NEWARK, N.J., Sept. 30, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- McCarter & English is pleased to announce that William S. Greenberg, a partner in the firm's Newark office and a retired brigadier general, has been named Chairman of the Reserve Forces Policy Board. The appointment comes on the recommendation of The White House and with the approval of the Secretary of Defense.
The Reserve Forces Policy Board is the principal policy adviser to the Secretary of Defense on matters relating to the Reserve Components. Created by an act of Congress in 1952, the Board acts independently to monitor, review and evaluate proposals, actions and situations impacting the National Guard and Reserve forces and reports annually to the President and Congress.
"I am honored to receive this appointment," Greenberg said. "The Reserve Components play an increasingly important role in our armed forces, and I look forward to doing my part to support the men and women who are bravely serving in the nation's reserve units at home and abroad."
Greenberg, who will continue as an active corporate litigation partner at the firm, has been a lawyer for more than forty years with a focus on litigation and is former President of the New Jersey Association for Justice. Recently he has devoted much of his energy to helping New Jersey's military reservists gain the services and benefits to which they are entitled. He established and chaired the New Jersey State Bar Association's Military Legal Assistance Program in conjunction with McCarter & English.
The program, staffed by pro bono volunteer attorneys, provides needed assistance to members of Reserve Components called to active duty in Afghanistan and Iraq after September 11, 2001. Together with his colleagues at McCarter & English, he has represented more than 50 individual soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center during Medical Evaluation Board/Physical Evaluation Board proceedings. His work for the program earned him the New Jersey Bar Association's medal of honor in 2009, the organization's highest honor.
"Bill does an exceptional job for our firm, his clients and the reservists of New Jersey, and I have no doubt the Reserve Forces Policy Board will benefit from his leadership and his ability to tackle complex problems," said Michael Kelly, the chairman of the McCarter & English Executive Committee. "I am thrilled that The White House and the Secretary of Defense have chosen Bill for this important post."
Greenberg will serve as the civilian chairman of the 24-member board, which includes the assistant secretaries for manpower and reserve affairs from the three military departments as well as regular and reserve component general/flag officers from each of the Armed Services including the Coast Guard. Board members represent a wide range of military expertise, which combined, provide the Secretary of Defense with a unique and independent body of senior officials to review and comment on Reserve Component programs and policies.
Greenberg is a member of the New Jersey World War II Memorial Commission. He serves as the first Adjunct Professor of Military Law at the Seton Hall University Law School. He previously was a Commissioner of the New Jersey State Commission of Investigation. He also served as Assistant Counsel to the Governor of New Jersey and as Commissioner of the New Jersey State Scholarship Commission.
About McCarter & English
McCarter & English, established 165 years ago, represents Fortune 500 and middle-market companies in their national, regional and local litigation and on important transactions. Its 400 attorneys are based in offices in Boston, Hartford, New York, Newark, Philadelphia, Stamford and Wilmington. www.mccarter.com
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