On behalf of the New Jersey State Bar Association, Jeralyn Lawrence and Dan Burton, along with Ronald Lieberman of Cherry Hill’s Cooper Levenson and Thomas DeCataldo of Livingston’s Skoloff & Wolfe, filed a motion to participate as amicus curiae before the New Jersey Supreme Court.
The case will examine the constitutionality of “not established” under New Jersey’s child welfare laws and whether or not a parent/caregiver is entitled to appeal when the Division of Child Protection and Permanency concludes “not established” following an investigation of abuse or neglect. The New Jersey State Bar Association, in its amicus brief, is taking the position that the “not established” finding should be abolished. “The potential for misuse, the likelihood of interference with an individual’s right to parent, and the consequences of a damaged reputation with no real course of remediation is clear and harmful,” argues the association.
Amicus curiae, or “friend of the court”, is an impartial volunteer adviser to the court of law in a particular case.
A resident of Watchung, Lawrence devotes her practice to matrimonial, divorce and family law. She is Second Vice President of the New Jersey State Bar Association, slated to be President in 2022 and Vice President of the New Jersey Chapter of the AAML. Lawrence is on the Board of The Women’s Political Caucus of New Jersey. She is certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Matrimonial Law Attorney. She is a trained Family/Divorce Mediator, admitted to the rosters of Mediators for Economic Aspects of Family Law Cases and of Custody and Parenting Time Cases for Somerset County; is certified by the AAML, the preeminent family law association in America, as a Family Law Arbitrator; and is a graduate of the National Institute of Trial Advocacy. Lawrence is also a trained collaborative law attorney. She has worked with clients in every area of matrimonial and family law, including divorce litigation and mediation, custody and parenting time, alimony and child support, separation and property settlement agreements, adoption and guardianship, domestic partnership matters, domestic violence and sexual abuse, and palimony. She handles high-profile matters for celebrities, professional athletes and governmental officials. She takes immense pride and care in helping her clients through these difficult personal matters. Lawrence earned her bachelor’s degree from Kean College and her law degree from Seton Hall, where she graduated second in her class.
Burton devotes his entire practice to matrimonial and family law matters in New Jersey. He represents clients in divorce litigation, civil union and domestic partnership litigation, divorce mediation and arbitration, custody and parenting time issues, alimony and child support, pre-nuptial agreements, separation and matrimonial settlement agreements, post-judgment litigation, and domestic violence matters. He is co-chair of the Somerset County Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division and serves as an Early Settlement Panelist in Somerset and Hunterdon Counties. In addition to being active in the Somerset and Hunterdon County Bar Associations, Dan is a member of the New Jersey State Bar Association and an active participant in its Young Lawyers Division. Burton received is JD from Widener University School of Law and his B.S.B.A. from Duquesne University
Lawrence Law, with offices in Watchung and Red Bank, New Jersey, is a boutique firm devoted exclusively to the practice of matrimonial and family law.