When Pamela Brownstein
was executive editor of the New Jersey Law Journal, she gave prominent placement to news about attorneys' pro bono activities, not just their victories and profits.
And she was well aware of VLJ.
As a journalist, it was her job to know which organizations were doing newsworthy things. VLJ was one of them. As a citizen, she was glad to tell her audience about lawyers who volunteered their time and expertise to help needy people.
"I was impressed by the work of VLJ," Pam says.
"Their attorneys were not just taking cases and putting in hours. They were having a tremendous impact on the lives of clients."
Now she's a VLJ volunteer, too.
Pam left the
Law Journal
last year and created Jaffe Brownstein Strategies, in Newark, where she is a media and public relations consultant to law firms and other professionals. As an occasional pro bono adviser to VLJ, she is helping the organization increase its visibility in the media, among lawyers and in the community of potential donors.
One example: When VLJ was awaiting a ruling on its petition under the state's new law providing relief to human-trafficking victims, Pam advised VLJ on ways to get coverage. The case ended in June with the groundbreaking vacatur of 13 arrests and convictions against VLJ's client.
Pam has advised the staff on ways to generate stories and place op-ed and practice articles that are instructive to the public and the legal community, pieces that focus on substantive issues in the law and VLJ's place in the fabric of New Jersey.
"VLJ has a terrific reputation among lawyers. It also deserves to be known by the public, including potential donors. The breadth of its services is remarkable, as is the depth of its commitment," Pam says.
Jaffe Brownstein Strategies in Newark, which began in October 2014, provides advice on media relations, web strategies, online and print communications, social media, crisis communication and special events. Most of the professional entities Pam represents are law firms. Her clients include McCusker, Anselmi, Rosen & Carvelli and Jardim, Meisner & Susser, both of Florham Park, among others.
At the
Law Journal
, Pam supervised daily news coverage, headed a lively op-ed page, and created and edited books, including one by New Jersey Supreme Court Justice Daniel O'Hern. She worked earlier as a federal courthouse reporter and business writer for the Associated Press. She has a B.A. in government from Colby College in Maine. Pam resides in Scotch Plains with her husband Kenneth Lipstein, who has a law practice in Westfield. They have two sons.
