Rita Aquilio and Kristyl Berckes, of Lawrence Law, Elected to New Jersey State Bar Association General Council

Rita M. Aquilio and Kristyl M. Berckes, both matrimonial and family law attorneys with Lawrence Law serving as Trustees to the Somerset County Bar Association, were recently appointed to the New Jersey State Bar Association’s General Council. Aquilio continues her term as Somerset County Bar Association Trustee and will be commence her second Year as Trustee. The Somerset County Bar Association’s installation of Officers and Trustees will occur on Thursday, September 12, 2019. Aquilio and Berckes will represent the Somerset County Bar Association on the Council.

The General Council includes leaders of the association, New Jersey State Bar Foundation, and county and specialty bar associations, as governed by the association’s bylaws. The group makes recommendations to the associations Board of Trustees on matters affecting the membership and the legal community at large. Membership in the General Council is governed by Article X of the NJSBA bylaws and is limited to: NJSBA and New Jersey State Bar Foundation officers; current and past NJSBA trustees; past association presidents; and current committee chairs, section and division officers and designated delegates. Members also include county and certain specialty bar association officers and designated delegates, and NJSBA delegates to the ABA.

Aquilio, a resident of Basking Ridge, practices in the areas of divorce, child support, custody, mediation, arbitration, and post-judgment issues. She represents clients in all types of matrimonial actions, from basic matters to complex asset valuation cases. She is a R. 1:40 trained Mediator and also provides private Mediation services. Aquilio is a Collaborative Divorce Attorney and has also completed training through the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers as a Divorce Arbitrator. Aquilio is Co-Chair of the American Bar Association’s Family Law Litigation Committee of the Section of Litigation. She is a Member of the Family Law Executive Committee of the New Jersey State Bar Association, as well as a member of the NJSBA’s Appellate Practice Committee. She is a Trustee of the Somerset County Bar Association, a member of the Somerset County Family Practice Committee, and a Member of the District XIII Ethics Committee. She is a member of the Editorial Board of the New Jersey Lawyer Magazine, the professional journal of the New Jersey State Bar Association. She is a frequent speaker and contributor to both the American Bar Association and the New Jersey State Bar Association/Institute of Continuing Legal Education. In 2016, she received the American Bar Association Section of Litigation Award for Outstanding Subcommittee Chair for bar year 2015-16. Aquilio earned her J.D. from Western New England College School of Law, and her B.A., cum laude, from Drew University.

Berckes, a resident of Basking Ridge, represents clients in all aspects of matrimonial and family law, including all stages of divorce litigation, mediation and arbitration, custody and parenting time issues, alimony and child support, separation and marital settlement agreements, post-judgment litigation, domestic violence, grandparent visitation rights, palimony, and domestic partnership matters under the Domestic Partnership Acts. In 2016, Berckes was awarded with the New Jersey State Bar Association’s Young Lawyer’s Division Professional Achievement Award and was recognized by the National Academy of Family Law Attorney’s as a Top 10 Family Law Attorney Under 40. She has also been selected for inclusion on the list of New Jersey Super Lawyers Rising Stars for Family Law in 2017, 2018, and 2019. She is a trustee and co-chair of the Somerset County Bar Association’s Young Lawyer’s Division and a member of the New Jersey State Bar Association (NJSBA), the NJSBA Appellate Practice Committee and completed her fellowship for the NJSBA Leadership Academy. Berckes earned her J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law and her B.A. from Boston College.

Lawrence Law, Watchung, New Jersey, is a boutique firm devoted exclusively to the practice of matrimonial and family law. Lawrence Law also recently opened a Red Bank, NJ office.