MCELROY - Key Persons
ADAM J. ADRIGNOLO received his Bachelor of Arts (summa cum laude) in 1992 from Fairleigh Dickinson University and received his Juris Doctorate (cum laude) in 1995 from Seton Hall University School of Law where he served as a member of the Seton Hall Constitutional Law Journal. From 1995-1996 he served as law clerk to The Honorable Anthony J. Sciuto, New Jersey Superior Court, County of Bergen.
He practices in a variety of civil litigation areas including professional liability, construction litigation, products liability, premises liability, personal injury, insurance coverage and general litigation. His practice also consists of representing attorneys before various district ethics committees, the New Jersey Office of Attorney Ethics, and the Disciplinary Review Board of the Supreme Court of New Jersey. He has tried multiple cases to conclusion and has argued cases before the Appellate Division. Mr. Adrignolo has been involved at the appellate level including the noteworthy published decisions In re U.S. Healthcare, 159 F.3d 142 (3d Cir. 1998) and Friedman v. I & G Garden State, LLC et als. A-4896-15T1. He is a member of the Morris County Bar Association. He is admitted to practice in New Jersey and New York, the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, the District of Columbia, and the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.
Awards
Listed in Best Lawyers® (2022-2023), a Woodward/White, Inc. business and partners with U.S.News & World Report, in the area of Insurance Law. A description of the standard or methodology on which the accolade is based can be found HERE (No aspect of the advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court).
Judge Robaina served as the president of the board of directors of The Connection Fund, Inc., a nonprofit corporation designed to develop real estate for charitable purposes. During his tenure, The Connection Fund completed the state's first supportive housing project called Liberty Commons, which consists of 40 units of supportive housing in Middletown. That organization also built supportive housing for pregnant women in Groton called Mother's Retreat, a children's space called Kid's City in Middletown and renovated the former YWCA in New Haven to house treatment and rehabilitation facilities.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner in the New York Office, Pra
BRIAN L. BATTISTI is a Partner in the New York Office, practicing in the firm's Litigation and Insurance Services Group. He is admitted to the bar of the State of New York and the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
C. IAN McLACHLAN received his undergraduate degree from Georgetown University in Finance and graduated from the Fordham University School of Law on the Dean's List. He served in the United States Marine Corps Reserve attending the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California. He is a member of the New York and the Connecticut Bars.
Upon completion of his military duty, Justice McLachlan practiced law in both Fairfield and Hartford Counties until his appointment to the Superior Court in 1996.
CHARLES J. BENJAMIN, JR. is a 1977 cum laude graduate of The Pennsylvania State University, where he was captain of the football team and earned first-team Academic All-American honors. He is a 1981 graduate of Boston College Law School.
Mr. Benjamin has an extensive background in the prosecution and defense of state and federal court litigated matters, including, but not limited to, asbestos litigation, pension litigation, employment litigation and construction litigation.
He also has an active appellate practice, including handling appeals to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit; the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania; the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division; and the Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division.
Mr. Benjamin is admitted to the state bars of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. In addition, he is admitted to appear before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.
In addition to corporate clients, Mr. Benjamin has represented professional athletes.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner in the Firm
DAVID M. ALBERTS is a Partner in the Firm and a member of the Labor and Employment Group. He has extensive experience in both employment and traditional labor matters. He has represented employers in state and federal courts, as well as before the New Jersey Public Employment Relations Commission, New Jersey Department of Labor, New Jersey Department of Public Employees Occupational Safety and Health, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and New Jersey Office of Administrative Law.
On the employment side, Mr. Alberts has litigated cases and counseled clients regarding the Family Medical Leave Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, New Jersey Law Against Discrimination, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, Age Discrimination in Employment Act, New Jersey Employer-Employee Relations Act, Older Worker Benefits Protection Act, and United States Employment and Reemployment Rights Act. Mr. Alberts has also litigated cases involving the New Jersey Open Public Records Act and Open Public Meetings Act. On the labor side, Mr. Alberts has represented management in collective negotiations, interest arbitration proceedings, unfair labor practice proceedings, scope of negotiations proceedings, election proceedings, representation proceedings, disciplinary proceedings, detenuring proceedings, and grievance arbitrations.
