Here are excerpts of the Installation speech by NJAJ President Adam B. Lederman, Esq., given on June 18, 2024:

Before I get into it, there are some people here who deserve an extra special thank you.

Thank you to NJAJ’s entire headquarters staff and a special thank you to our Executive Director, Cornelius Larkin. You all make events like tonight seem effortless.

Presidents over the years have always said: Corny is the best in the business, but you don’t really understand what that means until you work closely with him.

There is nothing Corny can’t do and nothing that he does not do. We are extremely lucky to have him working with us.

Being up here tonight and listening to the speeches and seeing all of the people who have helped get me, and this organization, get to this point, is incredibly humbling.

When I sat down to think about what I wanted to say tonight, I couldn’t help but reflect on the journey I’ve been on.     

Growing up everyone said, you should be a lawyer.  And people have always asked me, why, why did you become a lawyer?  And I always said, A Few Good Men.  How can you watch that movie and not want to be a lawyer? You want me on that wall, you need me on that wall! 

To be honest, I never really had a good answer.  But I knew I wanted to be a lawyer.  I knew I wanted to fight for something. 

So, I get to law school, the very first day, and it’s orientation.  I’m in the big, stadium seating lecture hall at Rutgers Newark.  There are hundreds of students and no one knows anyone.  I take a seat near the back, open my laptop and stare straight ahead. 

The morning session ends and there’s a break for lunch.  I turn to my right and I see a guy sitting next to me and I say, “Hey, man, you wanna go for lunch?”  And he says, sure, I think there’s a bar across the street.  In hindsight, that probably should have been my first clue that we were going to be friends.

The random guy next to me was Brent Bramnick.  And at the time, I had no idea we’d be co-counseling cases and that his dad, Senator Jon Bramnick, would be speaking tonight. 

As trial lawyers, we serve justice in the courthouse.  But those courthouse doors only remain open through the efforts of people like Senator Bramnick in the State House.

We are a better and safer State because of Jon Bramnick. Senator, thank you for your friendship, for being here tonight and for your continued support of NJAJ and clients we serve. 

We fast forward a little and 1-L year comes to an end.  And I have no job.  And as Garry told you, my father and David Salomon, plug me into Davis, Saperstein & Salomon. 

So I send Garry my resume.  I spell his first name wrong.  Only one R.  Then I send it again, I spell Salomon wrong.  SOL, not SAL. 

No wonder he never responded…

At the interview he tells me two things.  First, I’m not getting paid.  And second, I have to join NJAJ. 

And not only do I have to join NJAJ, I have to donate to the organization’s PAC.  

So, here I am, 23-years-old and losing money at an unpaid internship.  Garry tried to explain why it was so important but at the time, all I heard was my new boss said it, so I have to do it. 

And as he’s signing me up, and I swear this is a true story, he turns to me and says, “Don’t worry about the money. One day you’ll be giving your acceptance speech as NJAJ President, and you’ll understand how important this is.”  

Garry introduced me to being a lawyer, to NJAJ, to all of this. 

Garry, you will forever have my heartfelt appreciation for starting me in this crazy life as a personal injury attorney, for believing in me, for supporting me, for being my Day 1 mentor and for insisting I join NJAJ. I will always be grateful for your guidance and friendship.   

I start my internship and I’m not sure about this personal injury stuff.  It was 2006, and Marc Saperstein was President of this organization.

But, I got to see, day in and day out, the incredible lawyers and staff at Davis, Saperstein & Salomon go to the mat for our clients. 

I watched their hard work and dedication.  I watched great lawyers doing great things. 

I started at Davis, Saperstein & Salomon 18 years ago.  Then, and now, you have all made coming to work a great experience.   I’m still blown away but your ambition and fortitude.  Your hard work and dedication has made our firm what it is today.  A place I’m so proud to call my home. 

I want to thank you all.  Thank you for your support and for allowing me to take on the responsibly to serve this organization. 

The legacy that my partners have started is one that I hope to live up to. 

