Find Lawyers in New Jersey, United States for Commercial Litigation
Practice Area Overview
Litigation increasingly occurs in various venues, from state and federal courts to private arbitrations and administrative hearings. Proceedings can involve business-to-business disputes or any number of government agencies. Understanding the motivations and outlook of each of the litigation participants is important for determining weak points to exploit and strong points that will persuade the audience in question. During the past decade, commercial litigators have seen a dramatic uptick in multidistrict and inter-disciplinary litigation, making the stakes higher, the cases more complex, the parties more numerous and the discovery more complicated and unwieldy. Firms that are able to develop and implement a creative legal approach to each individual problem, efficiently focus on the key legal and factual issues, and master and manage the various aspects of these complex matters will be the busiest in the years to come.
In the current challenging economic climate, commercial litigators are under increasing client pressure to keep costs in check, which has both sides testing the efficacy of alternative fee arrangements and the scope of reasonable discovery. Whether the “death of the billable hour” is ultimately realized, the keys to a commercial litigator’s success will continue to be strong client relationships, thought leadership, practical management skills, deep experience, and personal commitment.
Corporate Law & Commercial Litigation Legal Guide 2023
View Legal GuideSelect a city from the list below to find the best legal talent for your needs.
Cities
Brian R. Ade handles complex civil and commercial disputes. Brian dedicates a substantial portion of his legal practice to cases involving construction defects, product liability, toxic tort and long-tail litigation, environmental contamination, professional liability, and insurance coverage. He has defended companies and individuals in connection with claims relating to hazardous chemicals and chemical waste, PCBs, dioxin, lead, silica, and asbestos. Brian’s clients also include manufa...
Mr. Alworth is Chair of the firm’s Commercial & Criminal Litigation Group and was twice selected, in 2022 and 2018, the Best Lawyers ® “Lawyer of the Year” in his practice area for the Newark region. He regularly appears as trial counsel before state and federal courts, as well as the American Arbitration Association. Over the past decade, with a unique niche in crisis management and risk avoidance, Mr. Alworth has counseled clients in some of the most complex transa...
Jan L. Bernstein chairs the firm’s New Jersey Matrimonial and Family Law Practice at Phillips Nizer LLP. She has dedicated her entire career - over four decades - to the successful representation of family law clients and the development of strong client relationships. Jan is renowned for finding creative solutions to complex and novel family law disputes and applies her talents in her roles as mediator and arbitrator. Jan enjoys representing a wide range of clients, national and intern...
Jonathan Bondy’s practice is concentrated in the field of commercial litigation, with a focus on construction, surety and contract issues in New York and New Jersey. As a member of the firm, Jon represents and advises sureties with respect to performance and payment bond claims, the defense of prevailing wage claims, affirmative surety claims, loss recovery, bankruptcy issues and contractor workouts. He represents developers, contractors and building material suppliers in litigation mat...
Joseph L. Buckley is a member of the Firm’s Management Committee and Chair of the Litigation Department. He has over 35 years of first chair trial experience in a wide variety of complex cases in federal and state courts in New Jersey and New York. He is certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Civil Trial Attorney.
Jeffrey Chiesa rejoined the firm in November 2013 following his service as United States Senator for New Jersey. Mr. Chiesa, an experienced litigator with an impressive background in both the public and private sectors, practices in the firm's Litigation, Corporate Internal Investigations and Monitoring, and White Collar Criminal Defense Groups. In June 2013, Governor Chris Christie appointed Mr. Chiesa to serve in the United States Senate following the death of Senator Frank Lautenberg. Duri...
Howard D. Cohen Esq. 10 Bryant Court Somerset, New Jersey 08873 908-809-8741 Fax 732-412-7547 Website: www.howardcohenlaw.com Email: hdcohen@howardcohenlaw.com Distinguished Counsel | Proven Results Mr. Cohen has been practicing law for over 50 years and a Certified Civil Trial Attorney by the Supreme Court of New Jersey for over 30 years (1985-2016). A highly experienced and widely respected trial lawyer, Mr. Cohen focuses his practice on diverse complex litigation in the State and Federal C...