Mr. Alberts graduated cum laude from Seton Hall University School of Law in 2009, and from the College of New Jersey 2004. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Alberts clerked for the Honorable Clarkson Fisher in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division.
Awards
Listed in Super Lawyers® Rising Stars (2019 and 2021-2022), a Thomson Reuters business, in the area of Employment & Labor. A description of the standard or methodology on which the accolade is based can be found HERE (No aspect of the advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court).
Named to the New Jersey Law Journal's 2021 "New Leaders of the Bar" List.
McElroy Deutsch today announced that David M. Alberts and Jennifer M. Jones have been named to the New Jersey Law Journal's ("NJLJ") 2021 New Leaders of the Bar list. A link to the article can be found here. For this recognition, the NJLJ considers attorneys yet to reach the age of 40 who have brought both notable achievements and outstanding potential to the table. NJLJ awards honor those who have left an indelible mark on the legal community in New Jersey and beyond through their unwavering dedication to the profession.
DENNIS M. CAVANAUGH served as a Judge of the United States District Court, District of New Jersey since 2000 and as a United States Magistrate Judge from January of 1993 to 2000. Judge Cavanaugh has had the opportunity to manage thousands of cases and conferences, assist in settlement and preside over trials of every type of civil and criminal matter that arises before the Federal Court.
Judge Cavanaugh began his career as a law clerk for Judge Francis Hayden of the New Jersey Superior Court before spending three years as an Assistant Deputy Public Defender in the New Jersey Public Advocate's Office from 1973 to 1977. In 1977, he entered private practice until his appointment as a Federal Magistrate Judge in 1993. Prior to his appointment, he was a Certified Civil Trial Attorney. His entire legal career consisted of the management and eventual trial, if necessary, of civil and to a lesser extent criminal matters. He was appointed U.S. District Judge by President Clinton in September 2000, where he served until he retired in January 2014. During his tenure on the bench, he authored numerous published and non-published opinions pertaining to patent litigation and other matters involving intellectual property, securities law, bankruptcy appeals, the law against discrimination, regulatory matters and environmental disputes.
Judge Cavanaugh was also an adjunct faculty member at Seton Hall School of Law for twenty years, teaching Advanced Civil Trial Practice, The Trial of a Civil Case and Negotiations. He also volunteered his time as a guest lecturer and panelist on numerous occasions on various topics including federal practice, trial and settlement techniques, class actions, civility and ethics in the law and nationally on the proper utilization of Magistrate Judges within our District Courts.
As co-chair of McElroy Deutsch's Mediation and ADR Practice Group, Judge Cavanaugh capitalizes on his vast legal experience in personal injury litigation, commercial litigation, environmental law, the law against discrimination, intellectual property, ERISA issues, and collective bargaining disputes, to serve the legal community as an experienced Mediator, skilled Arbitrator, and Discovery Master. Judge Cavanaugh is also available to confer and strategize on matters pending before the State and Federal Courts.
Awards
Recipient of 2014 William J. Brennan, Jr., Award from the Association of the Federal Bar of New Jersey.
Seton Hall Law School Alumni Association recognized Judge Cavanaugh as its 2001 Distinguished Graduate and he was inducted into the Morehead State University Hall of Fame in 2002.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder Jim Mulvaney
On July 9, 2018, Co-Founding Partner Jim Mulvaney passed away. Jim was broadly recognized as a strong and effective advocate for his clients, and as a leading authority and mentor in his field. He leaves a legacy of great significance for our Firm, and many fond memories for everyone whose lives he touched.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Founder and Managing Partner of Mc
EDWARD B. DEUTSCH is the Founder and Managing Partner of McElroy Deutsch, a firm of more than 275 lawyers with offices in 9 states. He is a Civil Trial Attorney, Certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey. He has been a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers since 1992, a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, and a Fellow of the International Society of Barristers. In addition, Mr. Deutsch has been listed in Best Lawyers® (2005-2023), a Woodward/White, Inc. business and partners with U.S. News & World Report, in the areas of Bet-the-Company Litigation and Commercial Litigation. A description of the standard or methodology on which the accolade is based can be found HERE. He has also been listed in Super Lawyers®, a Thomson Reuters business, in the areas of General Litigation, Professional Liability: Defense and Mergers & Acquisitions since its inception in New Jersey in 2005 through 2020, a description of the standard or methodology on which the accolade is based can be found HERE (No aspect of the advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court), as well as being listed in the Top 100 Lawyers in N.J.
