Announcements

2025 Hunterdon County Mock Trial Competition

The 2025 Hunterdon County High School Mock Trial Competition held its opening rounds on Saturday, February 1, 2025 and its final round on Wednesday, February 5, 2025.  Hunterdon Central High School, North Hunterdon High School, and Voorhees High School each had teams competing this year. The teams prepare for competition with the help and guidance of both teacher coaches and local attorneys who volunteer their time to coach.

The High School Mock Trial Competition provides a fictitious case in which the students play the parts of both attorneys and witnesses.  The cases differ from year to year.  This year’s case was a civil case dealing with product liability.

In the opening round each team engaged in two trials.  The initial rounds were set up so that each school would “play” every other school.  Following the very competitive opening round, the teams with the two best records, Hunterdon Central High School and North Hunterdon High School, advanced to the final’s competition.

On Wednesday, February 5th, the finals of the Hunterdon County Mock Trial took place at the Historic Courthouse in Flemington.  The Honorable John J. Burke, III, PJ Family and the Honorable Robert Ballard, PJ Civil, presided over the final competition.  In a very close match, Hunterdon Central High School defeated North Hunterdon High School, and advanced to the regional level of the New Jersey State Mock Trial Competition.  Yesim Gokmen from Hunterdon Central was named as best overall attorney and Andrew Partanna from North Hunterdon was named as best overall witness.

The 2024-2025 Vincent J. Apruzzese Mock Trial Competition is sponsored by the New Jersey State Bar Foundation and the Hunterdon County Bar Association.  Our county program was administrated by John Macce, Esq. of Macce & Cresti, Anne Mohan, Esq., of Riker Danzig LLP and Lyn Brokaw, Executive Director of the Hunterdon County Bar Association.  A special thank you to all of the Vicinage XIII Judges who served as Mock Trial judges, as well as HCBA members Judge David Issenman, J.S.C.(ret.), David Culley, Esq., and Bhaveen Jani, Esq. who volunteered their time as attorney coaches.

The 2025 Hunterdon Central Mock Trial Team
Left to right back row: Eva Graziano, Raychel Khusid, Avery Fulton, Meagan Kemunto, Brandon Laohoo
Left to right front row: Ayushi Ghan, Emma Howell, Yesim Gokmen, , Ryan Jacob

The 2025 North Hunterdon Mock Trial Team
Left to Right back row: Albert Fung, Andrew Partanna, Chase Skinner, Neptune Mahoney
Left to right front row: Saanvi Sachin, Dina Namjoo, Lucy Harris, Anusha Kar and Ella Partanna
Not pictured: Elizabeth Homulak

2025 Voorhees Mock Trial
Left to Right: Aaditya Aiyer, Audrey Devine, Caitlin Carr, Julia Yarton, Dylan Rizzo, Katelyn York,
Christian Ventura, Dory Goad and Jazlyn Collins

Holiday Party 2024

Thank you to all who joined us last night at Dolce for a great 2024 Holiday Party!  We gathered for social time, wrapped donated presents and shared a great meal together. A special thank you from the United Way of Flemington for the generous donations to help their Holiday Hands fundraising. Enjoy the photos below and have a great holiday season!

 

DV Mini Marathon 10.09.24

On Wednesday, October 9th, the Hunterdon County Bar Association sponsored a Domestic Violence Mini Marathon at the Hunterdon County Justice Center.  The afternoon began with a two credit Training for Domestic Violence Representation followed by the Vicinage XIII Professionalism Seminar, “The Ethics of Advising and Communicating with Domestic Violence Victims”.  The afternoon concluded with a social, refreshments donated by the Shop Rite of Clinton. Thank you to all involved in the planning, most especially Alisa Grossman, Esq. and the attorneys and staff at Legal Services of Northwest Jersey; William Rudnik, Esq. of Gebhardt & Kiefer; Rachel Campbell, Esq. of DiFrancesco Bateman; Rachel Ishak, MSW, LSW of the NJ Brain Injury Alliance; Iris Beatriz Martinez-Monge, J.D. and the staff at SAFE in Hunterdon; Merrill Mezzacappa, Esq. and the Board of Trustees from SAFE in Hunterdon as well as Jeannie Colalillo and Shop Rite of Flemington.

HCBA Installation Dinner and Awards Ceremony 09.18.24

On Wednesday, September 18th, HCBA held their annual Installation Dinner, Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony at the Copper Hill Country Club in Ringoes.  The 2024/2025 Board of Directors was installed by the Honorable Hany A. Mawla, JAD.


2024 HCBA Board of Directors
Officers
President: Taylor DeSantis
President Elect: Christopher Vaccaro
Vice President: Allison Roberts
Treasurer: David Culley
Secretary: Prosecutor Renee Robeson

Trustees
Immediate Past President: Lisa Browning
NJSBA Trustee: John Macce
Mary Ann Bauer
Michelle Cresti
Alisa Grossman
Claudia Marchese
Blake Rush

Awards were presented to the following members:

2024 Professionalism Award: Steven J. Karch, Esq.

2024 Trailblazer Award: The Honorable Ann R. Bartlett, J.C.S.(ret)

2024 Lifetime Achievement Award: Robert J. Shanahan, Jr., Esq.

Left to right: The Honorable Ann R. Bartlett, J.C.S.(ret), Robert J. Shanahan, Jr., Esq. and Steven J. Karch, Esq.

Below: The Honorable Robert Ballard, PJ Civil and Taylor DeSantis, Esq., HCBA President