Boardwalk Seminar 2026:
Personal Injury

Program Co-Chairs:

Alexa D'Amato Barrera, Esq. D'Amato Law Firm Egg Harbor Twp., NJ	K. Raja Bhattacharya, Esq. Bendit Weinstock, P.A. West Orange, NJ
Diane L. Cardoso, Esq. Brady, Reilly & Cardoso, LLC Kearny, NJ	Deborah S. Dunn, Esq. Stark & Stark Marlton, NJ
Adam B. Lederman, Esq.  Davis, Saperstein & Salomon, P.C. Teaneck, NJ	Bruce H. Stern, Esq.  Stark & Stark  Princeton, NJ
Thomas J. Vesper, Esq.  Westmoreland, Vesper & Quattrone, P.A.  West Atlantic City, NJ

---

SEMINAR AGENDA

Thursday, April 30, 2026

8:00 am - 9:00 am
Continental Breakfast & Registration • Exhibit Hall

---

9:00 am - 9:30 am
President's Address & Welcome • Jonathan H. Lomurro, Esq. • Freehold, NJ
NJAJ Membership Meeting & Elections

---

9:30 am - 10:30 am
Damages House- A New Way to Ask for Money
Christy Crowe Childers, Esq. • Macon, GA

---

10:30 am - 11:00 am
Human Trafficking
Nadeem A. Bezar, Esq. • Philadelphia, PA

---

11:00 am - 11:15 am
Coffee Break • Exhibit Hall

---

11:15 am - 11:30 am
American Association for Justice Update 
Diane L. Cardoso, Esq. • Kearny, NJ

---

11:30 am - 12:00 pm
How to Win Your Premises Case
Gwen-Marie Davis, Esq. • Lanham, MD

---

12:00 pm - 12:30 pm
Amazon’s Middle Mile and Last Mile
Edward J. Ciarimboli, Esq. • Dunmore, PA
Jay R. Vaughn, Esq. • Louisville, KY

---

12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Lunch • Exhibit Hall

---

1:30 pm - 2:00 pm
How to Maximize the Client’s Impact on the Jury
Eric Romano, Esq. • West Palm Beach, FL
John F. Romano, Esq. • West Palm Beach, FL

---

2:00 pm - 2:30 pm
The Year in Torts in New Jersey/The Top Ten
Moderator: Diane L. Cardoso, Esq. • Kearny, NJ

Senate President Nicholas P. Scutari • Clark, NJ
Richard J. Albuquerque, Esq. • Egg Harbor Twp., NJ
Melissa M. Baxter, Esq. • Collingswood, NJ
K. Raja Bhattacharya, Esq. • West Orange, NJ
Deborah S. Dunn, Esq. • Marlton, NJ
Christine V. Lafferty, Esq. • Cherry Hill, NJ
Adam B. Lederman, Esq. • Teaneck, NJ
Jonathan H. Lomurro, Esq. • Freehold, NJ
Jacquelyn R. Matchett, Esq. • Mount Laurel, NJ
Jared M. Placitella, Esq. • Red Bank, NJ
William Wright, Esq. • Manahawkin, NJ 

---

2:30 pm - 2:45 pm
Coffee Break • Exhibit Hall

---

2:45 pm - 5:00 pm
The Year in Torts in New Jersey/The Top Ten (continued)
Moderator: Diane L. Cardoso, Esq. • Kearny, NJ

Senate President Nicholas P. Scutari • Clark, NJ
Richard J. Albuquerque, Esq. • Egg Harbor Twp., NJ
Melissa M. Baxter, Esq. • Collingswood, NJ
K. Raja Bhattacharya, Esq. • West Orange, NJ
Deborah S. Dunn, Esq. • Marlton, NJ
Christine V. Lafferty, Esq. • Cherry Hill, NJ
Adam B. Lederman, Esq. • Teaneck, NJ
Jonathan H. Lomurro, Esq. • Freehold, NJ
Jacquelyn R. Matchett, Esq. • Mount Laurel, NJ
Jared M. Placitella, Esq. • Red Bank, NJ
William Wright, Esq. • Manahawkin, NJ

