Donald S. Goldman
At its 2017 annual meeting, held Nov. 20, 2017, at the judicial college at the Marriott Hotel in Newark , the Retired Judges Association of New Jersey (RJA) elected Donald S. Goldman of Roseland-based Starr, Gern, Davison and Rubin president; Thomas W. Cavanagh Jr. of McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney and Carpenter vice president; and Paul J. Vichness, of Mandelbaum Salsberg secretary-treasurer. Elected as trustees were: Harriet E. Derman of DiFrancesco, Bateman, Kunzman, Davis, Lehrer & Flaum; Linda R. Feinberg of Szaferman, Lakind, Blumstein & Blader; John S. Holston of Holston, MacDonald, Uzdavinis, Ziegler & Myles; Lawrence M. Lawson of McElroy Deutsch; and Phillip Lewis Paley and Harvey Weissbard of Genova Burns. R. Benjamin Cohen of PIB Law is a trustee as immediate past president.
The RJA was formed in 1981 and incorporated in 1999. It consists of every retired Superior Court judge, retired Tax Court judge and retired Supreme Court justice, including those continuing to serve on recall. The purposes of the RJA are to support and promote the interests of retired New Jersey judges, assist in the improvement of the administration of justice in New Jersey, and educate the public concerning the role of the judiciary in society.
Steller Named Brennan Vanderbilt Inn of Court President
Brian Steller
Brian Steller, a partner at Connell Foley in Roseland and chair of the firm’s insurance defense group, has been named president of the Brennan Vanderbilt Inn of Court. Formed in 1989, the organization was the first inn of court in New Jersey and was named after William J. Brennan Jr., former New Jersey Supreme Court justice and justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. In 2007, the Brennan Inn merged with the Arthur T. Vanderbilt Inn, forming the Brennan Vanderbilt Inn of Court. The inn seeks to promote legal excellence in civil litigation and the highest standards of professional practice. Steller was an original member of the Brennan Inn as a barrister beginning in 1989. He subsequently became a master of the inn and was on the executive committee before becoming its fourth president. An experienced trial attorney, Steller focuses on insurance defense and coverage, professional and product liability, and corporate liability matters. Connell Foley has long been involved in the inn and currently has 14 attorneys serving as pupils, barristers or masters. Retired Judge Jack Bissell, former chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey and previously Connell Foley of counsel, also was president of the inn for several years.
