Volunteer Lawyers for Justice's Newark Reentry Legal Services Expands Steering Committee

Aug. 8, 2011 - PRLog -- Volunteer Lawyers for Justice's Newark Reentry Legal Services (ReLeSe) has expanded its steering committee and named Marvin C. Adames, Esq., the City of Newark's chief municipal prosecutor, as its new chair. New members include Larry Bembry, Esq.; Gemma Giantomasi, Esq.; Lori Scott-Pickens, MPA; Jessica S. Henry, Esq.; David Bershad; John McMahon, Esq.; and Taja-Nia Henderson, Esq.

Established in 2001, Newark, N.J.-based Volunteer Lawyers for Justice (VLJ) offers comprehensive legal services to economically-disadvantaged adults, children, and families in New Jersey. VLJ's ReLeSe program assists Essex County residents with criminal records with the civil legal issues serving as barriers to successful community reintegration. Through direct in-house representation and referrals to volunteer attorneys, ReLeSe aids its clients with driver's license restoration, resolution of long out-standing municipal matters, modification of child support orders, and the expungement of criminal records.

"Marvin played a key role in the inception of ReLeSe and its innovative programming such as driver's license restoration," said Gina DeVito, Esq., managing attorney for ReLeSe. "Throughout the years, he has been one of our greatest resources in all aspects of reentry and will remain instrumental in the success of ReLeSe."

Adames has served as the City of Newark's chief municipal prosecutor since 2006 and also serves as the chief municipal prosecutor at the Newark Law Department, Office of the Municipal Prosecutor. A resident of Jersey City, N.J., he graduated with his J.D. from Rutgers School of Law, Newark, in 1998 and received his bachelor's degree from The College of New Jersey in 1994. In addition to his work with ReLeSe, Adames is also a member of Jersey City's board of education.

New Members Bring Broad Experience to Steering Committee

Each of the new steering committee members is a distinguished leader in his or her field of expertise. "Our new members bring broad experience and unique perspectives to our committee. We are thrilled to have them join us as we work to improve the reentry landscape," added DeVito.

Scott-Pickens is the director of community outreach and community based learning for the School of Criminal Justice of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. For the last several years, the Newark resident has worked for a number of Newark's non-profits including the Association for Children of New Jersey, Unified Vailsburg Services Organization, Newark Fighting Back Partnership Inc., and Community Agencies Corp of NJ.

Bembry, who resides in West Orange is the drug court director and deputy public defender of the Intensive Supervision Program for the State of New Jersey's Office of the Public Defender. He possesses a diverse background as a public servant in local and state governments including assistant corporation counsel and director of the Office of Grants Administration and Compliance for the city of Jersey City. He is also the former executive director of Newark Fighting Back Partnership Inc.

Giantomasi is an associate in the commercial real estate, redevelopment and environmental law practice of Genova, Burns & Giantomasi of Newark. In addition to her efforts with ReLeSe, the Essex Fells resident serves as general counsel of The Opportunity Project, Inc. of Millburn, N.J. Giantomasi graduated magna cum laude from Fordham University School of Law in 2005, and in 2002, graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania.

Henry, who lives in Montclair, N.J., is an associate professor in justice studies at Montclair State University, where her research areas include prisoner reentry, hate crimes and the death penalty. A 1995 graduate of New York University School of Law, she served as a public defender in Manhattan and the Bronx for 10 years. Fellow Montclair resident Bershad is a member of VLJ's board of trustees and the principal of the David Bershad Family Foundation. Previously, he was a partner of Milberg Weiss, a plaintiff's action firm.

McMahon, who resides in Red Bank, has served as the chief trial attorney for the State of New Jersey, Office of the Public Defender, Essex Adult Office, since 1997. Henderson is the assistant professor of law, Rutgers School of Law-Newark, where her research interests include mass incarceration and reentry, community economic development and land use. In addition, the New York City resident is a fellow of the Center for Urban Entrepreneurship & Economic Development (CUEED) of Rutgers Business School-Newark.

ReLeSe Expanded Programming in 2010

Last year, ReLeSe expanded its expungement efforts on the heels of the State of New Jersey's changes to longstanding regulations on what can be expunged and the waiting period that must expire before a petition to expunge can be filed. The new law makes third- and fourth-degree drug offenses expungeable and, when in the public interest, reduces the waiting period for the expungement of certain offenses from 10 years to 5 years. ReLeSe volunteer attorneys work with clients on filing petitions for expungement, helping them to navigate the complex legal process.

VLJ created ReLeSe in collaboration with Newark Mayor Cory Booker's Administration and the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice with the support of community-based organizations, local law firms, IOLTA and the New Jersey State Bar Foundation. In addition to ReLeSe, VLJ's wide range of programs include free legal counsel and advice; educational seminars on various legal matters such as consumer law, bankruptcy, family law and special education; and direct representation for at-risk individuals facing critical civil legal issues.

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About Volunteer Lawyers for Justice: Volunteer Lawyers for Justice (VLJ) provides comprehensive legal services to economically-disadvantaged adults, children, and families in New Jersey to ensure fair and equal treatment within the legal system. Programs include free legal counsel and advice, educational seminars on various legal matters, and direct representation for at-risk individuals facing critical civil legal issues. Established in 2001, VLJ has grown from a grass roots effort of 30 volunteer attorneys in Essex County to a state-wide 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation with six staff attorneys and more than 1,500 volunteer attorneys providing free legal services to thousands of clients each year.