I was a student member of NJAJ and Garry took me to a seminar he co-chaired called “The Dream Team.”   This was the first time I got to see NJAJ in action.

It was a premises liability mock trial.  And there I was, in the first row, and Michael Maggiano stands up to give an opening.  And to this day, I’ll never forget his words, “And as the snow melted, it bathed the parking lot in water.” 

Bathed.  I had never heard that word used that way.  The eloquence. 

You know the line from Jerry McGuire, “You had me at hello.” Well,  NJAJ and this profession had me at Maggiano’s bathed.

That was the moment I was sure I wanted to be a trial lawyer. 

So, what do you do as a trial lawyer? You go to court. A big part of this profession are the relationships you build.  With colleagues, with adversaries, with judges. We all have many of them. But for me, like many of you I’m sure, some stand out above the rest.

For me, one judge stands out above the rest. You heard from her tonight. Judge Lisa Perez Friscia. 

Your Honor, I told you the minute I got into the executive chairs; there is no one else in the world I’d rather have swearing me in tonight. 

Thank you for being here tonight and for swearing me into office. 

But more importantly, thank you for being a friend and a mentor for me (and so many of the lawyers here tonight). 

You are one of those special, magnetic people.  Someone that you just know you can trust.  Someone who, without self-interest, will sit and listen and give you advice. 

I know I speak for everyone in Bergen when I say, we miss you very much, and we take great pride in knowing Your Honor is in the Appellate Division and still the hardest working judge I’ve ever known. 

Around the time I met Judge Perez Friscia, I met another person who set me on the journey that brings us here tonight -- Past-President Tommie Ann Gibney. 

Garry took me to a law student event at Seton Hall.  And Tommie Ann challenged me to sign up as many student members as possible. 

After that event, Tommie Ann appointed me, along with Diane Cardoso, co-chairs of the New Lawyer Section. 

That’s when I first truly understood the depth of what NJAJ does.

NJAJ does incredible things in and for the State of New Jersey. 

Whether it is through our educational programs, where we produce the single largest legal seminar in the entire country, our amicus work, where we seek out and find important cases at the Appellate and Supreme Court levels to support, or our advocacy work in Trenton, where we push for legislation that protects the rights of New Jersey residents and ensures that the courthouse doors remain open, NJAJ is a place where doing the right thing comes first.   

I’ve always had this funny thought that if insurance companies and big businesses played fair, we’d all be out of a job. 

But they don’t.  And if left to their own devices New Jersey would be less safe.

Gas tanks would still be exploding, wet floor signs and seat belts wouldn’t exist, kids pajamas would still be flammable.  The list goes on and on. 

These changes weren’t made because big business is nice.  They made them because NJAJ and the trial lawyers, stood on the firing line, stood up to these bullies and fought back.  Demanding change. 

We are a group of people who share a common vision and fierce passion for justice.   

We stand up to protect the people of New Jersey.

The New Jersey Association for Justice, is a beacon to those around us, reminding them to do what’s right. 

Our Statement of Mission and Values promises to welcome, protect and encourage respect for and between all who seek to advance the rights of the people.  Regardless of gender, age, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, nationality, religion or creed.  

We vow to uphold the honor and dignity of the profession of law and the privilege to practice it.

I am proud to continue the work that has been done by this organization and through our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee, which is tasked with reaching out to current and prospective NJAJ members and help make this organization more welcoming and inviting.

I welcome the opportunity to help advance this significant work, especially reaching out to those in law school and making sure the next generation of lawyers understands the role and importance of this organization.

They are the future of NJAJ and we need to ensure that they join our ranks and take up our fight.

That work also includes increasing the number of NJAJ members who contribute to our nonpartisan PAC.

Increasing membership and PAC involvement will be cornerstones of my year as president.

I know just about everyone in this room contributes to the PAC, but as Garry Salomon did with me years ago, please make sure that you encourage all of the attorneys in your firms to contribute so our voice continues to be heard loud and clear in Trenton.

The goal is to have every NJAJ member contributing to the PAC and I pledge to do all I can to help us get there.

Serving as your president will be one of the great honors of my life.