THE HISPANIC BAR ASSOCIATION OF NEW JERSEY CONGRATULATES PAUL NIEVES AND MICHAEL JIMENEZ ON THEIR CONFIRMATION AS JUDGES OF THE SUPERIOR COURT, AND APPLAUDS GOVERNOR MURPHY FOR ANNOUNCING HIS INTENT TO NOMINATE VERONICA ALLENDE TO THE BENCH

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 11, 2021.

The Hispanic Bar Association of New Jersey (HBA-NJ) congratulates our former board member, Paul
Nieves, and member, Michael Jimenez, on their recent Senate confirmation as Judges of the
New Jersey Superior Court. The HBA-NJ also applauds Governor Murphy for announcing his intent to
nominate our member, Veronica Allende, as a Judge of the New Jersey Superior Court.

HBA-NJ President, Reynold Lambert, remarked: “Judge Nieves, Judge Jimenez, and Ms. Allende
are all dynamic attorneys and inspiring leaders in our community, which is why the HBA-NJ
endorsed each of them for a judgeship. I have no doubt that they will continue to make the HBA-NJ
and our community very proud.”

The significance of these confirmations and nomination of Latinx attorneys to the bench cannot
be understated. President Lambert explained: “For decades, the HBA-NJ has fought hard to
diversify the bench. Hispanics represent the largest minority population in New Jersey, and it is
of critical importance that our judiciary accurately reflect our community. We have worked closely
with the Governor’s office to identify supremely qualified Latinx candidates for judicial and
other positions—like Judge Nieves,
Judge Jimenez, and Ms. Allende—and will continue to do so.”

We present below a very brief overview of the impressive qualifications of Judge Nieves, Judge
Jimenez, and Ms. Allende:

Paul Nieves: Judge Paul Nieves is currently assigned to the Superior Court, Family Division,
Union County. Judge Nieves brings 25 years of experience to the bench. Born and
raised in the South Bronx, he was an experienced trial attorney, having served as the Assistant
Section Chief at the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office. Judge Nieves also had a
distinguished career in the Army Reserves and recently retired as a Major, with over 22 years of
service. His duties as a Judge Advocate included service as the Fort Dix Prosecutor for three
years, advising the Commanding General at the 353rd Civil Affairs Command and deploying with the
18th Airborne Corps to Baghdad, Iraq. His military decorations include the Meritorious
Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters and the Army Commendation Medal with four oak
leaf clusters. Before his confirmation to the bench, Judge Nieves sat on the HBA-NJ Board of
Trustees.

Michael Jimenez: Judge Michael Jimenez is currently assigned to the Superior Court, Family
Division, Hudson County. Judge Jimenez was a partner for Scarinci Hollenbeck, where he focused on
representing entities, real estate developers and owners, financial institutions, and
public and private business organizations in a variety of transactional matters. He
served as Corporation Counsel for the Town of West New York, as Town Attorney to the Town of
Guttenberg, Special Litigation Counsel to the North Bergen Board of Education, and Labor
Counsel to the Hudson County Schools of Technology. He also served as a municipal prosecutor,
public defender, and counsel to numerous school boards, including North Bergen, Weehawken,
Hoboken, Paterson and Fairview. Judge Jimenez brings a wealth of trial experience to the
bench, as he handled a wide variety of civil and criminal matters in the state and federal
courts, and has extensive experience in Local Public Contracts Law and Open Public
Records Act matters.

Veronica Allende: Veronica Allende was the first Hispanic woman to serve as Director of the
Division of Criminal Justice (DCJ). While at DCJ, Ms. Allende supervised and successfully
oversaw the prosecution of various crimes, and also launched the clergy abuse task force.
Prior to joining the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, Ms. Allende worked as an Assistant
United States Attorney, where she collaborated with law enforcement agencies to investigate
and prosecute federal crimes. Ms. Allende was also employed as a Deputy Attorney General for the Division of Criminal
Justice, where she served as the Deputy Bureau Chief for the Cyber Crimes Bureau. In that
capacity, she investigated and prosecuted cyber-related offenses, working with law enforcement
officers of various units, including the Department of Homeland Security. Before she entered
public service, Ms. Allende practiced land use and commercial real estate law with the law firm of
Wilentz, Goldman & Spitzer.

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About The Hispanic Bar Association of New Jersey

Founded in 1980, the HBA-NJ is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit association that is comprised of attorneys,
judges, law professors, law students, and other professionals who share a common interest in
addressing the issues affecting Hispanics within the legal community.

The purpose of the Association is to serve the public interest: (i) by cultivating the art and
science of jurisprudence, (ii) by advancing the standing of the legal profession, and (iii) by
preserving high standards of integrity, honor, and professional courtesy among Hispanic lawyers.

Hispanic Bar Association of New Jersey
P.O. Box 25562, Newark, NJ 07101