the Month: Shaun Bean
Volunteer Lawyers for Justice (VLJ) is proud to feature Shaun Bean as its July Volunteer of the Month. Shaun is Assistant General Counsel at Panasonic Corporation of North America (“PNA”), where he handles a broad array of legal issues including dispute resolution, litigation management, and product safety matters.
VLJ Welcomes New Board Members
Volunteer Lawyers for Justice (VLJ) is pleased to announce it has welcomed five new members to its Board of Trustees.
Mala Harker is a Partner at Friedman Kaplan Seiler & Adelman where she is a member of the firm's Management Committee. She represents individuals and corporations in the financial services, pharmaceutical, and other industries in connection with white collar, securities, employment, and complex commercial litigation matters.
June 2020 Volunteer of the Month: Danielle Weslock
New Expungement Legislation
Volunteer Lawyers for Justice (VLJ), a nonprofit law firm helping underserved individuals and families across New Jersey, is excited to announce changes to New Jersey State Law that will positively impact the reentry community, particularly indigent and vulnerable people with New Jersey criminal records.
March 2020 Volunteer of the Month: Mark Heinzelmann
VLJ is pleased to announce Mark Heinzelmann as the March Volunteer of the Month.
Mark started volunteering at VLJ’s Tenancy Clinic soon after starting as an associate in the environmental group at Lowenstein Sandler. Although the clinic is designed to give limited advice to some of Essex County’s most vulnerable tenants, attorneys can choose to stay with a case afterwards. Mark has made that decision on multiple occasions, proving his dedication to legal justice. The results for VLJ clients on cases he’s worked have been overwhelmingly positive.
February 2020 Volunteer of the Month: Wendy Feldman
VLJ is pleased to announce Wendy Feldman, Vice-President, Corporate Counsel at Prudential Insurance Company of America, as February’s Volunteer of the Month.
In the past three years, Wendy has volunteered in many of VLJ’s legal clinics (including expungement, divorce, and bankruptcy), but where she has arguably had the most significant impact is with VLJ’s tenancy clinic.
January 2020 Volunteer of the Month: Nathan Howe
VLJ is honored to announce Nathan Howe as its January 2020 Volunteer of the Month. Nathan is an associate with McCarter & English, LLP where he assists clients in energy regulatory and transactional matters, as well as complex environmental and commercial litigation. Nathan has volunteered with VLJ for three years, becoming one of VLJ’s expungement clinic’s most committed and frequent volunteers.
VLJ Featured in Panel Discussion for "Just Mercy" Movie Premiere
Michael B. Jordan was at the CityPlex 12 in Newark Tuesday night for the premiere of his latest film, “Just Mercy,” and he brought the cast of the movie, teachers, students, and community organizers with him.
December 2019 Volunteer of the Month: Janet Nagotko
Volunteer Lawyers for Justice (VLJ) is honored to recognize Janet (Jan) Nagotko as our December Volunteer of the Month. Jan has consistently volunteered with VLJ for over two years, quickly becoming one of the most dedicated attorneys at VLJ’s Divorce Clinics. She has helped nearly 50 clients thus far.
VLJ Receives Generous Grant from Investor's Bank
Volunteer Lawyers for Justice (VLJ) is pleased to announce it has received a grant from the Investors Foundation to support the New Jersey Trafficking Victims' Legal Assistance Program (Trafficking Program).
The Trafficking Program began in 2015 to provide an array of legal services to victims of human trafficking, including the criminal record clearing of arrests and convictions that resulted from having been trafficked. Despite great strides made in addressing this crisis, survivors continue to face significant barriers as they attempt to rebuild their lives post-trafficking.
VLJ Receives Generous Grant from PSEG Foundation to Support Our Veterans
Volunteer Lawyers for Justice (VLJ) is pleased to announce it has received a significant grant from the PSEG Foundation to support the Veterans Legal Program at VLJ. The Veterans Legal Program began in 2014 to assist with legal issues that veterans frequently face. The Veterans Legal Program includes the PSEG Veterans Legal Clinic, a free monthly legal clinic held in downtown Newark, where veterans have the opportunity to meet face-to-face with volunteer attorneys and paralegals from PSEG, Gibbons, and McCarter & English. Currently, volunteers provide veterans with legal advice and assistance drafting letters and legal pleadings, and there are plans to expand the clinic to serve more veterans in the coming year. VLJ also partners with veteran’s service providers across the state, including the East Orange VA Hospital, GI Go Fund, and VAST, to provide seamless service to veterans in need of services. In 2018, VLJ assisted 181 veterans through the Veterans Legal Program.
Good News: Expungement Campaign & Vacatur Success
VLJ Welcomes New Board Members
July 2019 Volunteer of the Month: Jack Feinstein
VLJ is honored to announce Jack Feinstein as its July Volunteer of the Month. Not only has Jack been volunteering with VLJ for 17 years, but he has also encouraged numerous law students to participate in pro bono work as a former Clinical Professor and ultimately Director of the Rutgers Civil Justice Clinic.
New Jersey Residents Should Grab Camera and a Watertight Bag to Avoid Disaster-Related Legal Issues
As the extreme weather season begins, hurricanes, tornadoes, fires, and other natural disasters threaten to bring myriad civil legal problems for New Jersey residents, from accessing critical disaster assistance to securing temporary housing to handling insurance claims. Volunteer Lawyers for Justice will be there to provide advice and assistance but residents should act now to ensure that they have accessible documents and pictures of them and everything in their home before a natural disaster arrives. A few simple actions can help to avoid legal problems later.
Volunteer Lawyers for Justice, offering free legal assistance for the most vulnerable
VLJ strives to meet its motto of “Taking Cases. Changing Lives.” It does that by seeking to increase the breadth of pro bono legal services offered; recruiting, training and supporting new and veteran volunteer attorneys; working effectively with social service providers to identify emerging legal issues throughout the state; and securing the generous and necessary funds to support VLJ’s programming.