On Saturday, November 4, 2023, William H. Dungey III, Chair for the Wills For Heroes Committee of the New Jersey State Bar Association Young Lawyers Division hosted his first of many Wills For Heroes event at the Evesham Township Fire Department. Together they prepared 21 Wills, Durable Powers of Attorney, Health Care Powers of Attorney, and Health Care Directives for our brave first responders. The firm’s volunteers included Steve Fabietti and Bob Baranowski, as well as legal assistants Kim Stauts, Asenath Charles, and Maria Tyrrell. Hyland Levin Shapiro sponsored the event by providing breakfast and lunch for all the volunteers.
Author: Audrey Edwards
Jennifer L. Cordes and Mariane D. Gardner Attend Women’s Conference
October 27, 2023, Jennifer L. Cordes and Mariane D. Gardner attended the Chamber of Commerce of Southern New Jersey’s Women’s Conference which was held at the Westin Mount Laurel. The keynote speakers were Lara Price, COO of the 76ers, and Cheldin Barlatt Rumer, CEO and Executive Producer of the This Is It Network. The event hosted two interesting and eye-opening panels – The Reality of Economic Gender Gaps, and Creating a Positive and Encouraging Work Culture.
Hyland Levin Shapiro Sponsors CAI Keystone Chapter Event
On September 20, 2023, the firm was proud to sponsor and support the Community Associations Institute (“CAI”) Keystone Chapter’s annual New Jersey Regional Council’s Legislative Symposium at P.J. Whelihan’s Pub in Cherry Hill. David R. Dahan gave the welcoming address as current President of the Chapter and has served on the Chapter Board of Directors since 2016. David was joined by his firm colleagues and Chapter members, Beau C. Wilson and William H. Dungey III.
The event also celebrated CAI’s 50th anniversary!
CAI is an international membership organization dedicated to building better communities by providing the education and resources necessary to foster vibrant, responsive, and competent community associations and helping them promote harmony and responsible leadership. David, Beau and Will’s engagement with CAI enables them to provide the best and most current information, advice and resources to their common interest community clients.
If you have any questions involving common interest communities, our firm is ready to assist.
Mariane D. Gardner, Esq. Joins Hyland Levin Shapiro
Mariane Gardner joins Hyland Levin Shapiro LLP as an associate. Ms. Gardner will focus on corporate counseling and transactions, franchise law, and transactional real estate and finance.
Before joining Hyland Levin Shapiro, Mariane clerked for the Honorable Michael J. Haas, P.J. at the New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division where she drafted judicial decisions, conducted legal research and processed emergent motion applications. Prior to that, she was a law clerk at Bancroft Neurohealth advising on corporate law, employment law, healthcare compliance, risk management, nonprofit and litigation matters.
“Our business and franchise law practices continue to expand and we look forward to adding Mariane to our team. Mariane has a strong resume and is totally engaged in community and charitable activities. We are excited to welcome her to the firm”, said Managing Partner, Benjamin Levin.
Mariane is a graduate of Rutgers Law School – Camden (J.D., cum laude), where she served as an editor of the Rutgers Business Law Review and a Clinical Law Student for the Entrepreneurship Clinic. She volunteered with the Honorable Judith H. Wizmur Bankruptcy Pro-Bono Project and the Income Tax Assistance Program. She also completed judicial internships with the Honorable Paula T. Dow, P.J.Ch. and the Honorable Jacylyn Medina, Family Division. Mariane earned her bachelor’s degree from La Salle University where she majored in Psychology and minored in Criminal Justice. She is admitted to practice law in New Jersey and Florida. She is a member of the New Jersey State Bar Association, Pennsylvania Bar Association, Burlington County Bar Association and Philadelphia Bar Association. Mariane is a trustee of the Rutgers Law Alumni Association and the YLD Liaison for the PA Bar Association Minority Bar Committee.
Mariane currently resides in Marlton with her family. She is fluent in Arabic. In her spare time, she enjoys volunteering as a Career Coach with the Coptic-Orthodox Church Youth Group, and as a baker with Penn-Medicine Hospice and with The Ronald McDonald House of Southern New Jersey.
Mariane may be reached at gardner@hylandlevin.com or 856.355.2947.
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Partner Megan Knowlton Balne Recognized by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America
Hyland Levin Shapiro LLP is pleased to announce that partner, Megan Knowlton Balne, has been selected by her peers for inclusion in the fourth edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America for her practice in Labor and Employment Law – Management; Commercial Litigation; and Litigation-Real Estate. Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® recognizes lawyers who are earlier in their careers for their outstanding professional excellence in private practice. For the 2024 edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America, more than 2.4 million votes were analyzed, which resulted in more than 25,000 lawyers honored in the new edition. The Best Lawyers list is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey in which leading attorneys cast votes on the legal abilities of other lawyers in their practice areas. A description of the selection methodology can be viewed here.
