NJWLA Celebrates 12th Annual WILL Platinum Gala:
Members of the Bench and Bar Gather at Annual Event to
Honor Women Leaders in the Law in New Jersey

CEDAR GROVE, NEW JERSEY – The New Jersey Women Lawyers Association (NJWLA) held its 12th Annual Women’s Initiative and Leaders in the Law (WILL) Platinum Gala on March 26, 2019 at The Grove in Cedar Grove, NJ. The Gala was a sellout, with more than 700 people in attendance to celebrate six extraordinary women in the law.

NJWLA proudly recognized six extraordinary women for their outstanding achievements in the legal profession – awarding five WILL Platinum Awards and one Trailblazer award. This year’s WILL award recipients were the Honorable Renee Marie Bumb, United States District Judge for the District of NJ; the Honorable Marie White Bell, Judge Superior Court of NJ (Retired); Randi W. Kochman, Member, Cole Schotz P.C. and Past President of NJWLA; Lisa Martinez Wolmart, Vice President and Corporate Counsel, Prudential Financial, Inc.; and Michelle L. Miller, Director, New Jersey Division of Law. This year’s Trailblazer Award was given to Marilyn Askin. The Honorable Madeline Cox Arleo, United States District Judge for the District of New Jersey, served as the Mistress of Ceremonies.

Michelle Schaap, NJWLA’s President, provided opening remarks to a sold-out room and expressed NJWLA’s gratitude for the support of the entire New Jersey legal community and especially those who joined at the Gala. Schaap noted that the support of the attending sponsors and members are the key to allowing NJWLA to further its mission of advancing and retaining women in the law through its law student scholarship program as well as the grants awarded to worthwhile organizations aligned with the NJWLA mission. The NJWLA awarded $25,000 in grants to its 2019 Grant Recipients: NJ LEEP, the National Association of Women Judges and People’s Preparatory Charter School. This is the seventh consecutive year that NJWLA has awarded grant monies, bringing the total amount of grants awarded to the recognized not-for-profit programs to almost $200,000. In addition, the NJWLA continued its scholarship program, and awarded $15,000 in scholarships to three law students in 2019: Carly Siditsky of Rutgers Law School – Newark; Abigail Cook of Rutgers Law School – Camden; and Priscilla Savage of Seton Hall University School of Law.

The NJWLA is an independent association of approximately 1,500 attorneys, law students and judges in New Jersey. Its mission is to retain women in the legal profession through education and activism; promote its members to the highest levels of law firm, government, academic, community and corporate positions; and endorse qualified female attorneys for appointments to the state and federal judiciary. Anyone interested in becoming involved with NJWLA is encouraged to visit the website for upcoming events, and to sign up for the Constant Contact emails to stay up-to-date on all upcoming events and news. More information about the NJWLA, including membership materials, can be found at www.njwla.org.