Aidan P. O'Connor Featured in Law360 Pulse Article on Being Elected President of Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers of New Jersey
Aidan O’Connor, partner and co-chair of the Criminal Defense & Governmental and Internal Investigations practice at Pashman Stein Walder Hayden, was featured in a Law360 Pulse article, “Pashman Stein Partner To Head Criminal Defense Association” by Nick Muscavage. The article discusses O’Connor being elected as President of Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers of New Jersey.
A Pashman Stein Walder Hayden PC partner has been chosen to lead the Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers of New Jersey for a one-year term, and he said he's planning on using the post to "combat the continuing disparate treatment of minorities in the criminal justice system."
Aidan P. O'Connor, who joined Hackensack-based Pashman Stein in 2010 and serves as co-chair of the firm's criminal defense practice group, was elected to serve as president of the Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers of New Jersey, or ACDL-NJ, following his term as the group's vice president, Pashman Stein announced April 29.
"I am very proud to have been chosen by my peers to lead the ACDL-NJ," O'Connor told Law360 Pulse in an email interview Sunday. "I plan to continue the ACDL-NJ's long tradition of protecting the rights of our citizens who have been enmeshed in the criminal justice system and aiding lawyers who are being targeted by the government for their role in representing those accused of committing crimes."
The ACDL-NJ is the largest organization of criminal defense lawyers in New Jersey and was founded more than 35 years ago by Joseph Hayden, a partner at Pashman Stein, and others in an effort to stand up for the rights of lawyers in their representation of criminal defendants, O'Connor said.
O'Connor believes his experience at Pashman Stein, and his 18 years spent an assistant U.S. attorney in the criminal division of the District of New Jersey, has provided him the skills necessary to lead the ACDL-NJ.
"In the last 11 years, through hires and mergers, we have grown [Pashman Stein's criminal defense] practice from one lawyer, me, to a department of 15, with some of the best known and most respected criminal defense lawyers in the state," he said. "Pashman Stein has allowed me to grow the practice and to devote time to the ACDL-NJ, first as a board member and executive officer and now as its president."
O'Connor has defended people against allegations of securities fraud, insurance fraud, tax evasion, public corruption, hacking and many more offenses. He also has experience handling antitrust matters and federal grand jury investigations.
His practice has seen clients accused of drug-related crimes, kidnapping, murder and sexual offenses, and he said he plans on drawing from this background to accomplish the goals of the association he is now heading.
"The ACDL-NJ is the preeminent organization in the state of New Jersey dedicated to preserving the constitutional rights of our citizens who have been charged with crimes and with preventing governmental overreach against lawyers working to represent those individuals," he said. "While being president of the ACDL-NJ is certainly very prestigious, and a recognition of my work in the field, my focus will be on furthering the goals of the organization to protect the rights of criminal defense lawyers and criminal defendants."
Pashman Stein's leadership is proud of O'Connor for dedicating his time and resources to the mission of the ACDL-NJ.
"We congratulate Aidan on his new role as president of the ACDL-NJ," Pashman Stein managing partner Michael S. Stein said in a statement. "Aidan's commitment to leadership in the ACDL-NJ speaks to his overall dedication to the practice of criminal law and the evolving legislation that impacts criminal defendants."
To view the Law360 Pulse article, click here.