Salem County Bar Association

Each year, the Salem County Bar Association hosts various legal, social, educational, and community events. Some of our more popular events are described below:

Annual Shad Dinner

The Shad Dinner is likely our most popular event of all. This Dinner is an opportunity for Judges and Attorneys to come together and enjoy an exciting evening of good food and camaraderie. The event is always well-attended and dignitaries from all over join us for a riveting evening. Although this event is sometimes referred to across the State as Salem County's social event of the season, it is deep rooted in local tradition:

"The American shad, Alosa Sapidisama, if you will, an iridescent master of the currents, is an anadromous swimmer, which means that it spends most of its life in the ocean, returning in the spring to fresh water to spawn. The singularity and mystery of the shad is that it always returns to its natal streams and rivers. The Delaware River shad run is returning to its peak of the early 1900's, thanks to clean-up activities all along the river. Unfortunately, the shad is only present in Salem County waters for approximately one month per year. The only method to catch shad in the Delaware River where it borders Salem County is by gill netting. Although this is a means of livelihood for most shad fisherman, it also provides a pleasant pastime which is enjoyed by several members of the Salem County Bar Association. Dedicated to William "Bucky" Buckalew, the Shad Man, 1913-1984."

For more information about the Annual Shad Dinner, please contact our Shad Dinner Chairperson Frank Hoerst at 856-769-1700.

Law Day

Each year, the Salem County Bar Association participates in a Law Day Program which is coordinated by our Vicinage Ombudsman, the Law Day Chairperson and the Mock Trial Coordinator. The program, which is designed to celebrate Law Day, is held at the Salem County Courthouse and is open to the public. Judges of the County and Vicinage XV and local attorneys are asked to participate. A guest speaker addresses the theme of Law Day. There is a review of the High School Mock Trial case and Certificates are then presented to all mock trial participants. The County Champion is presented with an engraved plaque courtesy of the Salem County Bar Association. In years past, the Salem County Sheriff's Department and the Salem County Prosecutor's Office have offered exciting presentations as well. This event is a fun-filled afternoon for all involved and is often well attended by members of the community, the Judiciary and the legal profession. If you would like more information about Salem County's Law Day Program, please feel free to contact our Vicinage XV Ombudsman Sandra Lopez at 856-453-4538, our Law Day Chairperson Tracey Oandasan at 856-624-4074 or our Mock Trial Coordinators Tina DiNicola at 856-299-0281 or Shanna McCann at 856-769-9001.

This project is cosponsored by the New Jersey State Bar Foundation and made possible through funding from the IOLTA Fund of the Bar of New Jersey. For additional information about the Foundation's other law-related activities, please call 1-800-FREE-LAW or visit the Foundation on the Web at www.njsbf.org.

Holiday Charitable Endeavor

For a number of years, the Salem County Bar Association collaborated with the Division of Youth and Family Services to provide a special holiday event for the children involved with the Division in Salem County. More recently, the members of the Salem County Bar Association have donated funds to organizations such as the Ronald McDonald House and Ranch Hope, Inc. It is through the efforts of the Salem County Bar Association, spearheaded by D. Ryan Nussey, Esq., that the these charitable endeavors provide meaningful assistance throughout our community. For more information regarding these endeavors, please contact D. Ryan Nussey at drn@klineburgerandnussey.com.

Vincent J. Apruzzese High School Mock Trial Competition

Each year, local high school students are given the opportunity to become attorneys, witnesses and jurors during the Vincent J. Apruzzese High School Mock Trial Competition. This statewide Mock Trial program is sponsored by the New Jersey State Bar Foundation in cooperation with the State’s 21 County Bar Associations, and made possible through funding from the New Jersey IOLTA Fund. The Salem County Bar Association is a proud supporter of this program, and each year we have dozens of local volunteers who offer their time and talents to make the program an enjoyable educational experience for the participants.

The Mock Trial Competition is open to all of our High Schools, and almost all of the Salem County High Schools have participated in this program. The mock trial season typically gears up in late September each year, with the County-wide Competitions being held in January/February. Each participating high school is allowed to enter one team of students to compete against other schools in the County. The top winning teams from Salem County compete against each other, and the winner is offered a spot to compete at the Regional Competitions in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The Regional winners go on to compete in the Semi-Finals, and the Semi-Final winners go on to compete for the State championship.

The goal of the Competition is to promote better understanding of the law, court procedures and the justice system and to increase basic life and leadership skills. The Mock Trial cases usually address issues that are pertinent to high school students and the fact patterns change from year-to-year. In the past several years, cases have addressed issues involving road rage, bullying, food safety, performance enhancing drugs, illegal downloading and texting while driving.

For more information about the Vincent J. Apruzzese High School Mock Trial Competition, please visit the New Jersey State Bar Foundation’s website at http://www.njsbf.org/educators-and-students/programs/hs-vincent-mocktrial.html. For information about the Competitions that are held locally here in Salem County, please email our County Coordinators, Tina M. DiNicola, Esq. at tdinicola@dinicola.com or Shanna McCann, Esq. at shannamccann@chancemccann.com.

Meet the Law Clerks Event

Traditionally, the Salem County Bar Association has been hosting a Meet the Law Clerks event in the early Fall on the Deck at the Riverview Inn. All Vicinage XV Law Clerks and their Judges are invited to attend, along with the members of the Salem County Bar Association. This is a great opportunity for the members of the Salem County Bar Association to meet the incoming law clerks, and for the law clerks to get to know us. This "meet and greet" event has become a popular tradition in our County.

CLE Programs

From time to time, the Salem County Bar Association will co-sponsor Continuing Legal Education programs. The seminars are held at the Salem County Courthouse or at a local restaurant here in the County. These CLE programs are often offered at low-cost or no-cost to the attendants and have been very well attended. The presentations are typically made by members of the Salem County Bar Association and cover topics that are of interest to our membership.

Holiday Party

Each year the Salem County Bar Association has a Holiday Party for the members. The members are invited to bring their spouses and guests for a fun-filled evening of food and fellowship. The event is typically held in early December and has been held at various locations throughout the County, such as The Rushes, DiPaolo's Italian Ristorante and the Salem City Cafe. This annual event is often well-attended by the membership and is a wonderful way to begin the holiday season.

Bench-Bar Meetings

Bench-Bar Meetings are held from time to time at the Salem County Courthouse. The Chairperson of a Practice Committee will coordinate these meetings between members of the Bar Association that practice in a particular area of the law and the Salem County Judge who is currently handling those matters. The meetings are arranged on an as-needed basis and provide the membership and the Court with an opportunity to meet and discuss topics of mutual interest and concern.