NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ — The NJSBA Municipal Court Practice Section named trial attorney Kenneth Vercammen its Municipal Court Practitioner of the Year 2005-2006 in a ceremony on Dec. 5 at the New Jersey Law Center in New Brunswick. Vercammen is a South Brunswick resident and operates the law offices of Kenneth Vercammen & Associates, PC in Edison and Cranbury.
The award was presented in recognition of Vercammen’s activities in informing and educating the public about our legal system, in encouraging and promoting reform and modernization, in improving the relationship between the legal profession and the public, in exemplifying the goals and purposes of the Municipal Court Practice Section and for service to the residents of the State of New Jersey.
A member of the NJSBA for 18 years, Vercammen was recognized in 2002 with the General Practitioner of the Year Award and in 1993 with the Service to the Bar Award from the association’s Young Lawyers Division (YLD). The Service to the Bar Award is given to a young lawyer who has devoted substantial time and energy to bar activities at the county, state and/or national level.
Vercammen is a past chair of the Municipal Court Practice Section and currently serves on the board of directors of the General Practice Section. In addition, Vercammen is a trustee of the Middlesex County Bar Association and co-chair of its Municipal Court Practice Committee. A frequent lecturer, Vercammen presents programs on wills, elder law and probate at adult schools and senior citizen centers, for the AARP and local Chambers of Commerce, at the University of Medicine & Dentistry and St. Peter’s Hospital, and many other locations throughout Central New Jersey. He also speaks on litigation matters, automobile insurance and criminal and juvenile courts before the New Jersey State Bar Association, Institute for Continuing Legal Education and Association of Trial Lawyers of America–New Jersey chapter (ATLA-NJ), as well as for police departments and county colleges.
Active in the American Bar Association (ABA), Vercammen is a former co-chair of the Personal Marketing Skills Group. He lectures on marketing at meetings across the country for the ABA, the Brooklyn and New York Bar Associations, and at Central Jersey adult schools. He is also a former national chair of the ABA’s YLD Law Practice Management Committee, and former chair and newsletter editor of the Marketing Legal Services Committee.
Vercammen is currently a member of the ABA’s Litigation Committee and a former vice chair of the Elder Law and Probate & Estate Planning committees, as well as former deputy chair of the General Practice Marketing Legal Services Committee.
He is a member of the 2005 NJ State Champion Raritan Valley Road Runners Masters Team. In 2004, he was awarded the 3rd degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do (Korean Karate).
Vercammen has published over 130 articles in national and New Jersey publications on municipal and criminal court, personal injury, and probate and elder law topics. Among these publications are the New Jersey Law Journal, ABA Law Practice Management Magazine, and the New Jersey Lawyer Newspaper. He is editor-in-chief of the New Jersey Municipal Court Law Review.
The New Jersey State Bar Association, incorporated in 1899, is dedicated to the continuing education of lawyers and the public, to reforming and improving the legal system and to aiding in the administration of justice.
Consequences of a Criminal Guilty Plea
1. You will have to appear in open court and tell the judge what you did that makes you guilty of the particular offense(s)
2. Do you understand that if you plead guilty:
a. You will have a criminal record
b. You may go to Jail or Prison.
c. You will have to pay Fines and Court Costs.
3. If you are on Probation, you will have to submit to random drug and urine testing. If you violate Probation, you often go to jail.
4. In indictable matters, you will be required to provide a DNA sample, which could be used by law enforcement for the investigation of criminal activity, and pay for the cost of testing.
5. You must pay restitution if the court finds there is a victim who has suffered a loss and if the court finds that you are able or will be able in the future to pay restitution.
6. If you are a public office holder or employee, you can be required to forfeit your office or job by virtue of your plea of guilty.
7. If you are not a United States citizen or national, you may be deported by virtue of your plea of guilty.
8. You must wait 5-10 years to expunge a first offense. 2C:52-3
9. You could be put on Probation.
10. In Drug Cases, a mandatory DEDR penalty of $500-$1,000, and lose your driver's license for 6 months - 2years. You must pay a Law Enforcement Officers Training and Equipment Fund penalty of $30.
11. You may be required to do Community Service.
12. You must pay a minimum Violent Crimes Compensation Board assessment of $50 ($100 minimum if you are convicted of a crime of violence) for each count to which you plead guilty.
13. You must pay a $75 Safe Neighborhood Services Fund assessment for each conviction.
14. If you are being sentenced to probation, you must pay a fee of up to $25 per month for the term of probation.
15. You lose the presumption against incarceration in future cases. 2C:44-1
16. You may lose your right to vote.
The defense of a person charged with a criminal offense is not impossible. There are a number of viable defenses and arguments which can be pursued to achieve a successful result. Advocacy, commitment, and persistence are essential to defending a client accused of a criminal offense.
Jail for Crimes and Disorderly Conduct:
If someone pleads Guilty or is found Guilty of a criminal offense, the following is the statutory Prison/Jail terms.
NJSA 2C: 43-8 (1) In the case of a crime of the first degree, for a specific term of years which shall be fixed by the court and shall be between 10 years and 20 years;
(2) In the case of a crime of the second degree, for a specific term of years which shall be fixed by the court and shall be between five years and 10 years;
(3) In the case of a crime of the third degree, for a specific term of years which shall be fixed by the court and shall be between three years and five years;
(4) In the case of a crime of the fourth degree, for a specific term which shall be fixed by the court and shall not exceed 18 months.
2C:43-3 Fines have been increased recently! 2C:43-3. Fines and Restitutions. A person who has been convicted of an offense may be sentenced to pay a fine, to make restitution, or both, such fine not to exceed:
a. (1) $200,000.00 when the conviction is of a crime of the first degree;
(2) $150,000.00 when the conviction is of a crime of the second degree;
b. (1) $15,000.00 when the conviction is of a crime of the third degree;
(2) $10,000.00 when the conviction is of a crime of the fourth degree;
c. $1,000.00, when the conviction is of a disorderly persons offense;
d. $500.00, when the conviction is of a petty disorderly persons offense;
If facing any criminal charge, retain an experienced attorney immediately to determine you rights and obligations to the court. Current criminal charge researched by Kenneth Vercammen, Esq. 732-572-0500