Most recently, Megan was also honored by the New Jersey Law Journal as one of the Top Women in Law in 2022 and received the Katherine D. Hartman Outstanding Woman in the Profession Award from the Burlington County Bar Association for her outstanding leadership, dedication, mentorship and service to the Burlington County Bar Association and the surrounding community.
Megan can be reached at balne@hylandlevin.com or (856) 355.2936.
No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.
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New Jersey Imposes New Flood Disclosures to Buyers and Renters
What Happened?
Bill S3110 was signed into law by Governor Murphy on July 3, 2023. New Jersey joins 29 other states in requiring the disclosure of flood risk to potential homebuyers and renters. The law requires sellers of real property and landlords to disclose knowledge of a property’s history of flooding, flood risk, and location in a flood zone or area. Additionally, the law requires landlords to notify tenants of the availability of insurance for renters through the National Flood Insurance program.
Under this legislation, landlords and property sellers must notify tenants and prospective purchasers, prior to signing a lease or agreement of sale, whether a property has been or could be impacted by flooding, is located in the FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area (“100-year floodplain”) or is located in a Moderate Risk Flood Hazard Area (“500-year floodplain”).
The Department of Community Affairs (“DCA”) will prepare a notification that statewide flood risks are increasing and that the tenant may review these risks on its website. The requirement to disclose if the property is in the FEMA Special or Moderate Risk Flood Hazard Area, beyond actual knowledge, will take effect after the website look-up tool is in place.
For properties being sold, the Division of Consumer Affairs (“Division”) will add specific questions and information to the Property Condition Disclosure Statement concerning certain flood risks. A seller of real property shall be required to use the revised form beginning on the 90th day following its publication on the Division’s website.
For rental properties, if a lease is in writing, the notice required may be included in the written lease or the written renewal lease, provided that the notice is a separate rider, individually signed or otherwise acknowledged by the tenant, and written in not less than 12-point typeface. The DCA, in consultation with the Department of Environmental Protection, will publish a model notice to be used by landlords. The notice will include specific questions about flood risk and space for landlords to provide answers.
The legislation also requires landlords to notify tenants of the availability of insurance for renters through the National Flood Insurance program. Every residential lease must contain the following notice to tenants: “Flood insurance [is] may be available to renters through FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program to cover your personal property and contents in the event of a flood. A standard renter’s insurance policy does not typically cover flood damage. You are encouraged to examine your policy to determine whether you are covered.”
Why you need to know about this?
This new legislative mandate will make New Jersey the 30th state in the US to require flood hazard disclosures from landlords and home sellers, in order to inform renters, and homebuyers of the flood risk they face.
This information will help renters and buyers decide if the risk is worth the cost of insurance, and if so, then consider purchasing the appropriate flood insurance to protect against costly out of pocket repairs. If you are a landlord or a seller of property, these new requirements will directly impact how you must notify tenants or prospective buyers of a property’s potential flood risks.
For purposes of this legislation, a “landlord” is, “any person who rents or leases, for a term of at least one month, commercial space or residential dwelling units other than dwelling units in a premises containing not more than two such units, or in an owner-occupied premises of not more than three dwelling units, or in hotels, motels, or other guest houses serving transient or seasonal guests defined as those who rent a property for a period of less than 120 days.”
What should you do now?
The new legislation is welcomed news for renters and prospective property buyers, but it also presents a new set of challenges for landlords and sellers. For now, landlords and sellers should update all form leases and purchase agreements to provide the necessary disclosures for properties that have been or could be impacted by flooding. Additionally, property owners should regularly check the website of the DCA and the Division for the publication of the new Model Notices and new requirements to the Property Condition Disclosure Statements.
Should you have any questions on the newly imposed disclosure requirements, please reach out to us below:
Zachary C. Friedman, Esq.
friedman@hylandlevin.com
856.355.2999
Robert S. Baranowski, Esq.
baranowski@hylandlevin.com
856.355.2955
HLS/CCBA YLC Sandwich Making Event
Hyland Levin Shapiro LLP, Camden County Bar Association (“CCBA”), and CCBA’s Young Lawyer Committee joined forces on Tuesday, June 20, 2023, to make about 300 sandwiches for those in need. Thank you to all who participated and donated. If you are interested in participating in or donating to the next sandwich-making event, please email Paige Joffe at Joffe@hylandlevin.com. We hope to host more of these events soon!