---

5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Happy Hour • Exhibit Hall

---

9:30 pm - 11:30 pm
New Lawyers Section Party • The Pool at Harrah’s

---

Friday, May 1, 2026

6:30 am - 8:30 am
Litigation at Sunrise

---

7:30 am - 9:00 am
Continental Breakfast & Registration • Exhibit Hall

---

8:30 am - 9:30 am
Depositions at Trial
Ryan Scott, Esq. • Rogers, AR

---

9:30 am - 12:30 pm
Top Ten in America
Moderator: Thomas J. Vesper, Esq. • West Atlantic City, NJ

---

9:30 am - 10:00 am
Do’s and Don’ts of Mediation
Hon. Michael Brooke Fisher, J.S.C. (Ret.) • Avalon, NJ
Hon. James Isman (Ret.) • Linwood, NJ
Hon. James P. Savio, J.S.C. (Ret.) • Atlantic City, NJ

---

10:00 am - 10:30 am
The Rule of Law
Hon. James P. Savio, J.S.C. (Ret.) • Atlantic City, NJ

---

10:30 am - 10:45 am
Maximizing Damages with a Deeper Dive into Your Client’s Medical Records
Justin B. Shapiro, Esq.  • Miami, FL

---

10:45 am - 11:00 am
Coffee Break • Exhibit Hall

---

11:00 am - 11:20 am
Plaintiff’s Perspectives from Pennsylvania
Karesa M. Rovnan, Esq. • Pittsburgh, PA

---

11:20 am - 11:40 am
Lessons Learned from a “Philadelphia Lawyer”
Thomas N. Sweeney, Esq. • Philadelphia, PA

---

11:40 am - 12:00 pm
How to Maximize Recovery in Arbitration and Mediation
Joseph E. O'Connor, Esq. • Kingston, NY

---

12:00 pm - 12:15 pm
How to Get All You Need in Discovery
Rachel D. Allen, Esq.• Wilmington, DE

---

12:15 pm - 12:30 pm
Overlooked Elements of Economic and Non-Economic Damages
Andrew Finkelstein, Esq. • Newburgh, NY

---

12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Lunch • Exhibit Hall

---

1:30 pm - 3:00 pm
NJAJ Rising Stars
Moderator: Lauren B. Jones, Esq. • Springfield, NJ

Anthony Louis Conte, Esq. • Edison, NJ
Trevor D. Dickson, Esq. • Roseland, NJ
Missy Duarte, Esq. • Hackensack NJ 
Amanda R. Freyer, Esq. • Princeton NJ 

---

Boardwalk Seminar® 2026 will feature 30 programs presented  for trial attorneys and includes outstanding local and regional speakers along with top national speakers. 

A cornerstone of NJAJ’s mission is to advance the education and skills of the membership. 

This year's program features three days of thought leadership on topics related to improving the practice of plaintiff trial attorneys. Our faculty includes top litigators from across the country. 

 

* * * Special Offer * * *
Join NJAJ & Save $300 on Boardwalk Seminar registration.
If you join the New Jersey Association for Justice when registering for the Boardwalk Seminar 2026, you will receive the member registration fee ($200 less than the non-member rate) and as a part of this special offer you will receive an additional $100 off of the registration fee. Join NJAJ.

---

MCLE Credits
New Jersey - (Earn 13.20 Credits/Earn 0.0 Ethics Credits)
New York - (Earn 13.0 Credits/Earn 0.0 Ethics Credits)
Pennsylvania - (Earn 9.50 Credits/Earn 0.0 Ethics Credits)

This program has been approved by the Board on Continuing Legal Education of the Supreme Court of New Jersey for 13.20 hours of total CLE credit.

Of these, 0.0 qualify as hours of credit for Ethics/Professionalism, and 0.0 qualify as hours of credit for Diversity, Inclusion and Elimination of Bias.

---

Full-Time Judges, Full-Time Law School Professors, 
Judicial Law Clerks & Law Student Members
Registration is complimentary for the seminar.
Pre-registration is required.

Course Materials
The seminar course materials will be online for attendees to download on April 24, 2026.

Registration on or after April 29th: 
An additional $25 will be added to fees for registering on the day of the program.

REGISTER FOR BOARDWALK SEMINAR 2026

If you have a disability that will require special assistance or services, 
please send a letter describing your needs.