Hayden Receives Daniel J. O'Hern Award

Hayden Receives Daniel J. O'Hern Award Joseph A. Hayden Jr.

Joseph A. Hayden Jr. of Pashman Stein Walder Hayden in Hackensack received the 2020 Daniel J. O'Hern Award. The award is presented annually by the New Jersey Commission on Professionalism in the Law, a cooperative effort of the New Jersey State Bar Association, the New Jersey judiciary and New Jersey's law schools, given to a senior member of the bar who has demonstrated outstanding character and career achievement, and who has continually displayed a firm commitment to the ideals of professionalism. "First of all, I would like to express my appreciation to Rutgers Law School, where I received a superb legal education during an exciting time period in our country—the late '60s," said Hayden in a statement. "I would also like to express my appreciation to the giants of the trial bar, such as Raymond A. Brown, Michael Querques, Fred Lacey and Justin Walder, who inspired me by their work ethic and professionalism." Pashman Stein managing partner Michael S. Stein said in a statement that Hayden "has dedicated his career to ensuring access to fair representation. He has contributed so much to this profession and our legal community through his ability to lead by example, and we are so very proud of him." Justin P. Walder, firm partner and cochair of its litigation practice, said in a statement: "I have counted Joe not only as a colleague but also a friend for decades. He is one of the brightest legal minds I know, and I can think of no one more deserving." Prior to attending law school, Hayden participated in the Selma Civil Rights march in 1965 led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He began his legal career as a law clerk to the chief justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court, and was then appointed deputy attorney general in the Organized Crime and Special Prosecution Section of the Division of Criminal Justice. As deputy attorney general, Hayden tried the first wiretap case brought by the state of New Jersey. Hayden was the founder and first president of the Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers of New Jersey in 1985. He worked closely with Gov. James McGreevy on prisoner reentry matters and presently serves on the board of New Jersey Re-Entry Commission. Hayden has received numerous honors for his excellence in trial work., including the Lawrence A. Whipple Award for Professional Excellence from the ACDLNJ. Hayden received his B.A. from Boston College and his J.D. from Rutgers Law School-Newark.

NJSBA Honors Griffinger with Lifetime Pro Bono Award

NJSBA Honors Gibbons Director Griffinger with Lifetime Pro Bono Achievement Award Michael R. Griffinger [Photo Credit: David Kelly Crow.]
Michael R. Griffinger, a director in the commercial and criminal litigation department at Gibbons in Newark, received a Lifetime Pro Bono Achievement Award from the New Jersey State Bar Association's Pro Bono Committee. Honorees, including Griffinger, were celebrated during a virtual ceremony on Oct. 27. Griffinger was honored for his 55 years charitable and civic commitments, according to the announcement. As a result of the Newark riots in the late 1960s, he began his decades-long work for several legal services organizations, starting with Essex-Newark Legal Services, where he served as chairman of the Boarb. He later helped to found three programs with similar objectives: Volunteer Lawyers for Justice, the Legal Services Foundation, and the John J. Gibbons Fellowship in Public Interest and Constitutional Law. Griffinger has served on the board of directors and executive committee of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center since 1995, and he founded the Fresh Air Fund Games. "Since the beginning of his career, Mike has set the standard for community outreach and pro bono service, a value Gibbons has embraced wholeheartedly," said Patrick C. Dunican Jr., the firm's chairman and managing director, in a statement. "He has made an indelible impact, both at the firm and on the legal community at large, and we wholeheartedly congratulate him on this well-deserved honor." He has received various honors, including a Law Journal Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016 and the Association of the Federal Bar of New Jersey's William J. Brennan, Jr. Award.