NJSBF.org

Dedicated To Educating The Public About New Jersey Law

COSPONSORSHIP PROGRAM

Each year, the Foundation awards funds from the IOLTA Fund of the Bar of New Jersey to help underwrite law-related education programs sponsored by other nonprofit organizations.

 

We are at the forefront of providing legal education and violence prevention programs through our grant programs. By partnering with other organizations, we continue our commitment to broadening our public education campaign so that free legal information is available to New Jersey citizens statewide.

 

We invite you to work with us so we can accomplish this goal together. For more information contact Cynthia Pellegrino, Director of Grant Programs and Administration, at cpellegrino@njsbf.org or 732-937-7507. 

 

NEW JERSEY STATE BAR FOUNDATION


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IOLTA:  Helping Us Lead the Way

The New Jersey State Bar Foundation leads the nation in providing law-related educational programs for the public. Our programs are made possible through funding from the IOLTA Fund, which in 1988 began disbursing money generated from interest on lawyers' trust accounts.

 

The New Jersey State Bar Foundation receives 12.5 percent of the net proceeds from IOLTA and uses the funds for its public education effort.  Legal Services of New Jersey receives 75 percent of IOLTA proceeds, and the IOLTA Fund awards the remaining 12.5 percent to other worthwhile organizations.

 

Court Rule 1:28A, established by the New Jersey Supreme Court in 1988, specifies that IOLTA funds must be used for one of the following purposes:

 

  • Legal aid to the poor;
  • Improvement in the administration of justice;
  • Education of lay persons in legal and justice related areas.

 

Pursuant to the rule, the Foundation is obligated to report quarterly to the IOLTA Fund Board of Trustees how we have allocated the funds, financial information on the expenditure of funds and details on the progress of our programs.

 

 

Maximizing the Impact of Public Education

 

By centralizing the legal community's public education effort through the NJSBF, we have created one of the most progressive law-related public education initiatives in the country.  Our programs reach out statewide and are aimed at all segments of the population, from school children to senior citizens.  Some of our most successful programs are those in which we've combined efforts to cosponsor a project with another organization.  For example:

 

 

  • The State Bar Foundation works with The Arc of New Jersey to fund a conference titled, Equal Justice for Victims, Witnesses and Defendants with Developmental Disabilities in the Criminal Justice System. The focus of this program for service providers, case managers, family members, psychologists and social workers is to explore alternatives to incarceration on behalf of individuals with mental retardation, as well as address the needs of developmentally disabled victims and witnesses of crimes.

 

  • For the past 25 years, we have worked jointly with the Community Health Law Project to present the award-winning annual Law and Disability conference, which has helped explain laws that affect individuals with disabilities.

 

  • To enhance violence prevention and tolerance programming, several years ago, the Bar Foundation forged a partnership with the George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick. The Foundation lends its support to bring plays to students in disadvantaged areas through the George Street Playhouse's Educational Touring Theatre Character Development Initiative. The plays address timely issues such as school violence, tolerance, prejudice, self-esteem, peer pressure and gender issues. All the performances are followed by a discussion with the audience facilitated by the actors. In addition, attendees receive a student study guide published by the Foundation that contains a synopsis of the play and lessons on the issues covered. The study guides mirror the traditional theater "playbill" preserving the theater experience for students. The NJSBF commissioned the George Street Playhouse to create and stage a play on the issues surrounding cyber-bullying. This technologically sophisticated production has met with great success throughout the state. In IRL: In Real Life appeals to youngsters and families navigating through today's technologies and devices.

 

  • In order to bring programming to residents in all areas of the state we provide grants to county and specialty bar associations for various law-related education programs, including seminar series and publications. For a number of years, the NSJBF has funded the Mercer County Bar Association's, "Hey I'M 18!" handbook for teens. Funding from the NJSBF has enhanced the Hunterdon County Bar Association's Latino Legal Education Community Forum, as well as the Association of Black Women Lawyers Family Law Workshop Series.

 

  • The Bar Foundation is excited by its collaboration with the Center for Court Innovation in creating the Youth Court for the City of Newark. Through a community justice model, the Youth Court trains teens to act as attorneys, judges and jury members to assess infractions by peers that might otherwise be dealt with in the traditional court system. Penalties include writing letters of apology, as well as community service. In exchange for the diversionary program, young offenders agree to train to participate in the Youth Court and take on a more positive and direct role in the justice system.

 

  • Over the years, the Foundation has worked with a number of organizations to publish booklets explaining various aspects of the law to residents of New Jersey from Disability Law: A Legal Primer, a project of the Essex County Bar Association, to a booklet outlining the rights of students - the Students' Rights Handbook, developed by the ACLU - NJ. The Foundation publishes a series of booklets, created and written by the Education Law Center, on the topics of special education, school discipline and residency requirements. For the general public, we offer booklets on laws relating to bankruptcy, home renovation and construction, municipal court and elder law, all produced in conjunction with NJSBA sections and committees. These handbooks have been distributed to more than a half million people over the years

 

These cosponsorship programs are in addition to a wide slate of initiatives conducted directly by the NJSBF.  Through these cosponsorships, we remain committed to broadening our public education campaign so that free legal information is available to New Jersey citizens statewide.  We invite you to work with us so we can accomplish this goal together.

 

WATCH FOR UPCOMING INFORMATION ABOUT THE 2012-2013 COSPONSORSHIP APPLICATION FORM 

 

 


document icon View highlights of past and existing cosponsorships we’ve supported

 

 

2011-2012 Cosponsorships:
Our grants for fiscal year 2011–2012 supported the following organizations and programs: