expungement

The Power of Pro Bono - “Margaret"

The Power of Pro Bono - “Margaret"

“Margaret”* originally came to Volunteer Lawyers for Justice (VLJ) over 20 years ago seeking help expunging her criminal record, contained on microfiche no less, when she met with a team of lawyers in Newark. At the time, Margaret had two felonies, and this was long before New Jersey passed its expansive expungement laws. After meeting with the team of attorneys, Margaret found out she was ineligible for expungement even though the attorneys described her as “the poster child” for having her record expunged.

Even with Margaret having turned her life around, being in school for a degree in human services, and zealously pursuing a career, sadly, the law would not be of help. The attorneys recommended Margaret pursue clemency from the governor; Margaret completed the clemency petition, collected over 200 signatures, and mailed it to the Governor of New Jersey at the time. Nothing. No word and no clemency.

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New Jersey Office of the Public Defender Sues New Jersey State Police

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New Jersey Office of the Public Defender Sues New Jersey State Police

The New Jersey Office of the Public Defender today announced that it filed a class action lawsuit against the New Jersey State Police to require it to stop unlawfully disclosing the criminal records of tens of thousands of individuals in violation of their court-ordered expungements. New Jersey has been on the forefront of expanding opportunities for people to expunge their criminal records, and the courts have ordered the records of thousands of New Jerseyans expunged. Once an expungement is granted, the New Jersey State Police is charged with removing such offenses from background checks. But the State Police’s extreme delays in processing expungement orders and sealing individuals’ criminal records is frustrating the law’s goals of allowing reformed and rehabilitated New Jerseyans to be freed from the collateral consequences of their past lives.

January 2021 Volunteer of the Month: Daniel D'Alessandro

VLJ is pleased to recognize Daniel D’Alessandro as our January Volunteer of the Month. Dan is a partner with McCarter & English, where he is a commercial and securities litigator. January is National Slavery and Trafficking Prevention Month, and given Dan’s extensive volunteerism with VLJ’s NJ Human Trafficking Victims’ Legal Assistance Program, it is very fitting he receive this distinction this month.

February 2020 Volunteer of the Month: Wendy Feldman

VLJ is pleased to announce Wendy Feldman, Vice-President, Corporate Counsel at Prudential Insurance Company of America, as February’s Volunteer of the Month.

In the past three years, Wendy has volunteered in many of VLJ’s legal clinics (including expungement, divorce, and bankruptcy), but where she has arguably had the most significant impact is with VLJ’s tenancy clinic.

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Good News: Expungement Campaign & Vacatur Success

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VLJ launched a successful expungement campaign from July 15th to 26th to raise money for criminal record reports. Thanks to donors like you, we raised $4,650 to help over 100 clients get one step closer to clearing their records! This is truly life-changing. Thank you!

January 2019 Volunteer of the Month: Brett Kahn

When he was a new associate at McCarter & English, Brett Kahn attended a luncheon where the firm’s partners discussed the importance of doing pro bono work and highlighted the opportunities for pro bono work with VLJ. After his first experience volunteering on a case, he was hooked. Over the years, Brett has worked on 37 different pro bono cases for VLJ clients. Today, almost a decade after that luncheon, Brett is a partner himself at McCarter & English, welcomed his first child in July, and is still taking on pro bono cases for VLJ.