The Seton Hall Law School Alumni Association recognized Mr. Deutsch as its 2002 Distinguished Graduate. Martindale-Hubbell also awarded him its AV Peer Review Rating, its highest level of professional excellence and a Preeminent Lawyer for 2021. In addition, Mr. Deutsch was ranked number 43 on the 2017 NJBIZ Power 100 List of the 100 most powerful people in New Jersey Business. From 2007-2009 he was the Third Circuit Representative on the Standing Committee on Federal Judiciary of the American Bar Association. In addition, Mr. Deutsch was selected by Governor Chris Christie to Chair the Department of Banking and Insurance transition sub-committee, tasked with issue development, recommendations, and state appointments in both banking and insurance industries. He also accepted the nomination of Governor Christie to be one of two public members of the newly-created Red Tape Commission chaired by Lieutenant Governor Kim Guadagno.
In October 2009, Mr. Deutsch was selected as an honoree of the Trial Attorneys of New Jersey and received the Trial Bar Award. This prestigious award recognizes those experienced trial lawyers whose professional careers exemplify the highest standards of trial practice and ethical conduct. In September 2012, Mr. Deutsch was honored with the Thomas D. Sayles, Jr. Humanitarian Award by the American Conference on Diversity. In October 2016, the University of Rhode Island presented Mr. Deutsch with the Athletics Award at their Eleventh Annual Distinguished Achievement Awards Gala. The event honored alumni and friends of URI who have brought distinction to themselves and the University through their professional achievements, outstanding leadership and community service. In November 2017, the New Jersey Commission on Professionalism in the Law presented Mr. Deutsch with the prestigious Daniel J. O'Hern Award for his significant career achievements and service to the bar.
Mr. Deutsch previously served as Founder & Chairman of the Board of Directors of Somerset Hills Bank which merged in 2013 with Lakeland Bank. He served on the Board of Directors of Lakeland Bank until 2018, which Forbes Magazine named as one America's 50 Most Trustworthy Companies in 2014. He is married to Nancy (formerly Cooney). They live in Bernardsville, New Jersey and are active in numerous charitable endeavors.
ELIOTT BERMAN received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics, magna cum laude, from Yeshiva University in 1987 and his Juris Doctorate from Columbia Law School in 1991. While in law school, he was an annual Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar and served on the Journal of Law and Social Problems. Mr. Berman was admitted to the bar of the State of New York in 1992 and the United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York in 1996. He is also admitted to the Supreme Court of the United States and to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second, Third, and Sixth Circuits. Mr. Berman practices in the area of commercial litigation.
Before joining the Firm, Mr. Berman began his legal career and practiced commercial litigation for many years at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP in New York, following which he went to work in-house at IDT Corporation in Newark where from 2006 until joining the Firm in June 2009, he served as IDT Corporation's Chief Litigation Counsel.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Managing Partner of the Wilmington
- Managing Partner, Delaware Office / 302 - 300 - 4508
- Member of the Delaware
GARY D. BRESSLER is a Co-Chair in the Firm's Bankruptcy Practice. Mr. Bressler graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1978, where he was on the Dean's List multiple times, and named to the Phi Sigma Alpha Honor's Society. He thereafter graduated from Villanova Law School in 1981, where he served on the Law Review, and was named to the Order of the Coif. After receiving his law degree, Gary served as a law clerk to Judge Jacob Kalish of the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia before going into private practice.
