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Diane K. Smith, Esq. Executive Director, Legal Service of Northwest New Jersey Diane K. Smith is committed to making justice for all a reality. As executive Director of Legal Services of Northwest Jersey (LSNWJ), Diane manages the program that provides free legal services in civil matters to more than 4,000 poor people each year living in Somerset, Hunterdon, Morris, Sussex and Warren counties. In 1976, as a speech and drama major at Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., Diane had the chance to observe noted attorney and professor Anthony Amsterdam argue against the death penalty before the Supreme Court. Diane was inspired and knew immediately that she wanted to practice law. She earned her Juris Doctorate in 1979 from Rutgers Law School in Newark, and after two years in private practice, she was drawn to Mercer County Legal Services for the Elderly. In 1985, Diane became the Executive Director of Somerset Sussex Legal Services, where she created a municipal waiver program in Somerset County that encourages pro bono representation by private attorneys. The program was later adopted by the state. She also developed the Tenancy Project in cooperation with the courts that helps prevent homelessness among low-income tenants. More recently, Diane implemented the Floyd Disaster Recovery Project to provide legal advice and representation to victims of Hurricane Floyd. After Sept. 11, 2001, Diane was instrumental in developing the World Trade Center Recovery Project, which provided legal advice and representation to those affected by the attacks. As a child growing up in Bloomfield, Diane looked up to her mother, who was a Girl Scout leader. When Diane was just 4, her mother started college and earned her degree in teaching. Later, when she was in her sixties, she attended Columbia University to study gerontology. As the only female director for Legal Services of New Jersey, Diane said she faces fewer barriers today than when she was starting out. Diane is very involved in local theater and volunteers with Girl Scouts of Washington Rock Council, most recently as the Community Association Chair. She loves the theater, horseback riding, quilting, photography and skiing. Her favorite vacation spots are the Outer Banks of North Carolina and Ireland. |
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