Extensive and varied experience – 40 years in private practice
- Has handled a wide range of cases in almost every aspect of civil litigation and appeals
- Has tried numerous cases to jury verdict or Court decision
- Has represented clients in numerous appeals and has obtained many reversals
- Has tried every case on his own without assistance from associate or junior attorneys, thereby reducing legal expense.
- Therefore, he knows what to do and knows how to do it without educating himself at the client's expense
- Aggressive and proactive trial attorney
Cost effective and efficient legal services
- Personally involved in and in charge of every aspect of a case from initial client meeting to conclusion by trial or settlement
- Very selective in cases accepted so as to assure adequate time and resources to spend on each case
- Accepts cases on an hourly, contingent, flat fee and mixed arrangements, depending on the type of case involved.
- Is very sensitive to clients' budgets and ability to pay legal fees and costs
- Fees charged are always proportionate to the client's objective
- All copy and postage charges are included in the fee quoted and not billed as an add-on
- Although the usual rule is that each client must pay his or her own attorneys' fees and costs, in certain types of cases will seek to shift fees and costs to the adverse party
Recognition by fellow attorneys and judges based upon objective standards and criteria
- Has consistently achieved and held the Martindale –Hubbell A / V Pre-eminent rating, which is the highest rating a lawyer can achieve based on legal abilities and ethical standards;
- Annually designated as a New Jersey SuperLawyer in the field of general civil litigation, which designation is reserved for the top 5% of New Jersey lawyers;
- Certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Civil Trial Attorney since 1982. This certification is held by less than 3% of New Jersey attorneys. To achieve this certification, an attorney must complete a rigorous application, show actual trial experience, receive favorable recommendations by judges and other attorneys and pass an examination separate and apart from the bar examination;
- Appointed as a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America, a national invitation-only, trial lawyers honorary society limited to 3500 lawyers across the United States and Canada. This recognition is held by less that ½ of 1% of all lawyers in North America.
- Has been appointed by several Superior Court judges to serve in various capacities including: Special Fiscal Agent in shareholders disputes; Guardian for incapacitated persons; Special Discovery Master, to assist the Court in resolving discovery disputes in a complex, class-action case, Special Counsel to an incapacitated person to bring legal actions to recover monies which were fraudulently taken from her; Special Mount Laurel Master to assist the Court in resolving a dispute involving the development of property; and Administrator of a crime victim's estate.
Teaching Experience
- Has served as an adjunct professor, Rutgers University, Bureau of Government Research teaching land use law and procedure to municipal officials;
- Has lectured for the New Jersey Institute of Continuing Education (NJICLE) in conducting seminars for attorneys on Appellate Practice and Land Use;
- Has lectured for the National Business Institute in conducting seminars for attorneys on Wrongful Death cases, Personal Injury Settlements and Land Use;
- As member and co-chairman of the Bergen County Bar Association General Equity Committee, has conducted seminars on corporate dissolutions, contested foreclosure actions and will contests;
- As a master in the Morris Pashman American Inns of Court for Bergen County, has conducted seminars and workshops on trial practice and procedure
Public Service and pro bono
- Has served as designated counsel with the New Jersey Office of the Public Defender in criminal trials involving felony murder, and armed robbery and in appeals to the New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division and the New Jersey Supreme Court in cases involving constitutional issues such as witness identification and possession of controlled dangerous substances.
- Has served as Attorney, Weehawken, N.J. Planning Board (1974-1984) and Attorney, Old Tappan, N.J. Planning Board (1979 -2000)
- Has also served as Special Counsel for the Borough of Franklin Lakes, Borough of Oradell and Borough of Wyckoff
Representative Clients
- Bank of New York
- Valley National Bank
- British Airways
- CPC Best Foods (now Unilever)
- Rokeach Food Products
- Sunbeam Products
- Borough of Old Tappan, N.J. Planning Board
- Township of Weehawken, N.J. Planning Board
- Kindercare Learning Centers
Representative Cases
- Represented a widower in a wrongful death case and obtained a settlement for the benefit of the decedent's heirs in the amount of $950,000.
- Represented a passenger in an automobile accident who sustained multiple injuries and obtained a jury verdict in the amount of $460,000.
- Represented a 50 % shareholder in a corporate dispute who was a victim of fraud by her fellow shareholder and obtained a Court decision in her favor in the amount of $600,000, including an award of attorney's fees.
- Represented a physician in the break-up of a medical partnership and achieved a settlement for her in the amount of $500,000.
- Represented a victim of medical malpractice in a case involving the misdiagnosis of breast cancer and obtained a jury verdict in the amount of $400,000;
- Represented a national spokesperson for a multi-level marketing company in a lawsuit involving termination of her services and achieved a high, six figure settlement;
- Represented a woman whose sister had committed undue influence in getting their mother to execute a will in the sister's favor and negotiated a settlement resulting in an equal distribution of the estate assets;
- Represented two brothers in a suit against another brother who had wrongfully induced their mother to execute a deed in his favor to a valuable family owned marina business and property;
- Represented a national news anchor/journalist in a case involving a breach of real estate contract and obtained a settlement enforcing the contract;
- Represented an internationally known television personality in a case involving a threatened encroachment by a high rise apartment building on his family residence and negotiated a settlement involving a downsizing of the building
- Represented a young woman who was the victim of hospital malpractice and obtained a settlement for her in the amount of $250,000.
- Represented the son of an elderly woman who, while mentally incapacitated, became the victim of undue influence by her grandson and who signed a deed conveying her house to him. The case was tried to verdict which resulted in a complete invalidation of the transfer.
- Represented a shareholder in a real estate venture who was defrauded by his partner, which case resulted in a settlement conveying the property to the client;
- Represented a burn victim in a case involving a defectively designed barbecue grill, which resulted in a settlement in the amount of $250,000.
- Represented a property owner who challenged the illegal expansion of a corporate headquarters facility by a major international corporation, which resulted in a settlement requiring the corporation to purchase the client's home at a price significantly higher than market;
- Served as a Court appointed administrator of a complex estate where the decedent had been a murder victim and resolved issues between the decedent's heirs;
- Represented the niece of an incapacitated woman in a contested guardianship proceeding and, during the trial, succeeded in obtaining a major national bank to serve as her fiduciary in the place of two individuals who had made risky investments at significant losses
- Represented a retired police captain in a lawsuit against his former attorney where such attorney had misappropriated $250,000 of the captain's retirement fund that she was holding in her attorneys' trust account. At the conclusion of trial, the Judge entered a judgment in favor of the client in the amount of $800,000 including compensatory damages, punitive damages, attorneys' fees and costs. Also represented the client on appeal where the verdict was affirmed by the higher court
- In two, separate case, represented a religious congregation in defeating an attempt by an outside group to take over control of the organization
Geographic Areas of practice:
- As a licensed New Jersey Attorney for approximately 40 years has represented clients in the trial courts of almost every county in New Jersey with a concentration in the Northern New Jersey counties such as Bergen, Passaic, Essex, Hudson and Morris. Has also represented clients in “shore counties” including Monmouth, Ocean, Atlantic and Cape May as well as Union and Sussex Counties.
- Has represented clients in the Superior Court, Appellate Division (which is an intermediate level appeals court) as well as the New Jersey Supreme Court (the highest court in the State)
- As a licensed New York Attorney since 1983, has also handled cases in most of the counties in the southern part of the State such as Rockland, Orange, New York, Nassau and Suffolk.
