Marguerite M. Schaffer

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Marguerite M. Schaffer is the President and Managing Principal at Shain Schaffer PC, a law firm located in Bernardsville, New Jersey. She specializes in commercial litigation; land use; real estate and banking law. Ms. Schaffer, who currently serves as Chair of the Somerset County Democratic Committee was elected as a Delegate to both the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Democratic National Conventions.

In 1975 she received her law degree, cum laude, from Seton Hall University and was Editor of its Legislative Journal. Her Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Philosophy was earned at the University of Dayton in 1970. She holds a Teacher’s Certification in Secondary English from the State of New Jersey. She received a NITA diploma in the Art of Trial Skills in 2015.

Ms. Schaffer served as an Adjunct Professor at Seton Hall Law School (1981–1983) and Fairleigh Dickinson University (1985–1986). She was the Assistant Counsel and Municipal Prosecutor, City of East Orange, NJ (1978–1979); Counsel and Secretary to the Board of Adjustment, City of East Orange, NJ (1982–1986); Counsel to and Member of Board of Directors of Mountain Ridge State Bank (1982–1990); and Counsel to the Planning Board, City of East Orange, NJ (1982–1986).

She currently serves as Borough Counsel to the Boroughs of Bradley Beach and Lake Como, Special Counsel to the Borough of Roselle and Jersey City, and Director of Law to Monroe Township, Middlesex County, NJ.

Ms. Schaffer is a past President of Executive Women of New Jersey (EWNJ), the State’s premier organization for Professional Women, having served from 1998–2002, and a member of the Board of Directors since 1994. She serves on the Advisory Committee of the Institute for Women’s Leadership at Rutgers. From 1985–1995, Ms. Schaffer was a Director Emeritus of the Banking Law Section of the New Jersey State Bar Association, having served as its first female Chair from 1990–1991.

Professional memberships held by Ms. Schaffer include: Committee on the Judiciary Budget and the Supreme Court Ethics Committees of both Essex and Morris Districts. She was a founding member and secretary of the Essex County Women Lawyers Association. Ms. Schaffer was honored as a “Woman of Distinction” by the Somerset Hills Girls Scouts and named to Business News New Jersey’s Top 500 Leaders List. In 2006 she received the Eleanor Roosevelt Distinguished Service Award from the Somerset County Federation of Democratic Women. In 2010 she was honored at the Executive Women of New Jersey Salute to the Policy Makers Dinner. In 2013, the Somerset County Commission on the Status of Women awarded her the Woman of Achievement in Government Award. In 2015, she received the Barbara Boggs Sigmund Award from the New Jersey Women’s Political Caucus. She was named a 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 Super Lawyer by New Jersey Monthly Magazine.

FIRM DESCRIPTION

We are a full-service law firm located in Bernardsville, New Jersey.

Our commitment to you is our number one priority.

Shain Schaffer attorneys are precise and winning litigators, dedicated to providing you with unsurpassed personal attention from the initial consultation through the conclusion of your case. Our ability to address and solve our clients′ legal problems, whether through planning, negotiations or litigation, is our strength.

Our attorneys are known and recognized by the legal community for their integrity and legal talent. The firm is  AV® PREEMINENT™ PEER REVIEW RATED BY MARTINDALE-HUBBELL®, the highest recognition possible in the legal industry, for its professionalism and ethics.

Daniel C. Fleming

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Leaders in Law endorses Daniel C. Fleming as our exclusively recommended Commercial Litigation Law expert in the USA – New Jersey. If you wish to get in touch with Daniel please use the contact information provided above.

Daniel C. Fleming is the V.P. and Partner in the Firm’s Princeton, N.J. office of Wong Fleming and a litigator who has taken over 100 cases to jury verdict.  He is Chair of the
Banking, Finance & Bankruptcy Practice Group and Chair of the Products Liability and Mass Tort Litigation Practice Group, and the Intellectual Property Practice Group.  His jury trial, bench trial, and arbitration experience is wide-ranging and includes products liability, commercial disputes, employment litigation, civil rights, bankruptcy, and even international parental child abduction.  

Mr. Fleming received his undergraduate degree from Villanova University in
 1981, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Modern Languages.  He received his law degree in 1984 from Catholic University of America in
Washington, D.C. and earned the American Jurisprudence Award in
 Constitutional Law. Upon graduation from law school, he served as Law Clerk to
 the Honorable Joseph M. Hannon of the Superior Court of the District of
Columbia. He is a member of the California, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. Bars and has been recognized as a Super Lawyer based upon his outstanding achievements as a lawyer.

Bankruptcy

Mr. Fleming has litigated a variety of adversary proceedings, including,
preferences, fraudulent transfers, and objections to discharge. He has also
litigated a wide range of contested matters, such as first day orders, cash collateral and adequate protection, relief from the automatic stay, executory
contracts, objections to the adequacy of disclosure statements, and objections
to plan confirmation. He is the co-author of an article appearing in the
bankruptcy bar’s most notable journal, the American Bankruptcy Institute Law
 Review. He has also donated his time to the community by speaking to
Philadelphia citizens about bankruptcy at the Philadelphia Bar Association’s
People’s Law School forum.

