Lee Vartan

Lee Vartan is a highly regarded criminal defense and trial attorney who handles high-stakes investigations and litigation in New Jersey and throughout the region. He regularly represents individuals in significant prosecutions brought by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, Attorney Generals’ Offices, and local prosecutors, as well as companies in high-stakes investigations brought by criminal and civil regulators.

Clients choose Lee not only because he has successfully tried more than a dozen criminal jury trials in federal and state courts, but also for his significant experience at all levels of federal and state government. Before becoming a defense attorney, Lee was a federal prosecutor in New Jersey, Counsel to the Governor of New Jersey, and the First Assistant Attorney General in New Jersey, the second-highest ranking position in the Attorney General’s Office, charged with oversight of all criminal and civil investigations and prosecutions, as well as the New Jersey State Police and the Division of Gaming Enforcement. Lee also has close ties with top leaders at the Department of Justice and is regularly called upon to intervene in the most difficult and sensitive cases.

Lee has successfully represented members of Congress, top advisors to the Governor of New Jersey, a former chief of staff to a U.S. Senator, top law enforcement officials, a world-renowned fashion designer, and hedge fund managers, as well as some of the region’s best known and most successful companies. In 2024, he secured the full acquittal after trial of a prominent rabbi in Lakewood, New Jersey who founded a special needs school. In 2025, he secured the full dismissal of an indictment against a prominent New Jersey attorney in what was one of the New Jersey Attorney General’s most notable recent prosecutions.

Because of Lee’s extensive trial experience in both federal and state courts, he also maintains an active civil litigation practice – having served as lead trial counsel for one of the country’s largest utility companies and some of the region’s biggest businesses.

Previously, the State of New Jersey selected Lee to serve as the trustee for Eldorado Resorts, Inc.’s $1.85 billion acquisition of Tropicana Entertainment Inc. in Atlantic City. In that role, Lee monitored the day-to-day operations of Eldorado Resorts in Atlantic City while the State investigated the company for casino licensure.

Lee is also co-chair of the firm’s Cannabis Law Team. While serving in the Attorney General’s Office, Lee was responsible for helping to author the regulations for New Jersey’s Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act (CUMMA) and vetting and approving applicants for licensure. He has used that experience to guide and position cannabis companies from across the country for entry into New Jersey’s burgeoning market.

Lee is a former adjunct professor at Seton Hall University School of Law where he taught a course on federal criminal practice and cybercrimes. He is regularly quoted in Bloomberg, The Associated Press, The Star-Ledger, and The Philadelphia Inquirer, among other publications, on criminal prosecutions and criminal practice.

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