Since its inception in 1958, the New Jersey State Bar Foundation has been dedicated to carrying out the charitable and educational endeavors of the organized bar in New Jersey, specifically those of the New Jersey State Bar Association. Through a variety of services, programs and publications, the Foundation reaches out to everyone, from children to senior citizens, to teach "law for laypersons." In 1988, the Foundation expanded its public education effort. It began with free seminars at the New Jersey Law Center in New Brunswick and its high school mock trial competition. Today, the Foundation has a program that is unequaled and stands as a model for other law-related organizations across the country.

The Foundation reaches into the schools to teach children and teenagers about the law through hands-on programs like Law Fair and Law Adventure; the Vincent J. Apruzzese High School Mock Trial Competition; Law-Related Education Conferences for teachers; a Speakers Bureau; and Video Loan Library. The State Bar Foundation also sponsors an extensive program aimed at teaching students skills for resolving conflicts peacefully and promoting tolerance and diversity. This program offers Conflict Resolution and Peer Mediation Guides with lesson plans, as well as training sessions to help New Jersey educators teach their students how to resolve conflicts without resorting to violence.

To further promote understanding of the law, the Foundation launched its legal newspaper for kids, The Legal Eagle, in the fall of 1996. Published three times a year, the newspaper has seen its readership grow to nearly 170,000 subscribers in elementary, middle and high schools across the state. The free newspaper is a resource for students and teachers that helps stimulate discussions about the law and how it impacts daily life.

Conferences for senior citizens, the disabled, AIDS service providers, teachers and drug counselors have also helped thousands in New Jersey to better understand the law.

Free publications available from the Foundation include Law Points for Senior Citizens; Consumer’s Guide to New Jersey Law; Legal Consequences of Substance Abuse; AIDS and the Law in New Jersey; Disability Law Primer (fourth edition); and pamphlets on domestic violence laws, as well as bankruptcy. Some are available in Spanish, and all are available in alternative formats for individuals with disabilities.

The Foundation’s public service programs are funded by the IOLTA Fund of the Bar of New Jersey and are all offered free of charge. For copies of materials or for more information on any program or the Foundation in general, please call 1-800-FREE LAW or visit its website at www.njsbf.com.