Hon. Ellen L. Koblitz, P.J.A.D. (Ret.) to be Seminar Presenter at First Meeting for the Barry Croland Family Law Inn of Court for the 2026-2027 Year
Hon. Ellen L. Koblitz, P.J.A.D. (Ret.), special counsel in the firm’s Alternative Dispute Resolution practice, Appellate Advocacy practice, and Family Law practice, will serve as a featured seminar speaker as part of the first meeting for the Barry Croland Family Law Inn of Court for the 2026-2027 Year. Koblitz’ seminar is titled, “When Representation Becomes Personal: Ethical Limits on Attorney-Client Relationships” and she will be presenting alongside Kim D. Ringler.
In July 2025, Judge Koblitz wrote to the Professional Responsibility Rules Committee to address what she considered to be an ethical gap: at the time, New Jersey was one of only ten states in the country that did not ban sexual relations between attorneys and their clients. Effective September 1, 2026, new ethics Rule 1.8(k) creates a per se conflict whenever a lawyer engages in sex with a client, unless the relationship predated the representation. This bright-line rule, which is consistent with ABA Model Rule 1.8(j), replaces New Jersey’s case-by-case approach. Koblitz’ and Ringler’s seminar will discuss the future implications of the new ethics rule and other topics.
The event will take place Wednesday, September 23, 2026, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Highlawn, located at 1 Crest Drive, West Orange, NJ. The seminar will provide attendees with 1.5 ethics credits.
To read more about the event, click here.
