Who we are -- now and for the past 101 years

If you are poor and live in Essex County NJ, the people at ECLAA are committed to providing you with free emergency legal advice related to civil matters -- like landlord/tenant issues, consumer matters, and family law issues triggered by COVID, etc. 

Incorporated in 1920, the Essex County Legal Aid Association is here to assure that poverty is not an impenetrable barrier to civil justice.  We are celebrating our 101st anniversary this year.

How can we provide free legal advice and/or representation to low-incomeclients?  We need support from foundations, law firms, individuals, etc. Our three major 2019 supporters were the IOLTA Fund of the Bar of New Jersey, the Legal Services Foundation of Essex County (no longer in existence), and the Community Foundation of New Jersey.  LSF had been a long-term supporter of ECLAA, typically at $75,000 annually. ECLAA needs your help to close that annual funding gap. Please donate here on Benevity, particularly if you work at a company that matches employees' charitable giving. For those who want to make a meaningful donation to ECLAA by transferring appreciated stock or other securities, Bob Adler (radler@eclaanj.org) can provide relevant routing and account numbers.

Key ECLAA support in 2020 came from the IOLTA Fund and CFNJ again, and from CARES Act and other public/private COVID-inspired grants. In 2021, ECLAA became a provider of free legal services to low-income Newark tenants referred to us by the City of Newark's Office of Tenant Legal Services for immediate advice and full representation. We are honored to have earned OTLS' trust, as well as that of a new supporter in 2021-- the Santander Foundation. 

Please look at some of our clients' cases by clicking on the "About our clients" section of this site.  These are specific examples of who we help and what our support means to them. 

And please use our "Make a donation" page to support the work we do.  Thank you.  

THIS IS OUR EXPERIENCED STAFF

Attorneys

Yvette Gibbons (executive director)

Debra Cannella

Ingrid Enriquez

Gladys Moriarty

Fundraising

Robert M. Adler

THIS IS OUR BOARD

We are grateful to these board members of our 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.  Their passionate commitment to ECLAA's mission is appreciated.  Please join them in supporting ECLAA -- by clicking on the "Make a donation" tab.  

Robert M. Rich, Esq.

Sole proprietor law practice

ECLAA Board President

John Meyer

SVP & Divisional Manager, Commercial Banking

Valley National Bank

ECLAA Board VP

Steven D. Fleissig, Esq.

Shareholder

Greenberg Traurig LLP

ECLAA Board Treasurer

Michael D. Thompson, Esq.

Partner

Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith

ECLAA Board Secretary

Michael R. Clarke, JD, CCEP

VP, Global Chief Compliance Officer & Deputy General Counsel

ConvaTec

ECLAA Board Member

Francis M. Giantomasi, Esq.

Counsel

Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi PC

ECLAA Board Member

Hon. Ned M. Rosenberg, J.S.C. (Ret.)

Of Counsel

Lentz & Gengaro LLP

Board Member

Chris J. Murphy, Esq.

Partner

Murphy Schiller & Wilkes LLP

ECLAA Board Member

Maureen Winograd

Exec Director, ECBA (retired) and former Secretary, LSF 

Trustee Emerita  

David Goodman

Partner

National Publisher Services LLC 

Trustee Emeritus  

If you would like to nominate someone to serve on the ECLAA board who can help ensure that we get the financial support needed to cover current operations or perhaps even broaden our services based on additional funding, please contact our fundraising director Bob Adler at radler@eclaanj.org or at (908) 672-0738.