Amy Woltman, Vice President & Chief Legal Officer, Retirement Strategies, at Prudential Financial, Joins Volunteer Lawyers for Justice’s Board of Trustees

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 22, 2024

CONTACT
Eric W. Hughes
Bershad Director of Communications
Volunteer Lawyers for Justice
(973) 233-5724
ehughes@vljnj.org

Newark, NJ — Volunteer Lawyers for Justice (VLJ) announces that Amy Woltman joined its Board of Trustees in September. Amy, Vice President & Chief Legal Officer, Retirement Strategies, joined Prudential Financial in December 2013. She is a veteran of the U.S. Army, having served four years as a 98G, Voice Interceptor (Arabic), including a six-month deployment to Kosovo. Amy also previously served as President of VETNET, Prudential’s business resource group focused on raising veterans’ issues as they relate to the workplace and representing Prudential within the veteran community.

Amy received her Bachelor of Arts from Williams College and her Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School. As has been the case for several trustees, Amy’s appointment to VLJ’s Board of Trustees is a seemingly natural progression for such a prolific volunteer and enthusiastic supporter of all things pro bono. Since Amy began volunteering with VLJ in 2016—seeing her support VLJ’s Debt Relief Legal Program, Divorce Program, ReLeSe (Reentry Legal Services) Program, South Ward Promise Neighborhood Program, Tenancy Program, and Veterans Legal Program—she has donated 311 hours of her time, valued at an impressive $77,860.

As someone whose volunteerism has kept families housed and community members financially stable, she is a testament to what it means when legal professionals use their experience to give back, which is why VLJ’s mission of ensuring access to justice for people experiencing poverty resonates with her:

“When I began volunteering with Volunteer Lawyers for Justice in 2016, little did I know then how profoundly this decision would shape my life and, I hope, the lives of many others. Over eight years later, I proudly have hundreds of volunteer hours under my belt, dedicating the majority of my time to helping clients facing consumer debt issues and evictions. Every hour I volunteer and every client I help is my way of fulfilling VLJ’s powerful mission.

Navigating the complexities of each case has been a journey in itself, but I couldn’t have asked for a better support system. VLJ’s staff have shown immense patience and grace as I learned the ropes, ensuring every question I asked was met with gentle guidance and kind support. VLJ’s collaborative approach to pro bono has made my efforts as a volunteer all that more possible and powerful. That’s why it was an easy ‘Yes!’ to joining VLJ’s Board of Trustees. Having seen firsthand the transformative power of VLJ’s services and what is possible with pro bono, I am excited about further supporting the organization in this new role, alongside my fellow trustees and VLJ staff, in its efforts to make New Jersey a more just and kinder place to call home.”

On Amy’s appointment, Cathy Keenan, VLJ’s Executive Director, remarked, “To have a new trustee with years of boots-on-the-ground pro bono lawyering across six legal programs join the board is a win-win-win for Volunteer Lawyers for Justice: a win for added strength, leadership, and insight to VLJ’s Board of Trustees; a win for VLJ’s staff and community of volunteers; and most importantly, a win for those VLJ serves, knowing that Amy’s experience on the frontlines of the justice gap will nurture a more nuanced and informed approach to addressing the many unmet civil legal needs of New Jerseyans experiencing poverty. I am excited for Amy’s new chapter at VLJ, and I look forward to a deepening of the partnership VLJ has with Amy and the dedicated legal team at Prudential Financial.”

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About Volunteer Lawyers for Justice (VLJ)

VLJ is an award-winning, comprehensive nonprofit legal services program based in Newark, NJ, with a statewide reach. VLJ's mission is to ensure access to justice for people experiencing poverty. The Newark-based organization ensures fair access to the legal system through partnerships with corporations and hundreds of volunteer attorneys. In 2023, VLJ’s work impacted over 4,200 people—including 1,644 children—and its volunteer attorneys donated nearly $2 million in free legal services.

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