Mr. Bressler is the Managing Partner of the Wilmington, Delaware Office. In addition, he currently splits his time between the Firm's Philadelphia and Wilmington offices. His areas of practice include business bankruptcy and insolvency. He has represented, among others, Secured Creditors, Equity Security Holders' Committees, Creditors' Committees, Chapter 7 and Chapter 11 Debtors, chapter 7 Trustees, surety bond companies, and buyers of assets out of bankruptcy.
Mr. Bressler is a member of the Delaware, New York, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and American Bar Associations, the New Jersey State Bar Association, the Eastern District of Pennsylvania Bankruptcy Conference and the American Bankruptcy Institute. He is also a member of the Turnaround Management Association, and the Delaware Inn of Court. Mr. Bressler currently serves on the Steering Committee and the Sponsorship Committee for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania Bankruptcy Conference and has served on various committees in the past including the Local Rules Committee and as Co-Chair of the Education Committee. He is the former Chair of the Pro Bono Committee and currently serves on this Committee, and the Past Chair of the Conference. He also served as the Secretary to the Committee for the Enhancement of the Bankruptcy Process. Mr. Bressler has lectured extensively, including sitting on an American Bar Association Bankruptcy Panel, held in conjunction with the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges, and on multiple panels at the Eastern District of Pennsylvania Bankruptcy Conference Annual Forums. Mr. Bressler has also been involved in multiple presentations for the Delaware Inn of Court. He has served in numerous leadership positions with the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia and was president of the University Television Alumni Association of the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Bressler has served in various positions with the Philadelphia Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. He is also on the Class of 1978 Board at the University of Pennsylvania and also serves on the Interview Committee for applicants to the University of Pennsylvania.
Mr. Bressler has been named in Chambers USA's America's Leading Lawyers for Business for bankruptcy/restructuring for seventeen years. Martindale-Hubbell has awarded Mr. Bressler its AV Peer Review Rating, its highest level of professional excellence. He has also been listed in Super Lawyers® (2005-2022), a Thomson Reuters business, in the areas of Bankruptcy: Business and Business Litigation. He is ranked among the top five percent of attorneys practicing in the state and has also been selected by Super Lawyers as one of the Top 100 Lawyers in Pennsylvania (2018) and in Philadelphia (2010, 2016, 2018). (A description of the standard or methodology on which the accolade is based can be found HERE (No aspect of the advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court). Mr. Bressler is also listed in Best Lawyers® (2013-2023) a Woodward/White, Inc. business and partners with U.S.News & World Report, in the areas of Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law. (A description of the standard or methodology on which the accolade is based can be found HERE (No aspect of the advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court). In 2021 and 2022, Lawdragon named him one of the top 500 Leading US Bankruptcy and Restructuring lawyers. A description of the standard or methodology on which the accolade is based can be found HERE. (No aspect of the advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court).
Mr. Bressler is admitted to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third & Sixth Circuits, the United States District Court for the Eastern, Western, and Middle Districts of Pennsylvania, the State of New York, the United States District Court for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, the State of Delaware, the United States District Court for the District of Delaware, the State of New Jersey, the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, and the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas.
Awards
In 2021 and 2022, Lawdragon named Mr. Bressler one of the top 500 Leading US Bankruptcy and Restructuring lawyers. A description of the standard or methodology on which the accolade is based can be found HERE. (No aspect of the advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court).
H. GEORGE AVERY graduated from Boston University School of Law. Upon receiving his Juris Doctorate in 1973, he served in a judicial clerkship with Justice Morris Pashman of the Supreme Court of New Jersey as well as assisting Chief Justice Pierre P. Garvin and Chief Justice Richard J. Hughes. Following his clerkship, Mr. Avery practiced in the private sector.
Mr. Avery has practiced in both the private and public legal sectors for more than forty-five years. His public service has included New Jersey Attorney General's Office, the Bergen County Counsel's Office and Clerking before graduation in the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office. His career has included various assignments with the New Jersey Attorney General's Office where he was in charge of litigation in State and Federal Court specialized in areas of defense of catastrophic personal injury, FELA, implementation of ADR programs, complex litigation, medical malpractice, legal malpractice, defense of transportation and railroad systems, personal defense of high government officials, insurance coverage, products liability, employment law, tort claims, defense of public entities, construction litigation, issues of indemnification and contribution, election law, environmental, contracts, Section 1983 litigation, drafting Legislation, Workers Compensation, coordination of Risk Management for the State of New Jersey and appellate matters in State and Federal Court. Mr. Avery further represented all branches of government including the chief executive, cabinet officers, the Judiciary and the New Jersey State Police. Before joining the Attorney General of New Jersey, Mr. Avery served as Bergen County Counsel where he represented the Board of County Freeholders, the Bergen County Sheriff's Department and all Agencies and Departments of County government.
