He has served as General Counsel for the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority; Chairman of the New Jersey State Commission of Investigation (SCI); Chief of the Appeals Division of the Office of the Essex County Prosecutor; and Vice Chair of both the State's Disciplinary Review Board (attorney ethics) and the Judicial Review Board. The State Department has designated him as a member of United States delegations to various United Nations Conferences in Geneva and Paris.
James R. Zazzali
Awarded Practice Areas
Bet-the-Company Litigation Commercial Litigation Labor Law - Union Mediation
Awarded Practice Areas
Bet-the-Company Litigation Commercial Litigation Labor Law - Union Mediation
Works at
FBT Gibbons LLP
280 Best Lawyers awards
Biography
Mr. Zazzali has served as New Jersey's Attorney General and as an Associate Justice and Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court. Since returning to private practice, he has been appointed by the state and federal governments, federal and state courts, and litigants as a monitor, receiver, independent counsel, independent investigator, discovery master, and bankruptcy trustee for various institutions and organizations in both the private and public sectors. Mr. Zazzali advises clients on such matters as governance, institutional ethics, internal investigations, and appeals. He also has conducted numerous mediations and arbitrations.
Works at
FBT Gibbons LLP
280 Best Lawyers awards
Locations
Education
- Georgetown University, J.D., graduated 1963
- Georgetown University, BS
Bar Admissions
Client Testimonials
Awards & Focus

Named "Lawyer of the Year" by Best Lawyers® for:
- Labor Law - Union, Woodbridge (2025)
- Bet-the-Company Litigation, Newark (2016)
Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® 2026 for work in:
- Bet-the-Company Litigation
- Commercial Litigation
- Labor Law - Union
- Mediation
Special Focus:
- Labor
Awards:
- AV® Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
- The Dean Paul Award from Georgetown University Law Center, 2000
- The John Carroll Award from Georgetown University, 2004
- Recipient, William J. Brennan, Jr. Award, Association of the Federal Bar of New Jersey, 2008
- New Jersey State Bar Foundation's Medal of Honor Award, 2010
- The Roger N. Baldwin Award from The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Jersey, 2013
- The Sidney H. Lehman Award from the New Jersey State Bar Association (NJSBA), 2014
- Recipient, New Jersey Law Journal Lifetime Achievement Award, 2015
News & Media
Publications
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