(Courtesy of Genova Burns) Genova Burns LLC is pleased to announce that Avi D. Kelin, Esq. is taking over as the new chair of the Corporate Political Activity Law Group. Given recent events, his expertise in campaign-finance laws is more relevant than ever before. As the founder and chair of Genova Burns’s Autonomous Vehicle Law service area, Kelin is always up for a challenge.
This is the first election that will be governed by the New Jersey Elections Transparency Act, which is the biggest change to how New Jersey’s elections are financed in at least 15 years.
For the first time in several years, the entire New Jersey Legislature is up for grabs, and there are expected to be several close races. “Many people, corporations and non-profits will be newly involved in the political process because they have heard about the new laws and understand the stakes of our elections,” said Kelin. “People want to have a voice, and they feel this is a great time to do it.”
New Jersey’s 2023 legislative elections are also seen across the country as foreshadowing turnout and relative political strength ahead of 2024’s presidential and congressional elections, and ahead of 2025’s New Jersey gubernatorial election as Governor Phil Murphy is term limited.
“Political campaigns, strategists and commentators will tune into New Jersey election results for a preview of the next two years—and people and organizations recognize this as an opportunity,” said Kelin.
Kelin helps businesses, trade associations and nonprofits interact with government and the political process, focusing on campaign-finance law, pay-to-play restrictions, lobbying, government-ethics rules, and government contracting. He has formed and operates many New Jersey, federal and multi-jurisdiction PACs, Super PACs, 501(c)(3) charities and 501(c)(4) social-welfare organizations, and he was also recognized as an Essex County Top Lawyer in both 2022 and 2023 in the area of Non-Profit Law. He was also recognized by ROI-NJ as an Influencer in both Law and Technology in 2022.
“Having worked with Avi personally for many years as a colleague, I know him to be exceptional in his command of campaign finance and political law,” said Angelo J. Genova, Esq., chairman of Genova Burns LLC. “He is ready to assume the mantle of the Genova Burns legacy in this unique practice area, one in which our firm has been a recognized leader for decades.”
Kelin is no stranger to complicated subjects, with difficult regulatory components. He is the founder of the firm’s Automated Vehicle Practice, following his successful tenure as a governor-confirmed member of the New Jersey Advance Autonomous Vehicle Task Force, which issued recommendations on how the state should prepare for this advanced technology. This new technology involves competing state and federal regulatory regimes, along with real-world risk assessment and mitigation, all with novel legal issues.
Kelin is an alumnus of the ADL Glass Leadership Institute and Lead NJ. He currently serves as a member of the board of advisors of the Meadowlands Chamber and of the board of directors of the New Jersey Jewish Business Alliance. He is a frequent author and lecturer on political law and on autonomous vehicles.
In addition to his work on new and cutting edge areas of law, Kelin is a proud father of five and spends his free time tracking Knicks trade rumors and perfecting his chocolate olive oil cake.
