Hon. Ellen L. Koblitz, P.J.A.D (Ret.) Re-Elected Vice President of Association of Family and Conciliation Courts New Jersey Chapter
Pashman Stein Walder Hayden is pleased to announce that the Honorable Ellen L. Koblitz, P.J.A.D. (Ret.), special counsel in the firm’s Alternative Dispute Resolution, Appellate Advocacy, and Family Law practice groups, has been elected vice president of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts New Jersey Chapter (NJ-AFCC), as part of the 2026 slate of officers.
NJ-AFCC is an interdisciplinary association of mental health and legal professionals, mediators and academics dedicated to improving the lives of children and families through the resolution of family conflict. To learn more about NJ-AFCC, click here https://www.afcc-nj.org/.
About Judge Koblitz
Judge Koblitz focuses her practice on mediation and arbitration of Family, Chancery and Civil matters. In addition, she advises attorneys and clients on criminal, civil, chancery, and family appellate matters, including reviewing appellate briefs and conducting moot court appellate arguments. Judge Koblitz is a fellow of the National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals, on the consumer panel of arbitrators of the American Arbitration Association, and is a qualified NJ Ct. R. 1:40-12 mediator.
Judge Koblitz joined the firm in 2020 after serving as a judge in the Appellate Division of the New Jersey Superior Court for 10 years, including two years as Presiding Judge. In the Appellate Division, Judge Koblitz heard appeals from decisions of the trial courts, tax court, and state administrative agencies.
Judge Koblitz began her legal career in the New Jersey Office of the Public Defender and rose to the position of deputy public defender in charge of the Hudson and then the Bergen County regional office.
First appointed to the New Jersey Superior Court in 1993, Judge Koblitz served in the Special Civil Part and Criminal Part in Bergen County. She then served as Presiding Judge of the Family Part from 1998 to 2008, when she was tapped to serve as Presiding Judge of the Chancery Division in Bergen County.
While on the bench, Judge Koblitz served on numerous New Jersey Supreme Court Committees, including serving as chair of the Supreme Court Judicial Education Committee, chair of the Conference of Family Division Presiding Judges, chair of the Children in Court Improvement Committee, and vice chair of the Supreme Court Family Practice Committee.
Judge Koblitz is a member of Pashman Stein’s ADR practice team, which includes the firm’s special counsel, Justice Gary S. Stein (Ret.), who served for more than 17 years as an associate justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court, New Jersey Appellate Division Presiding Judge Edwin H. Stern (Ret.), New Jersey Superior Court Judge Ronny Jo Siegal (Ret.), and New Jersey Superior Court Judge Mary F. Thurber (Ret.), and Barry H. Evenchick, a partner and former chief of the appellate section of the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.
Judge Koblitz passes her legal knowledge on to others through service as an Adjunct Professor at Rutgers University School of Law and presenter of numerous continuing legal education courses, as well as by mentoring lawyers within the firm. In addition, she served as President of The Barry Croland Family Law American Inn of Court from 2023-2025.
To read more about Judge Koblitz and her work, click here.
