On the Pulse…Our Mount Laurel, New Jersey, Office
Marshall Dennehey’s southern New Jersey office in Mount Laurel was the firm’s first office to be opened opened outside the state of Pennsylvania and has been in operation since 1984. From very small beginnings, the Mount Laurel office has grown almost exponentially to 52 attorneys, 22 paralegals, and an outstanding group of supporting staff led by our office manager, Sheila Stanley, our assistant office manager, Vicki Gureghian, and staff supervisor, Cindy Cramer, along with an extremely capable group of administrative assistants, filing clerks and billing personnel. Serving as the firm’s largest regional office with 131 personnel in total, our office’s development aided in paving the way for the firm’s transition from a Pennsylvania-based law firm to a regional law firm with a presence up and down the east coast.
Just across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, South Jersey has been described as somewhat nondescript, and lacking its own sense of identity. But the area sports some of the best places to live (Moorestown as noted in Money Magazine, Medford as published in National Geographic, and Princeton as listed on Smithsonian.com). The area also includes the country’s oldest seaside resort, Cape May, and the state’s capitol of Trenton. Nevertheless, the ties with neighboring Philadelphia are self evident.
New Jersey’ s population has grown more racially diverse and continues to shift to its southern counties according to U.S. Census Data. The legalization of gambling, the move from rural, agricultural to commercial development, a shift from a reduction in manufacturing jobs to increases in service-related positions, an increase in transportation infrastructure, less expensive land, and greater accessibility to markets have all combined to encourage significant growth in the southern half of the state.
The Mount Laurel office echoes this geographic, economic and social progress, expanding each of the firm’s four practice groups in like fashion with the assistance of some of the firm’s finest and most respected litigators. Our practice departments are ably led by Barbara Davis (Casualty), Lynne Nahmani (Health Care) and Bob Fitzgerald (Workers’ Compensation). I am responsible for our fine Professional Liability attorneys.
In the Professional Liability Department in Mount Laurel, one of the largest in the firm, we regularly defend professionals such as attorneys, accountants, directors and officers, and investment and insurance professionals. We handle a variety of construction-related claims and those involving architects and engineers, real estate agents, title companies, brokers and licensed inspection professionals on a variety of property damage claims. We regularly deal with environmental-based third-party and coverage matters, including those dealing with cases of natural resource damage, leaking underground storage tanks, and groundwater contamination from chemicals, pesticides, gasoline and home heating oil. We defend police officers, police departments, municipal and county officials, governments, political subdivisions, school districts, institutions of higher learning, and the state of New Jersey and its various departments in a variety of constitutional and civil rights cases, employment-based litigation, special education, bullying, harassment, intimidation and sexual abuse claims, and a variety of tort-based matters implicating the immunities afforded under our New Jersey Tort Claims Act. We furnish consulting and litigation services to employers in all areas of employment law, such as the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination, the Conscientious Employee Protection Act (our whistleblowing statute), breach of contract, FLSA, and the New Jersey Wage and Hour Act among others. In our Coverage and Bad Faith Practice Group, which is devoted exclusively to representation of the insurance industry, we often address coverage needs and defend companies in extra-contractual and bad faith matters. From an appellate perspective, we deal with post-trial and appellate advocacy in all areas of defense litigation, with a special emphasis on public entity liability, civil rights, insurance coverage/bad faith and professional liability.
In our Casualty Department, we handle motor vehicle negligence, premises liability, product liability, negligent security and liquor liability matters, among a multitude of others. Our Amusements, Sports and Recreation Litigation Practice Group defends theme parks, water parks, roller skating rinks, golf courses, ski resorts, bowling centers, concert venues, and sports stadiums and arenas. Our Fraud/SIU attorneys litigate fraud-related claims and conduct investigations in a variety of areas, including underwriter fraud, policy voidance and staged accidents, along with thousands of claims in New Jersey and other states involving no-fault motor vehicle arbitrations (PIP) and related subjects. The Casualty Department also frequently deals with the defense of manufacturers, corporations and businesses in product warranty cases, including the defense of major automobile manufacturers and manufacturers of boats, homes, recreational vehicles and equipment
Our Health Care Department represents myriad health care providers in litigation and regulatory claims, as well as long-term care and sub-acute residential facilities.
Finally, our Workers’ Compensation Department represents employers in virtually every industry, including retail services, hospitals and health care, banking, construction, manufacturing and distribution.
Overall, our attorneys and staff in Mount Laurel are always cognizant of the importance of being immediately responsive to client inquiries and concerns. Conforming to client guidelines is seen as essential to maintaining a cohesive partnership with those who utilize our services. We understand that our value is in recognizing early on which cases ought to be amicably resolved and which should be disposed of through motion practice or trial. Most important, our attorneys communicate this information to our clients promptly and with clear explanations and support for our recommendations. We are committed to utilizing ADR vehicles to resolve cases quickly and efficiently when warranted. However, when cases must be tried, we have the expertise, dedication and attention to detail that results in unparalleled success.
Most of our attorneys are long-term residents of this region and are highly regarded in their local communities, the legal community and, perhaps, most importantly, by the judiciary. We are frequent lecturers and presenters to our clients on a variety of legal topics, including those cutting-edge issues that can instantly impact legal and coverage positions.
We welcome the opportunity to serve you with respect to your litigation needs.
*Rich is the managing attorney of our Mount Laurel, New Jersey, office. He can be reached at 856.414.6013 or rlgoldstein@mdwcg.com.
Defense Digest, Vol. 27, No. 5, December 2021 is prepared by Marshall Dennehey Warner Coleman & Goggin to provide information on recent legal developments of interest to our readers. This publication is not intended to provide legal advice for a specific situation or to create an attorney-client relationship. ATTORNEY ADVERTISING pursuant to New York RPC 7.1. © 2021 Marshall Dennehey Warner Coleman & Goggin. All Rights Reserved. This article may not be reprinted without the express written permission of our firm. For reprints, contact tamontemuro@mdwcg.com.