David L. Cook is a Member of the Sills Cummis & Gross Litigation Practice Group. He primarily represents corporations and banks in litigation involving complex commercial disputes in state and federal courts throughout the United States. His extensive background involves a broad range of experience including representing Fortune 500 companies in antitrust class actions, major international banks and corporations in U.S. sanctions and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act investigations, media com...
Danielle Corcione is an experienced trial lawyer and counselor who has represented individual, government, and corporate clients in some of their most sensitive and high stakes matters. Her practice focuses on white collar criminal defense, internal investigations, and complex civil litigation. Danielle served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey for five years, where she was a member of the Health Care &...
Adam Derman is a skilled litigator who routinely serves as lead counsel in trials, injunction proceedings, arbitrations and appeals. A trusted advisor, Adam also provides strategic counsel to his clients in order to efficiently resolve complex, and often sensitive, business disputes. Commercial Litigation Practice Adam’s litigation practice focuses on contract and commercial disputes; trade secret and restrictive covenant litigation; enforcing and protecting shareholder rights; real est...
Trent S. Dickey is resident in the Firm’s Newark and New York offices. He has more than 40 years of experience representing major domestic and foreign corporations in all aspects of complex commercial, intellectual property and management-side employment litigation. His clientele span a broad spectrum of industries in both the public and private sectors. Mr. Dickey has successfully litigated hundreds of cases, both jury and bench trials, in federal and state courts throughout the nation...
Mark E. Duckstein has been affiliated with the Firm since 1987, during which time he has engaged in a wide variety of litigation matters pending in state and federal courts. Mr. Duckstein concentrates his practice on the representation of corporations and other business enterprises in complex litigation involving real estate, including complex commercial landlord-tenant issues, commercial torts and contract disputes. He has extensive experience representing commercial and retail landlords, in...
Mr. Dunican is a nationally recognized law firm leader who was elected Managing Director of Gibbons in 2004, at the age of 36, and was highlighted by Law360 during his tenure as one of the nation’s most innovative managing partners. He was named the firm’s Executive Chairperson in 2022. Mr. Dunican led the firm’s growth into a major Mid-Atlantic regional powerhouse. He accomplished this by establishing a corporate management model and implementing innovations to advance Gibb...
Richard H. Epstein is Deputy Managing Partner of Sills Cummis & Gross and Co-Chair of the Firm’s Litigation Department, which received the Benchmark Litigation award for “New Jersey Firm of the Year” for five consecutive years (2017-2021), and was named the New Jersey Law Journal “2020 General Litigation Department of the Year, Midsize,” “2019 General Litigation Department of the Year, Midsize” and “2016 General Litigation Department of the ...
Mr. Estis concentrates his practices on complex commercial litigation, with a particular focus on construction law, condominium and community association law, public entity law and alternative dispute resolution. His practice also encompasses real estate and business disputes and general equity matters. He serves as counsel to numerous developers, condominiums and cooperatives, New Jersey municipalities, and one of the major sewerage authorities in the state. He has served as an arbitrator an...
Charles J. Falletta is a Member of the Firm’s Litigation Practice Group with over 20 years of experience in defending complex commercial and class action litigations, as well as product liability and mass tort litigations for a variety of regulated products including pharmaceuticals, medical devices, consumer products and foods. Mr. Falletta also has extensive experience managing e-discovery to execute efficient, case-specific e-discovery solutions.
Arthur Goldstein practices in the areas of banking, commercial and estate litigation, and white collar criminal law. In addition to serving as special counsel for complex litigation for Somerset County, Arthur serves as court-appointed counsel and represents private clients in connection with substantial estate, probate and guardianship matters, as well as complex commercial litigation. Arthur regularly represents professionals and professional organizations in a wide range of matters, includ...
Mr. Goodman focuses his practice in commercial litigation, with a particular concentration in real estate and real estate brokerage issues. His experience also encompasses municipal law, antitrust suits, and corporate shareholder and partnership disputes. Throughout his career, a number of Mr. Goodman’s cases have resulted in published opinions that set precedents in New Jersey. Mr. Goodman is approved by the State of New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance Real Estate Commission...
Charles Gormally offers a proficiency in counseling clients with complex business matters, challenges to governmental regulation, contract disputes, and tort actions. Designated a Certified Civil Trial Attorney by the New Jersey Supreme Court, a distinction reserved for less than 2% of attorneys, Charles has successfully tried jury and bench trial cases in the Federal and state courts, as well as arbitration matters. Charles is a State of New Jersey certified mediator and formerly an elected ...
