Elizabeth Zuckerman has been named Of Counsel to the Princeton law firm, Mason, Griffin & Pierson, P.C, and will lead its Employment Law section. Ms. Zuckerman received a J.D. from the University of California at Davis School of Law where she served as Executive Editor for the Law Review. In 1997, Ms. Zuckerman co-founded the employment law firm of Zuckerman & Fisher, LLC, focusing her practice on employee rights. Ms. Zuckerman is admitted to practice law in New Jersey, the Third Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court. She will continue to practice in the areas of employment law, employee rights and appellate practice. Ms. Zuckerman serves on the Executive Committee of the New Jersey chapter of the National Employment Lawyers Association and is a member of the New Jersey State and American Bar Associations.

Mason, Griffin & Pierson is celebrating its sixty-fifth anniversary. Since its founding in 1955, the firm has evolved from a two-man general practice partnership to a mid-size professional corporation which continues a general practice but has developed specific areas of concentration. The firm has been an integral part of central New Jersey over the past sixty-five years. The firm's first municipal client, Princeton, remains a client today, along with other municipalities and governing bodies in Mercer, Somerset, Middlesex, Hunterdon, Camden and Gloucester counties. Two of the firm's attorneys have served as President of the Mercer County Bar Association and, in 2001, the firm received the Community Partner Award from Mercer County Bar Foundation. Four of the firm's attorneys have been honored with the Fred G. Stickel Award for Excellence in Municipal Law and Service to the Legal Profession.

Elizabeth Zuckerman will be an instructor for the Princeton Adult Education course, Know Your Rights as an Employee. The 3-session course starts on February 11 and will explore topics including sexual harassment, discrimination, medical marijuana in the workplace, whistle-blower claims, NJ’s newly enacted Wage Theft Act, Federal and State family leave acts, and other laws that protect employees. Ms. Zuckerman has been practicing employment law for thirty years in Princeton and serves on the Executive Committee of the New Jersey chapter of the National Employment Lawyers Association. For more information visit .princetonadultschool.org.

MG&P starts the new year with new municipal clients. Kevin Van Hise has been appointed as the attorney for the West Amwell Township Zoning Board of Adjustment and Edwin Schmierer was recently retained by the Borough of Elmwood to serve as Special Counsel.

Elizabeth Zuckerman will be arguing in the NJ Supreme Court on February 3rd, in the case of Wild v. Carriage Funeral Holdings, Inc. The case involves the issue of whether an employee who uses medical marijuana can be terminated for failing a drug test. Ms. Zuckerman will be arguing on behalf of Amicus NELA-NJ.

Mason, Griffin & Pierson is pleased to sponsor Montgomery Township Education Foundation. The Foundation's fundraiser takes place on the evening of March 14 at Cherry Valley Country Club in Skillman, New Jersey. The Foundation is an independent, non-profit organization set up to support strategic programs for the benefit of the Montgomery Township public school children. For more information go to mtefnj.com

The SECURE ACT changes the age for required minimum distributions (RMDs) for traditional IRAs from 70 ½ to 72. The new rules allow an individual of any age to make contributions to a traditional IRA, as long as the individual has earned income from wages or self-employment. The Act also affects beneficiaries of inherited IRAs. Other than a few exceptions, inherited IRAs (for deaths of IRA owners on or after 1/1/2020) are now required to be completely distributed within ten years following the death of the original account owner. In view of this significant change for inherited IRAs, estate plans put in place prior to the SECURE ACT may need to be revisited. Read more here.