Christina Stripp Active in the Community
Christina Stripp has been active as a pupil in the Morris Pashman Inn of Court. Recently, she participated in a mock trial on a wrongful death action, after which she graduated from the program. Christina also graduated from the year-long Bergen LEADS program sponsored by Bergen Volunteers, at its end-of-year community forum, where the graduates made a presentation on affordable childcare in Bergen County. Last, but not least, Christina was named an at-large member of the Young Lawyers Division of the New Jersey State Bar Association.
Trigg Is Expert in International Custody Dispute
Amanda Trigg was tapped to serve as the neutral expert in an international custody dispute which spanned three continents, as the father of a child moved his child from New Jersey to India, and then to London. Christina Stripp worked with Amanda on the brief about the mother’s custody rights under the Hague Convention in the proceedings in London. On Monday, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that the father was convicted of obstructing the parental rights of his child’s mother by kidnapping the child and failing to return the child to New Jersey when ordered to do so. Click here for more.
Office of the State Comptroller Issues Report
On July 26, 2022, Cohn Lifland’s Walter Luers was quoted in the New Jersey Monitor regarding the release of a report from the New Jersey Office of the State Comptroller that was critical of the New Jersey Government Records Council, which is responsible for adjudicating complaints for access to public records. The article is available here, and the State Comptroller’s report is available here.
If you're a busy family law mediator, how do you relax? If you're Cohn Lifland's Jeff Fiorello, you direct a production of "In the Heights" for Light Opera of New Jersey at the South Orange Performing Arts Center for the next two weeks. To find out more about Jeff's production, click here.
Maurice Receives Professionalism Award
In a long-delayed ceremony, Joseph Maurice will receive the 2021 New Jersey Commission on Professionalism Award (Bergen County) at a luncheon at the Forsgate Country Club on July 19, 2022.
Cohn Lifland Named to NJBIZ Best Places to Work 2022
Cohn Lifland is pleased to announce that it has been selected as one of the "Best Places to Work" in the small company category of NJBIZ's 2022 Best Places to Work in New Jersey. The Best Places to Work program identifies and honors the top 125 companies in New Jersey that benefit the state's economy, workforce and fellow businesses. Of the 125 companies, only seven are law firms, and Cohn Lifland is the only law firm listed in its category. The firm will be honored during an awards ceremony on September 29 at The Event Center at iPlay America in Freehold, NJ.
To qualify, Cohn Lifland completed a detailed questionnaire about the firm's benefits and policies. Our attorneys and staff completed a survey concerning their level of satisfaction. The Best Companies Group conducted the surveys, analyzed the responses from employees and aligned the responses across the eight core focus areas on the employee survey: Leadership and Planning, Corporate Culture and Communications, Role Satisfaction, Work Environment, Relationship with Supervisor, Training, Development and Resources, Pay and Benefits and Overall Engagement.
LexisNexis Practice Guide to New Jersey Personal Injury Litigation
The 2022 edition of the LexisNexis Practice Guide to New Jersey Personal Injury Litigation – the 16th edition of this seminar publication – was published earlier in 2022. Barry Knopf and Audra DePaolo, partners with Cohn Lifland Pearlman Herrmann & Knopf LLP in Saddle Brook, began working on this publication back in 2007, and it is still going strong. The book contains chapters on medical and professional malpractice, automobile accidents and other personal injury areas of practice.
Knopf and DePaolo work with a distinguished group of expert authors to provide in-depth procedural and substantive coverage of the causes of action central to New Jersey personal injury practice. The book combines a task-based, procedural style with substantive analysis, and practical insight based on years of practice experience. Each Practice Guide chapter combines authoritative legal analysis with expert authors’ practical insights that have been distilled from years of practice experience. The book includes more than 100 forms references in checklists and in chapter text.
Barry A. Knopf is a partner at Cohn Lifland Pearlman Herrmann & Knopf LLP, where he litigates personal injury actions, including medical and legal malpractice cases. He also serves as an expert for malpractice actions. He has been certified as a civil trial attorney by the New Jersey Supreme Court since 1982. Audra DePaolo is also a partner in Cohn Lifland Pearlman Herrmann & Knopf, where she practices in the areas of appeals and civil litigation. She is s member of the New Jersey State Bar Association, the Bergen County Bar Association and the Association of the Federal Bar of New Jersey.
New Jersey State Bar Association LGBTQ Rights Section
Jeffrey Fiorello has completed his valuable service as Chair of the New Jersey State Bar Association LGBTQ rights section and will continue to serve on the executive committee of that section as the Immediate Past Chair.
Cohn Lifland Family Lawyers Actively Leading the State Bar Family Law Section
Jeffrey Fiorello continues to rise as a leader of the New Jersey State Bar Association Family Law Section, as its Vice Chair. Amanda Trigg has been reappointed to serve on the Executive Committee of the Family Law Section, having previously served as the Chair of the Section in 2015-2016.
Superior Court Dismisses Defamation Lawsuit
Earlier this month, the Superior Court of New Jersey, Sussex County Law Division dismissed a defamation lawsuit brought against the Sussex County Democratic Committee. The Committee had challenged the lawsuit as a groundless attempt to silence the committee, calling the plaintiff out for making groundless claims not substantiated by law.
Cohn Lifland Pearlman Herrmann & Knopf, LLP, the attorneys for the Committee, pointed out that the First Amendment provides special protection against defamation suits brought by public officials, and argued that suits like this have the potential to chill free speech. The Court concurred.
“We have said from the start that the case was without merit, so we are pleased that the Court has dismissed the case,” says Jeffery W. Herrmann, Esq. “Political debate belongs in the town square, not in the courthouse. When people use the courts to try to silence their political critics, they attack the foundation of the Constitution’s support of free speech.”
"It’s vital to protect the First Amendment of our Constitution, and that’s exactly what we did,” said Dawne Rowe, chair of the Sussex County Democratic Committee. "We are pleased that the Court agreed."
