Noteworthy Winter 2018

Photo spreads including all WJ&L attorneys appeared in 201 Magazine in May and more recently in November’s edition of Bergen Magazine. These photo spreads were in connection with the selection of some of our Partners as “top” attorneys in their fields. Tom Wells, Jim Jaworski and Stuart Liebman have enjoyed this distinction a number of times. This year Mark Balian was chosen in Bergen Magazine as a top attorney in Tax Trust and Estates and Jim Delia was chosen for his work in Zoning, Planning and Land Use. Congratulations to all of our attorneys and in particular to Mark and Jim for the first time with this special distinction.

In 2018, we will complete the passing of the torch, on at least some of our administrative duties, with Partners, Mark Balian and Darrell Felsenstein, serving as two of the three Administrative Partners rounded out by Managing Partner, Stuart Liebman. Tom Wells and Jim Jaworski will rotate off from their administrative positions which both have served for many years, in Tom’s case since the beginning of the firm 32 years ago. Time marches on!

Mark Balian recently became a Director of the Ridgewood YMCA Board of Directors following longtime YMCA volunteer, Tom Wells, who remains as a Member of the Board of Trustees of the YMCA. Mark remains active in his BNI networking group.

Associate, Jessica Witmer, has joined Stuart Liebman as a Member of the Paramus Rotary Club, which she says she very much enjoys. Jessica also became a Director of the Paramus area Chamber of Commerce, which she also serves as a legal advisor and Chair of the Young Professionals Committee.

Partner Jim Delia, a longtime Ho-Ho-Kus resident, has joined the Board of Directors of the Hermitage, the historic structure located on Franklin Turnpike in Ho-Ho-Kus since 1847. (The original house was built in 1767). He has also succeeded Tom Wells as the Chair of the Ridgewood YMCA World Service Committee.

Partner, Jim Jaworski, a longtime member of the Bergen Highlands Ramsey Rotary, now represents his club on the selection committee for the annual Edward C. Snyder Scholarships available to Ramsey residents.

Associate, Spencer J. Rothwell, has been active in the Hudson Connections business networking organization and its Toys for Tots program. He also participated in the Jeffersonian Dinner community discussion of disability inclusive housing sponsored by the Kelsey which is a 501(c)(3) charity engaged in creating mixed housing models that are replicable and sustainable.

On the teaching front, Mark Balian and Jessica Witmer have been teaching Estate Planning at the Paramus Community School. Stuart Liebman and Partner, Andy Kohut remain on the faculty at the Bergen County Land Use Symposium, and Stuart is Co-Chair of the Bergen County Bar Association Land Use Committee.

In January 2017, we were pleased to welcome Kathryn L. Walsh as a new associate of the firm in the Land Use and Zoning Law, Litigation and Real Estate Departments. Prior to joining Wells, Jaworski & Liebman, Kate was an associate at a land use firm where she represented a number of commercial and residential real estate developers and other property owners before planning and zoning boards in northern New Jersey. Kate also assisted in her prior firm’s representation of municipalities, as well as planning and zoning boards.

Before entering private practice, Kate served as the judicial law clerk in the Law Division for the Honorable Joseph S. Conte, J.S.C. in the Bergen County Superior Court. After Judge Conte’s retirement, Kate served as a law clerk for the Honorable Alexander H. Carver, III, J.S.C. for the remaining period of her clerkship, where she assisted in drafting the opinions in several significant land use cases. Kate is admitted to practice in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania (2012). She graduated from Villanova University in 2009 with a B.A. in Political Science and History, and graduated from Duquesne University School of Law in 2012 where she earned an academic scholarship and commendations for her clinical work with nonprofit corporations.

Asked how she was enjoying working at our office, Kate proved that she was a talented advocate when she said, “I am thrilled to join the WJ&L Team and to have the opportunity to work alongside some of the best and brightest attorneys in our field.” What can we say, we love having Kate on our team as well.

Look who visited our annual holiday cookie party for staff and families. Brennan Andriulli and Natalie Lopez seem
impressed. Brennan’s Mom, Denise, watches.

On the personal front, Associate, Kate Walsh, very happily married Charlie Lucas on January 13th. Mark Balian, is looking forward to his first child in April. Paralegal, Denise Andriulli, is due later in the year with her second child. Stuart Liebman has plans to break into the grandparent ranks in February. Our family is growing.

Finally, careful readers of this Legal Update will note that Andy Kohut has joined Tom Wells as an Editor of this edition. Andy will take over as the sole Editor of the Legal Update for future editions. Tom who has handled this duty for more than 30 years wishes Andy the best with, as he describes, one of his toughest tasks of getting the articles in from busy attorneys. One of his pleasures has been writing this Noteworthy column.

 

 

 

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