Emerald Sheay (she/her)
Staff Attorney
Emerald is a staff attorney who focuses on pro bono recruitment, training, and case placement. Emerald additionally supports VLJ’s Divorce Program and PRIDE Name Change Program, along with Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (“SIJS”) matters. Prior to joining VLJ, Emerald practiced family law, and clerked for the Honorable Lisa F. Chrystal, P.J.F.P. at the Superior Court of New Jersey – Family Division in Union County. Emerald also volunteered with VLJ’s Divorce Program while in private practice.
Emerald is especially passionate about advocating for those without access to the judicial process, including children and animals. She shares the sentiment of former Attorney General Janet Reno that lawyers who engage in “pro bono service to protect those who cannot help themselves are truly the heroes and the heroines of the legal profession.” Emerald currently sits as the Co-Chair of the New Jersey State Bar Association’s Animal Welfare Committee. She has published articles on family law, animal law, and empathetic lawyering in the Animal Law Review, New Jersey Lawyer Magazine, and New Jersey Family Lawyer.
Emerald earned a bachelor’s degree summa cum laude in music from Rowan University and a Juris Doctorate cum laude from Seton Hall Law School, where she received the “Dean’s Award” upon graduation. She is admitted to practice in New Jersey and the United States District Court of New Jersey.
Outside of VLJ, Emerald performs with professional chamber choir Vocala Ensemble, and is an active member of the Union County Bar Association.
Publications
Paw Prints on Our Hearts: Emotional Distress Damages for Pet Loss in New Jersey — New Jersey Lawyer Magazine, October 2023
Empathy Sparks Innovation: How Lawyers Can Learn from Entrepreneurs — New Jersey Law Journal, February 16, 2022
People Who Hurt Animals Don't Stop With Animals: The Use of Cross-Checking Domestic Violence and Animal Abuse Registries in New Jersey to Protect the Vulnerable — Lewis & Clark Animal Law Review, August 2020
Connect with Emerald