INSTALLATION NEWS On May 21, 2009, the Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers of New Jersey (ACDL-NJ) held its annual inauguration dinner at the Pleasantdale Chateau in West Orange. More than 300 guests attended that evening as Donald A. DiGioia, of Weiseman DiGioia, P.A. (Mountainside, N.J.), was sworn in as President by the Honorable Kenneth J. Grispin, J.S.C. Donald A. DiGioia is a 1976 graduate of Fordham University School of Law, and since being admitted to the bar later that year, he has devoted his entire practice to trial work. Mr. DiGioia is one of a very small group of lawyers who is certified by the New Jersey Supreme Court as a Criminal and Civil Trial Attorney, and he has held this dual distinction for over twenty years. A Master and Past-President of the Richard J. Hughes American Inn of Court, Mr. DiGioia served as Chairman of the Union County District XII Ethics Committee, and he is currently designated as a Special Ethics Master by New Jersey Supreme Court appointment. A frequent lecturer and co-author of two books on trial advocacy topics, Mr. DiGioia is recognized as an Advocate of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), and he was a member of the Board of Governors of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America-New Jersey (ATLA-NJ). He has been rated as one of the Top 100 Lawyers in New Jersey by Super Lawyers, as well as the American Trial Lawyers Association. Formerly an adjunct professor of criminal trial topics at Seton Hall University School of Law, Mr. DiGioia served on the ACDL-NJ Board of Trustees for several years before being elected as an officer. He is a Life Member of both ACDL-NJ and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL). Judge Grispin also swore in the remaining officers: President-Elect William H. Buckman (Moorestown, NJ) Vice-Presidents Leslie Stolbof Sinemus (South Orange, NJ), Timothy Donohue of Arleo, Donohue & Biancamano (West Orange, NJ), Darren Gelber of Wilentz Goldman & Spitzer (Woodbridge, NJ), and Secretary-Treasurer Joseph D. Rotella, (Newark, NJ), as well as thirty members of the Board of Trustees. The keynote speaker was the Honorable Barry T. Albin, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of New Jersey, and a Past-President of the ACDL-NJ. In his remarks, Justice Albin addressed an intriguing issue relating to the attorney-client privilege. The Honorable Lawrence A. Whipple Award is presented annually by the ACDL-NJ to a member of the bar who exemplifies professionalism, dedication to, and passion for the law. This prestigious award honors the memory of Judge Whipple, who was a highly regarded jurist in the Superior Court, Hudson County, from 1963 until 1967, at which time he was appointed to the United States District Court of New Jersey by President Lyndon Johnson. The 2009 recipient of the Whipple Award was Harvey Weissbard (J.A.D., Ret.), Of Counsel to Friedman Kaplan Seiler & Adelman, LLP (Newark, NJ), in recognition of his distinguished career as a trial lawyer, Past-President of the ACDL-NJ, and an outstanding judge. Previous recipients of this award include the Hon. John J. Gibbons, (U.S.C.J., Ret.), of Gibbons, P.C. (Newark, NJ), the Hon. John J. Hughes, U.S.M.J. (Ret.), the Hon. Tonianne J. Bongiovanni, U.S.M.J., and the Hon. Esther Salas, U.S.M.J. |