While serving as the Senior Deputy Attorney General, he devised new litigation defenses with physicians and liability experts, including the first known computer-generated to-scale accident re-creation with Princeton University. During this period of time, Mr. Avery tried the largest personal injury and tort claims matter ever tried to that point in the State of New Jersey before a jury in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Essex County. Mr. Avery further tried a non-jury nine month catastrophic railroad incident in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Mercer County.
Currently, Mr. Avery practices in the areas of trial practice, personal injury, claims against public entities, appellate practice, contracts, commercial, construction, insurance defense, insurance coverage, insurance fraud, product liability, business law, professional malpractice, medical malpractice, employment, premises liability, toxic tort, public interest, administrative proceedings, transportation issues, local government law, election law, public affairs, legislative affairs, administrative proceedings, business law, civil rights, public and private defamation, media, premises liability and complex civil litigation in both Federal and State Courts. Due to his breath of experience, Mr. Avery has continued to practice in the numerous areas enumerated above while in the public sector. He has further participated extensively in public interest and public affairs in numerous and wide-ranging matters involving many governmental and legislative bodies.
During his career, Mr. Avery has tried hundreds of jury trials to conclusion. In 2003 and 2004, Mr. Avery tried the largest construction defect case ever tried in the State of New Jersey involving a pier built by the Ford Motor Company in 1929 and upon which Hartz Mountain, the developer, constructed numerous condominiums 1500 feet into the Hudson River. Plaintiffs demanded hundreds of millions of dollars to resolve this matter. After a seven month trial, Mr. Avery "no caused" on behalf of his client. In 2016, Mr. Avery successfully tried a five month trial in the Superior Court of New Jersey involving issues of fraud, construction, engineering, contract and public contracting.
Mr. Avery was admitted to the Bars in New Jersey in 1974, the United States Supreme Court and United States Third Circuit Court of Appeals in 1982. He was also admitted to the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey and the United States Tax Court. Mr. Avery is a member of the American Bar Association, the New Jersey State Bar Association, the Federal Bar of New Jersey, the Supreme Historical Society and numerous County Bar and Trial Associations. In addition, Mr. Avery has served as a lecturer with the Institute for Continued Legal Education.
Awards
Listed in Super Lawyers® (2008-2009), a Thomson Reuters business, in the area of Civil Litigation: Defense. A description of the standard or methodology on which the accolade is based can be found HERE (No aspect of the advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court).
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Managing Partner for the Firm 's New England
JAMES A. BUDINETZ is the Managing Partner for the Firm's New England offices, and is based in Connecticut. He is a trial attorney who has served as Chair of the Connecticut Bar Association Litigation Section. Mr. Budinetz is listed in Super Lawyers® (2011-2021), a Thompson Reuters business, in the areas of Business Litigation and General Litigation. He has made two appearances on the Super Lawyers® Top 50 Lawyers in Connecticut list, and one on the Top 100 Lawyers in New England list. Jim has also been recognized in "Best Lawyers," a peer publication, each year from 2016 to 2022. He was named a Connecticut "Litigation Star" for complex business disputes by Benchmark Litigation's Definitive Guide to America's Leading Litigation Firms & Attorneys (2010). He is a James W. Cooper Fellow of the Connecticut Bar Foundation, which is by invitation only. He graduated summa cum laude from American University Law School, and received a degree from Georgetown University with a concentration in finance.