Attorney Paige Joffe Supports Larc School Through CCBA
SUPPORTING THE LARC SCHOOL
Pictured second from the left is Paige Joffe, an attorney at Hyland Levin Shapiro LLP and Young Lawyer Trustee at the Camden County Bar Association (CCBA). She and her fellow CCBA trustees presented a check to the Larc School staff on June 1, 2023, with the funds raised during the 13th Annual Lobster Bake this past October. The Larc School is committed to providing therapy and schooling using non-traditional learning methods to empower children with disabilities.
The Larc School’s administration voiced its gratitude for the positive difference these funds made and continue to make in the lives of their students.
The monies raised from this year’s Lobster Bake funded the following initiatives:
- Expanding the arts and music programs;
- Hiring a board-certified music teacher for two days per week;
- Employing an art teacher;
- Adopting Jimmy, a 2-year-old Golden Retriever, specially trained and certified to work with children and in facilities like The Larc School.
- In just a few months, Jimmy has already made a large difference in helping these children:
- He enabled a girl who could not walk independently to take 8 independent steps (toward Jimmy).
- He made a boy who was unable to make facial expressions smile for the first time.
- In just a few months, Jimmy has already made a large difference in helping these children:
To participate in events like the Lobster Bake, email Paige Joffe at joffe@hylandlevin.com.
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Jennifer L. Cordes, Esquire Joins Hyland Levin Shapiro LLP
Hyland Levin Shapiro LLP is excited to announce that Jennifer L. Cordes has joined the firm as a partner, continuing her concentration in environmental, real estate, and corporate law. Jennifer represents homeowners, business owners, developers and nonprofit organizations, advising them on state and federal regulatory compliance issues and assisting with due diligence in various types of transactions. She has extensive experience in cost recovery matters under CERCLA, RCRA, and the Spill Act, as well as helping clients who own or operate industrial properties navigate their obligations under ISRA.
Skilled in handling the purchase, sale and financing of real estate and business assets, including the acquisition and transfer of liquor licenses, Jennifer also advises community associations on the interpretation and amendment of governing documents and on the creation and enforcement of rules and regulations. Jennifer has also authored numerous appellate briefs, having appeared before the New Jersey Appellate Division, and has petitioned for certification before the New Jersey Supreme Court.
“We are elated to have Jennifer join our firm. She is a perfect fit on so many levels – practice areas, experience, quality of lawyering, ability to mentor and professionalism”, said Managing Partner, Benjamin Levin.
Before joining Hyland Levin Shapiro, Jennifer was a partner at a mid-sized, regional Law firm and is a former Deputy Attorney General with the State of New Jersey in the Division of Law in the Cost Recovery/Natural Resource Damages section. She served as judicial law clerk for the Honorable Joseph P. Testa, J.S.C. She is a graduate of Rutgers School of Law (J.D 1997), and Elmira College (B.A, cum laude, 1994). She is admitted to practice in New Jersey and is a member of the Delaware Valley Environmental American Inn of Court.
Jennifer volunteers with Tri-State Basset Hound Rescue.
Jennifer may be reached at cordes@hylandlevin.com or 856.355.2920.
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Paige A. Joffe Joins Hyland Levin Shapiro
Paige A. Joffe has joined Hyland Levin Shapiro LLP as an associate. Ms. Joffe will be a member of the Litigation and Employment practice groups. She will continue her practice in commercial litigation, with a focus on construction, employment and business divorce litigation. She will also continue her transactional practice with drafting and negotiating a variety of real estate and business agreements, including employment contracts for physicians and other white-collar professionals.
Before joining Hyland Levin Shapiro, Paige practiced law at a regional law firm where she represented businesses and individuals in federal and state courts. Prior to that, Paige clerked for the Honorable Judge Orlando, J.S.C. in Camden County, NJ.
“Paige brings an enthusiasm and passion for the law which fits our firm and will be an excellent asset to our clients. Paige has a comprehensive litigation skill set, and we are excited to welcome her to the Hyland Levin Shapiro team”, said partner, Megan Knowlton Balne.
Paige is a graduate of Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law (J.D. 2020), where she served as Treasurer and Vice President of the Health Law Society and Editor of the Student Bar Association Publication. She also competed in the American Bar Association’s Client Counseling Competition. Paige also earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Drexel University, LeBow College of Business, in International Business and Legal Studies, magna cum laude (B.S. 2014).
Paige currently resides in Philadelphia, PA. She is fluent in Spanish. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, hiking, working out, painting, or enjoying good food with her family and friends.
Paige may be reached at joffe@hylandlevin.com or 856.355.2924.