Hervé Gouraige is a Member of the Sills Cummis & Gross Litigation Practice Group. Mr. Gouraige is a civil and criminal litigator/trial lawyer who practices in the areas of white collar and regulatory defense, securities litigation, federal and state RICO actions, health care fraud litigation (False Claims Act and kickback cases), internal corporate investigations, general commercial litigation, including class actions, and antitrust litigation. He has represented corporate and indi...
Mr. Grand concentrates his practice in all phases of complex commercial litigation, including trials. He has litigated a broad range of commercial disputes. His experience encompasses legal malpractice defense, suits alleging the theft of trade secrets and violations of non-competition clauses, eminent domain proceedings, and cases involving environmental contamination and the breach of real estate and other contracts. Mr. Grand has successfully litigated cases in the Chancery and Law Divisio...
Jeffrey J. Greenbaum, Chair of the Firm’s Class Action Practice Group, is an active litigator and trial attorney in the Federal and State Courts with a specialty in complex business litigation and in defending class action litigation. He has handled cases of national prominence, chaired the ABA Section of Litigation Class Actions and Derivative Suits Committee and is a frequent lecturer in the class action field. He has handled numerous matters involving securities, RICO and consumer fr...
Michael R. Griffinger - a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, and the American Bar Foundation - has been an active litigator for over 45 years. His practice is focused primarily on sophisticated corporate and commercial disputes, securities litigation, and antitrust matters. He represents major United States and foreign corporations from numerous industries, including manufacturing, railroad, automobile, food, financial, telecommunicati...
Keith R. Hemming is Chair of the Sills Cummis Construction and Energy Law Practice. He practices in the area of commercial law, with an emphasis on representing owners, contractors, renewable energy firms, designers and manufacturers of building products. Mr. Hemming regularly advises clients on complex commercial transactions and litigates claims in various federal and state courts, as well as arbitration tribunals involving all aspects of the design, procurement and construction of infrastr...
James M. Hirschhorn focuses on appellate litigation, federal and state civil RICO actions, and representing regulated industries in connection with administrative and regulatory matters. On behalf of clients in the health care industry, Mr. Hirschhorn conducts administrative and appellate litigation before regulatory agencies and in the courts. Mr. Hirschhorn is a former Director of the Division of Rate Counsel, New Jersey Department of the Public Advocate, a former Attorney-Advisor in the Of...
Josh Howley, who is part of the Firm’s Litigation Practice Group and a member of the Firm’s Management Committee, regularly practices in state and federal courts, including bankruptcy courts, primarily in New York and New Jersey. One of his specialties is representing traditional lenders, hedge funds, servicers and receivers in asset recovery litigation. Mr. Howley is also frequently hired when mortgage loans go into default and the borrower asserts defenses. In a unanimous opinio...
Mr. Jackson’s healthcare practice emphasizes litigated matters in judicial and administrative forums, including professional liability claims, licensure and credentialing issues with administrative agencies and health care entities, reimbursement and insurance fraud disputes. He is Certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Civil Trial Attorney and has extensive experience in trying jury cases to a verdict. In addition to trying numerous individual medical liability cases for a v...
Ms. Janukowicz handles a wide range of criminal and complex business matters in both state and federal courts throughout New Jersey and New York. Her commercial litigation practice focuses primarily on briefing and arguing discovery and dispositive motions in connection with securities and common law fraud, class action defense, and construction matters. In her criminal practice, she has prepared legal briefs in both trial and appellate contexts, arguing intricate matters of criminal procedur...
Roger B. Kaplan focuses his practice on complex corporate and commercial litigation and arbitrations. His experience includes contract disputes and litigation, business torts, trade secret litigation, antitrust litigation and counseling, derivative actions, shareholder and partnership disputes and Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) litigation.
Edward T. Kole chairs the Business and Commercial Litigation team at Wilentz, Goldman & Spitzer, P.A. Mr. Kole handles complex corporate and commercial disputes on behalf of public and private companies in New Jersey and across the nation. Mr. Kole has represented large and medium sized businesses and corporations at every level of state and federal courts, involving a myriad of legal issues including complex contract disputes, restrictive covenant and trade secret litigation, securities ...