Job Titles:
- Fellow of the Connecticut Bar Foundation
ANTONIO C. ROBAINA was appointed to the Superior Court in 1998 and retired after 20 years on the bench. At the time of his retirement, he had served as the presiding judge for civil matters in the Hartford Judicial District. During his tenure, he served in judicial districts throughout the state as a trial judge in civil, criminal, family, and juvenile cases. He served as an administrative or presiding judge for the majority of his career and served as the presiding judge in the civil, criminal and family courts.
Upon his retirement, he joined McElroy Deutsch and has since acted as a mediator and arbitrator in over four hundred (400) matters in cases involving most types of civil litigation. In his legal and judicial career he has served as the co-chairperson of a bench/bar committee with respect to medical malpractice cases. He has mentored law school students through the Connecticut Hispanic Bar Association Mentoring Program and also served as a mentor to other judges through the Judicial Branch mentoring program. He was a member of the Rules Committee of the Judges of the Superior Court.
He is a James Cooper Fellow of the Connecticut Bar Foundation. He was the chairman of the Diversity Award Committee for the Lawyer's Collaborative for Diversity. He is the recipient of the Judge Robert Zampano Excellence in Mediation Award given by Community Mediation, Inc. In 2016 he received the Henry J. Naruk Judiciary Award from the Connecticut Bar Association. He is also the recipient of both the Connecticut Trial Lawyers Judiciary Award (2009) and the Connecticut Defense Lawyer's Association President's Award of Excellence (2018).
From 1979 to 1998, Judge Robaina practiced law in New Haven, Connecticut. His general practice included plaintiff's personal injury, insurance defense, criminal defense, immigration law and family matters. He was a member of many organizations, including the New Haven County Bar Association, the Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association, the American Immigration Lawyers Association, the National Hispanic Bar Association, and the Connecticut Bar Association. He was one of the founders and a member of the Board of Directors of the Connecticut Hispanic Bar Association, which has honored him with an Achievement Award.
Awards
Best Officiator Award, Connecticut Law Tribune's Legal Awards, 2021
Connecticut Defense Lawyer's Association's President's Award of Excellence, 2018
Henry J. Naruk Judiciary Award, Connecticut Bar Association, 2016
Connecticut Hispanic Bar Association's Achievement Award
Judge Robert Zampano Excellence in Mediation Award
Connecticut Trial Lawyers Judicial Award, 2009
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Managing Partner of the Firm 's Newark
- Member of the Essex County Bar Association
JANE A. RIGBY is the Managing Partner of the Firm's Newark Office. She is also Co-Chair of the Labor & Employment Section. Ms. Rigby is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and is on the New Jersey State Committee of the ACTL. She has been designated a Certified Civil Trial Attorney by the New Jersey Supreme Court Board on Trial Certification. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree, magna cum laude, from Boston College in 1981 and her Juris Doctorate from Seton Hall University in 1984. She is admitted to practice in the State of New Jersey. Ms. Rigby is a trial attorney. Her primary areas of practice include Employment Law and Litigation on behalf of employers, Workplace Investigations, and Automotive Litigation (breach of warranty, Lemon Law and products liability). She also represents clients in general litigation matters.
Ms. Rigby has successfully tried numerous civil jury cases to verdict. She has extensive case management experience in controlling complex litigation and discovery, as well as in conducting settlement negotiations. In addition to handling litigation, Ms. Rigby represents clients before court mandated arbitration programs and private mediations, leading to cost-effective dispute resolution.
Ms. Rigby is a member of the Essex County Bar Association, the New Jersey State Bar Association and its Litigation Section, the American Bar Association and its Labor and Employment Section, and the Trial Attorneys of New Jersey.
Awards
Jane A. Rigby was selected as the 2021 recipient of the Essex County Bar Association's Civil Practice Award.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Member of the New Jersey State Bar Association
Mr. Bernstein is a member of the New Jersey State Bar Association and its Creditor Debtor Section as well as its Diversity Committee, the New York State Bar Association and its Diversity and Inclusion Committee, the American Bar Association, Business Law Committee and the American Bankruptcy Institute. He is also Assistant Executive Director of the Bankruptcy American Inn of Court in New Jersey. Mr. Bernstein has previously served as Chair of the District VA (Essex County - Newark) Fee Arbitration Committee and has previously served on the District VA (Essex County - Newark) Ethics Committee as a committee investigator and prosecutor. In 2020, he was appointed Secretary of the Bankruptcy Law Section of the New Jersey State Bar Association.
