Archdiocese of Newark General Counsel receives prestigious law award
The New Jersey Law Journal will honor Steven Llanes with its In-House Impact Award for his work as the General Counsel for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark. The award recognizes the accomplishments of in-house counsel who have demonstrated overall excellence while impacting their employer organizations and the practice of law.
This is the second time the New Jersey Law Journal has honored Llanes. In 2019, during his prior work in private practice, the Law Journal named Llanes a “New Leader of the Bar.” The 2023 New Jersey Legal Awards will be held on Sept. 13 at the Park Chateau Estate in East Brunswick where Llanes will join other attorneys being honored that night.
“I am honored to receive the New Jersey Law Journal’s In-House Impact Award,” Llanes told Jersey Catholic. “This recognition is a testament to the vision of the Archdiocese’s current leadership and to the hard work of the entire team. I’m grateful to serve alongside them as General Counsel and to make a positive impact toward the future of the Archdiocese and its many stakeholders.”
Llanes has been with the Archdiocese since November 2020. A member of the Archdiocese’s senior executive team, Llanes advises other leaders and departments on legal affairs impacting the Archdiocese.
“During the height of the pandemic, I felt called to find meaningful ways to serve and help sustain our communities, not only as an attorney, but more importantly, as a parent of children who attend Archdiocesan schools,” Llanes said.
When his service as General Counsel began in 2020, Llanes immersed himself into the role, immediately focusing on unprecedented legal questions related to the pandemic, working alongside other leaders in keeping open the 200+ parishes, 70+ schools, and 8 cemeteries across the Archdiocese, which serve over 1.3 million individuals. Specifically, Llanes led efforts at advising on governmental orders and drafting Archdiocesan protocols.
“Steven Llanes has been a welcomed addition to the team, who is making a valued impact to the future of the Archdiocese of Newark,” said Archdiocesan Chief Operating Officer Larry Boland. “I congratulate him on this well-deserved recognition.”
Over the last three years, Llanes has built an in-house legal department, which collaborates with outside counsel to provide legal advice and services that sustain the operations of ministries and programs throughout the Archdiocese. Some of that work has included counseling and supporting the boards of various Archdiocesan organizations, developing new form protocols to support services at Archdiocesan cemeteries, and strengthening overall contracting and procurement protections at Archdiocesan schools.
A person who knew Llanes prior to his joining the Archdiocese is Peter Verniero, a former jurist and state attorney general. “I have been fortunate during the course of my career to interact with some of the finest attorneys in New Jersey,” Verniero said. “Steven Llanes fits squarely within that group of exceptional lawyers.”
The son of Cuban immigrants, following 9/11 Llanes served as a White House-appointed policy advisor at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. More recently, he was elected Chairman of the Board of Regents of Saint Peter’s University. Llanes received a Bachelor of Arts from Saint Peter’s, as well as earned a Master’s in Public Policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and a Juris Doctorate from Seton Hall University School of Law.