Arnold Lakind, a founding shareholder of Szaferman Lakind, represents the firm’s clients in commercial, environmental and land use litigation. He has over thirty reported judicial decisions and has argued several landmark cases before the Supreme Court of New Jersey. Arnold was instrumental in obtaining damages in one of the largest toxic tort cases on behalf of several hundred residents of Jackson Township. Ayers v. Jackson Tp. remains the Supreme Court’s seminal case on the type...
Mr. La Rocco is a partner in the Newark, New Jersey office of K&L Gates, responsible for complex litigation with a special emphasis on product liability and construction litigation as well as the exclusive representation of corporate and individual policyholders. He has been retained as an expert witness/consultant in insurance matters and is a frequent speaker on insurance law topics. Mr. La Rocco also regularly litigates complex commercial disputes involving religious institutions. He i...
Joseph V. Leone is a partner at Hoagland, Longo, Moran, Dunst & Doukas, LLP. He focuses his practice on all aspects of civil law concentrating on matters involving general liability, premises liability, property and casualty, construction defects, trucking/transportation and professional liability. He has been lead counsel responsible for litigating complex and substantial cases successfully throughout the State, in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, the Supe...
James P. Lisovicz is a shareholder of the Firm. Jim has 32 years of civil trial experience and has taken over 75 verdicts in premises liability, construction and construction defect, products liability, and insurance coverage matters. Jim‘s insurance practice is focused on general liability, commercial/auto, workers' compensation and employment. Jim was a founding partner of Coughlin Duffy and was the Practice Group Leader for that firm's Defense Litigation Group for 12 years.
Marie Mathews focuses her practice on complex commercial matters in New York and New Jersey federal and state courts, as well as forums for alternative dispute resolution. Marie has represented pharmaceutical, healthcare, technology, construction and financial companies as well as law firms, among others, in a wide array of matters including antitrust and intellectual property cases, employment litigation, shareholder disputes, restrictive covenant cases, and professional malpractice matters....
Mr. McDonald leads the firm’s Consumer Class Action Defense Team. He represents businesses in a broad range of unfair business practice/consumer class actions and complex commercial disputes. He is recognized for his work in connection with consumer protection and advertising laws, and he uses his experience to achieve cost-effective, efficient results for his clients through the early and strategic use of motions to dispose of cases or by positioning them for favorable settlements. Mr....
Gregory Miller is the partner-in-charge of Rivkin Radler’s New Jersey office. He serves as the Co-Chair of the firm’s Intellectual Property Practice Group and is a former member of the firm’s executive committee. Greg has more than 25 years of experience in civil litigation and corporate counseling, including trial and appellate work involving complex commercial matters, intellectual property and insurance law disputes. His practice includes litigating contractual, business ...
Brian J. Molloy is General Counsel and serves as Chairman of the Board at Wilentz, Goldman & Spitzer, P.A. His professional liability litigation practice includes defending lawyers and law firms, both insured and uninsured, from Am Law 100 law firms to solo practitioners, as well as Judges and a number of different insurers including Attorneys’ Liability Assurance Society (ALAS) against claims of malpractice and ethics violations. His business and commercial litigation practice incl...
Mr. Naar focuses his practice in complex commercial litigation. He represents a broad range of business entities and individuals in federal and state court civil litigation and appeals and before arbitration panels. He regularly serves as New Jersey local counsel for law firms in New York, Washington, DC, Chicago and other domestic and overseas locations. His practice also includes alternative dispute resolution as an advocate, mediator or arbitrator. Mr. Naar’s diverse experience encom...
Robert Nies, a member of the firm’s Bankruptcy and Creditors’ Rights Group, has served the business community for more than 25 years, advising on a wide range of bankruptcy and creditors’ rights issues, complex commercial litigations and mediations. Rob has extensive nationwide experience in the areas of corporate insolvency and reorganization. He also has a niche litigation practice that pursues the fraudulent transfer of assets – particularly through the unlawful use...
Our Methodology
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Our methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.
The Process
Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services. Our belief has always been that the quality of a peer review survey is directly related to the quality of the voters.