Mr. Bernstein has been named in Chambers USA's America's Leading Lawyers for Business for bankruptcy/restructuring (2021-2022).
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Associate in the Firm 's Commercial
Ms. Belardo is a graduate of Davidson College where she received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in both Political Science and Russian Studies. She earned her Juris Doctor from Boston College Law in 2020. As a first year law student, Ms. Belardo served as a judicial extern for the Honorable Joseph A. Dickson, U.S.M.J., at the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. Additionally, she was a representative for the Women's Law Center at Boston College Law.
Prior to joining the Firm, Ms. Belardo served as the law clerk to the Honorable Thomas C. Miller, A.J.S.C., in Vicinage 13 of the Superior Court of New Jersey. She is admitted to practice law in the State of New Jersey.
Justice McLachlan has been active in Bar organizations, including the Connecticut Bar Association, the American Bar Association and the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. He authored numerous articles dealing with dissolution of marriage and taxation and other topics. As a judge, he served on commissions and task forces, including the Governor's Commission on Children, Custody & Divorce, the Chief Justice's Task Force on Pro Se Litigants and the Judicial Task Force on Pro Se's in Connecticut. He has been on the adjunct faculty of the University of Connecticut Law School and Trinity College. He represented the Judicial Branch on the Health Care Cost Containment Committee from 1998 to 2009 and served on the Rules Committee of the Superior Court from 2007 to 2009 and acted as its temporary chair in 2010. He has served as a member of the Connecticut Bar Examining Committee and the Legislature's Commission on Pension Stability. Justice McLachlan is a life fellow of the Connecticut Bar Foundation and has been an active member of the American Bar Association, Connecticut Bar Association, the American Bar Foundation and the Hartford County Bar Association. He presently serves on the Board of Managers of the Connecticut Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. He was elected a member of the American Law Institute. Justice McLachlan served in all divisions of the Superior Court including presiding over the Complex Civil Litigation Docket where he was involved in products liability claims, insurance coverage claims, condemnations and tax appeals and other civil cases. He was appointed to the Appellate Court in 2003 and in February 2009 was appointed to the Supreme Court. He retired in 2012.
In 2016, Justice McLachlan was inducted into the Connecticut Chapter of the National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals. Membership is by invitation only, limited to mediators and arbitrators who are well established as trusted neutrals. Academy members must meet stringent practice criteria and are amongst the most in-demand ADR practitioners in their respective state, as voted by both local peers and litigation firms.
Since joining McElroy Deutsch, Judge McLachlan has served clients and other attorneys as a mediator and arbitrator, and has assisted counsel in the appellate process, including preparing oral arguments. He is available to assist in discovery disputes and internal investigations, as well as in alternative dispute resolution.
Awards
Listed in Best Lawyers® (1995-1996, 2017-2023) a Woodward/White, Inc. business and partners with U.S. News & World Report, in the area of Appellate Practice. A description of the standard or methodology on which the accolade is based can be found HERE.
Job Titles:
- General Counsel / 973 - 425 - 8727
Job Titles:
- Managing Partner, Philadelphia Office / 215 - 557 - 2900
Job Titles:
- Construction Law Firms™ by Construction Executive
McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter, LLP, or "McElroy Deutsch," was founded by Edward B. Deutsch and James M. Mulvaney in 1983. A short time later, William T. McElroy joined the firm as a named partner, following his distinguished career as a trial and appellate Judge of the Superior Court of New Jersey.
McElroy Deutsch today announced that four of its attorneys have been selected to the 2021 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers and Rising Stars lists (A description of the standard or methodology on which the accolade is based can be found HERE). No more than five percent of the lawyers in Pennsylvania are selected by Super Lawyers. Super Lawyers, part of Thomson Reuters, is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The annual selections are made using a patented multiphase process that in
Job Titles:
- Managing Partner, New York Office / 973 - 425 - 8151