Hon. Bonnie J. Mizdol, formerly the Assignment Judge of Bergen County for eight years, joined the firm of Ferro Labella & Weiss's alternative dispute resolution and corporate investigations practices.

Appointed to the Superior Court in February 2006, Judge Mizdol served as Presiding Judge of the Family Part of Bergen from 2008 through April 2015. In both capacities, Judge Mizdol accumulated vast experience in a wide spectrum of matters, ranging from matrimonial to probate, condemnation, and OPRA cases. Judge Mizdol presided over scores of proceedings, including bench trials and emergent actions in all phases.

Judge Mizdol actively participated in judiciary committees, councils, and the like. She chaired numerous Supreme Court Committees, including the Judiciary-Surrogates Liaison Committee; the Working Group on Elder Justice; the Working Group on Pro Bono Assignments; and the Special Committee on the Non-Dissolution Docket. She also served on the Judicial Council. She served as a member of the Judicial Council Labor Relations and Personnel Committee, the Judiciary Budget and Planning Committee, and the Management and Operations Committee.

During her tenure as Bergen’s Family Part Presiding Judge, she chaired the Conference of New Jersey Family Part Judges, the Supreme Court Family Practice Committee, and the Ad Hoc Committee on Arbitration of Family Matters. Judge Mizdol also served as the New Jersey Designated Representative for the International Hague Network of Judges from 2017 through her retirement.

Judge Mizdol was in private practice for 24 years before her appointment to the Superior Court. While in private practice, she also served as a Municipal Court Judge for 15 years before her appointment, and as President of the Bergen County Municipal Judges’ Association. Before joining the Superior Court, Judge Mizdol focused on matters in the family, estate, and probate dockets. In addition, she handled personal injury matters, commercial and residential real estate sales, purchases, leases, and land use and development.

Before her service in the judiciary, Judge Mizdol actively participated in the New Jersey and Bergen County Bar Associations, where she served as President of the Bergen County Bar Foundation, Chair of the District IIA Ethics Committee, Co-Chair of the Bergen County Family Law Committee, and member of the New Jersey Family Law Executive Committee.

Judge Mizdol graduated from Seton Hall Law School and Montclair University.

Beth L. Barnhard is counsel in Harwood Lloyd’s Wills, Trusts, and Estates department.

Ms. Barnhard is Certified to be an Elder Law Attorney (CELA) by the ABA-accredited National Elder Law Foundation. Ms. Barnhard concentrates her practice on elder and disability law, including Medicaid asset preservation planning; Medicaid applications; Medicaid appeals; Medicaid divorce; capacity counseling; guardianships and protective arrangements; estate administration; probate and fiduciary litigation; and special needs planning.

Ms. Barnhard received her B.A. in Anthropology from Ithaca College, graduating with honors, including cum laude distinction, in 2000. Ms. Barnhard received a Specialty Certificate in American Sign Language Interpreting from Union County College in 2003. She received her J.D. from Western New England College in 2007.

Ms. Barnhard is admitted to practice before the courts of the State of New Jersey (2007), the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey (2007), and the State of New York (2008).

Ms. Barnhard is a past-Chair of the Elder & Disability Law Section of the New Jersey State Bar Association (2018), and a past-President of the New Jersey Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NJNAELA) (2017). Ms. Barnhard is the current Chair of the NJNAELA Litigation Committee and is a member of the National NAELA Litigation Committee. Ms. Barnhard was named as NJNAELA Member of the Year in 2020.

Ms. Barnhard is member of the Board of Directors of the Community Health Law Project and Disability Rights New Jersey.

Ms. Barnhard was named by New Jersey Super Lawyers Magazine as one of the top attorneys in New Jersey for 2020-2021. The selections for this list are made by the research team at Super Lawyers, which is a service of the Thomson Reuters, Legal division based in Egan, MN. Each year, the research team at Super Lawyers undertakes a multi-phase selection process that includes a statewide survey of lawyers, independent evaluation of candidates by the attorney-led research staff, a peer review of candidates by practice area, and a good-standing and disciplinary check.

Ms. Barnhard can communicate in American Sign Language.

Daniel J. Jurkovic is an attorney whose practice is concentrated in the areas of Elder Law, guardianships, Medicaid planning, Medicaid qualification, disability planning, estate planning and estate administration. Mr. Jurkovic’s office is located in Rutherford, New Jersey.

Mr. Jurkovic has been granted the title of Certified Elder Law Attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation, after demonstrating through comprehensive testing and documentation of actual cases handled, that he has a solid foundation in the complex issues affecting the elderly and disabled in America today. This certification has been approved by the New Jersey Supreme Court and accredited by the American Bar Association.

Mr. Jurkovic is a graduate of Pace University School of Law where, in addition to his Juris Doctorate, he received a Certificate in Health Law Policy. Mr. Jurkovic also holds a Master of Science degree in Industrial and Labor Relations, with a specialization in Negotiating Strategy, from Cornell University.

Recently, Mr. Jurkovic represented the Guardianship Association of New Jersey, Inc. (GANJI) and the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) as amicus parties before the New Jersey Supreme Court in the matter of Thomas Saccone v. Board of Trustees, Police and Fireman’s Retirement System, and previously served as lead attorney on the amicus curie brief submitted to the New Jersey Supreme Court in the matter of In re Keri, which established the right of guardians of incapacitated persons to apply substitute judgment for purposes of conducting Medicaid planning for their wards.

Elton is a well-known and respected litigator who approaches each client as a person, always taking into consideration their individual circumstances and needs. He is a compassionate and thoughtful advocate who takes great pride in crafting creative strategies that match the specific needs of each client.

During a storied career, Elton has taken on thousands of family, estate, guardianship, criminal, and civil cases. He has been appointed in dozens of guardianship matters as attorney for alleged incapacitated persons, as guardian, administrator, guardian ad litem, and in high conflict, complex, contested guardianship and estate actions. I have been appointed to conduct intensive in-depth investigations and assessments. He has been asked by the Courts to mediate high profile, high conflict, contested guardianship and family disputes.

Elton’s passion has always been family, guardianship, and estate practice, together with all the complexities that come along with each unique, family-oriented matter.

As a seasoned litigator, Elton now applies all of his background and experience to craft creative and innovative solutions for the most complex and high-conflict family, guardianship and estate matters. He is fair, understanding, and caring, yet decisive. Elton volunteers as a Bergen County Mandatory Early Settlement Panelist and has satisfied the New Jersey Supreme Court’s qualifications as a Rule 1:40 Family Mediator. Elton’s foremost goal is to provide each client with the highest level of professionalism, attention to detail and integrity. Elton’s sincere and genuine character is immediately evident when you meet him, giving every client the confidence that they are in the best hands, no matter the situation.