Judge Ellen Koblitz Joins Pashman Stein Walder Hayden P.C., Further Strengthening its ADR, Appellate Advocacy, and Family Law Practices
Pashman Stein Walder Hayden P.C. (Pashman Stein) announced today that retired Judge Ellen L. Koblitz of the Appellate Division of the New Jersey Superior Court has joined the firm as special counsel in the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) practice, Appellate Advocacy practice, and Family Law practice, based in the firm’s Hackensack office.
In addition to Judge Koblitz, Pashman Stein’s ADR practice team includes the firm’s special counsel, the Honorable Gary S. Stein, who served for more than 17 years as an associate justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court; the Honorable Ronny Jo Siegal, a partner and former judge who served for more than eight years with the New Jersey Superior Court, Chancery Division, Family Part; and Barry H. Evenchick, a partner and former chief of the appellate section of the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.
“We are extremely pleased and honored to welcome Judge Koblitz to our firm,” said Pashman Stein Managing Partner Michael S. Stein. “Judge Koblitz not only adds to the bench strength of our ADR, Appellate Advocacy, and Family Law teams, but she helps us continue to grow our Hackensack office and firm, as we continually enhance our services and support for our clients across all of our offices and numerous key practice areas.”
Judge Koblitz added, “I am excited to join Pashman Stein. The ADR practice has an outstanding reputation for successfully resolving disputes for clients efficiently and cost effectively. I look forward to joining the firm’s team of former judges and highly experienced litigators who continue to raise the bar for ADR, Appellate Advocacy, and Family Law work.”
Judge Siegal added, “Having seen up close the breadth of knowledge, wisdom, and compassion that Judge Koblitz brought to her career as a judge, I know she will be a great role model and mentor to our team and an invaluable resource for our clients.”
Prior to her retirement from the bench, Judge Koblitz served as Presiding Judge of the Appellate Division, having been appointed to the Appellate Division in August 2010. The Appellate Division of the Superior Court is New Jersey's intermediate Appellate Court, which hears appeals from decisions of the trial courts, tax court, and state administrative agencies. The division decides approximately 7,000 appeals and 7,500 motions each year.
Judge Koblitz began her legal career in the New Jersey Office of the Public Defender, where she rose to become deputy public defender in charge of the Hudson and then Bergen County regional office. She was first appointed to New Jersey Superior Court in 1993, serving in the Special Civil Part and Criminal Part in Bergen County. Thereafter, she served as Presiding Judge of the Family Part from September 1998 to September 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 received her J.D. from Yale Law School and B.A. from the The University of Chicago.