Civil Trials

Mr. Fleming’s trial achievements include obtaining a multi-million dollar jury
verdict for a commercial bank in a fraud and racketeering action in federal court. He has litigated and jury tried numerous actions for the Federal Deposit
 Insurance Corporation and for the now-defunct Resolution Trust Corporation.
 He has successfully tried contested foreclosure actions on behalf of
commercial banks.  He has also successfully co-tried numerous employment and civil rights actions against public entities, giving him unique insight into how to successfully defend against such claims. He is the first attorney to have successfully jury tried a professional liability action for the RTC in the Northeast United States.

Products Liability

Mr. Fleming has defended some of the most prominent national and international corporations. For nearly thirty years, he has defended designers, manufacturers, and sellers in cases involving a wide variety of products liability defense litigation, including, claims of design defect, manufacturing defect, breach of warranty, and failure to warn. He has successfully represented clients in cases ranging from industrial and commercial equipment design to improper warnings on over-the-counter medical supplements.  Mr. Fleming’s approach to the defense of products liability actions includes consulting with the manufacturer’s engineers to develop a defense, retaining the right expert to support the defense, and effectively deposing the Plaintiff’s experts, all while making sure that the defensive strategy brings value to the client in a cost-effective manner.

REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS

  • Represented a large commercial lender against principals of a defunct business and its successor company asserting fraudulent
    conveyances under the UFTA and successor liability claims.
  • Represented a cable television provider in a suit brought by a factoring
    company seeking to collect payments owed by advertisers to a media
    advertising agency, and attained a favorable resolution after asserting
    cross-claims against media agency’s assignee for unlawful conversion of
    monies due for placement of advertisements under Article 9 of the UCC.
  • Represented a large financial services institution in the defense of a
    pending action involving claims of fraud in the inducement of a vendor
    contract and unjust enrichment.
  • Represented one of the nation’s largest bank-based financial institutions
    on a multi-million dollar default regarding several Demand Floor Plan Line-of-Credit Notes.
  • Represented a Fortune 500 financial institution on numerous matters involving
    defaults on secured and unsecured lines of credit.
  • Represented a national bank-based financial institution on matters involving bankruptcy and recovery of secured equipment with a seven-figure value.
  • Represented a Fortune 500 company for recovery of secured equipment and machinery.
  • Represented a national based financial institution in an action for breach of contract when the answering party failed to secure the renewal of a contract as
    required by the governing loan documents.
  • Represented a Fortune 500 company on numerous matters involving default on loan documents and recovery under continuing personal guaranties of the
    answering party.
  • Represented a large financial Institution in federal court to recover a multi-million
    dollar advance used for the operating capital of a large regional bank.
  • Represented a Fortune 500 Company in a discovery dispute involving a non-party witness subpoena to limit and exclude the production of documents relating to confidential trade secrets.
  • Represented a large consumer financial institution in the defense of a requirement
    for reserve account to protect against losses due to a motor vehicle dealership’s
    falsification of consumer loan documents.
  • Represented the former owners of a staffing business in a multi-million-dollar contract interpretation lawsuit with the successor entity.

PRACTICE AREAS

  • Commercial Litigation
  • Corporate Asset Recovery
  • Creditors Rights and  Bankruptcy
  • Intellectual Property
  • International Law
  • Products Liability and Mass Tort Litigation
  • Real Estate
  • Trial, Insurance Defense and Coverage

ADMISSIONS

  • California
  • District of Columbia
  • Maryland
  • New Jersey
  • New York
  • Ohio
  • Pennsylvania
  • SDNY, EDNY, DNJ, EDPA, SDIL

PROFESSIONAL HONORS, AWARDS AND ACTIVITIES

  • Rated AV-Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell
  • Member, DRI
  • Member, ABA
  • Member, Board of Directors for Asian Bank, Philadelphia, PA
  • Chairman, Audit Committee, for Asian Bank, Philadelphia, PA

PUBLICATIONS

  • “The Treatment of Residential Mortgages in Chapter 13 after Nobelman” (American Bankruptcy Institute Law Review, Spring 1994).

SPEECHES

  • “Mixed Signals: Why China is Right and Wrong to Violate Intellectual Property Rights” (Rider University, International Week, March 30, 2005).
  • “Regulatory Investigations”  (Panel Chair, MIHCA Conference, September 2015).
  • “American Pharmaceutical Concerns: Intellectual Property Right Issues in China and India” (Saint Joseph’s University Pharmaceutical Symposium, 2003).
  • “Doing Business With China: Protecting Your Intellectual Property” (N.J. Small Business Development Center, 2003).
  • “How to Get Our Evidence in at Trial and Keep Theirs Out: A Primer on the Rules of Evidence in Employment Cases” (National Employment Lawyers Association, 2003).
  • “Employment Law” (N.J. Governor’s Conference on Housing and Community Development, 2002).
  • “The Legal Aspects of International Trade” (U.S. Small Business International Market Entry Program, 2002).
  • “Employment Law” (N.J. Affordable Housing Management Spring Event Seminar, 2002).
  • “Global Business Panel at Rider University” (Center for International Business & Education, 2002).
  • “So, You Want to Have an International Trade Business?” (U.S. Department of Commerce, 2001).
  • “Advanced Collection Law in New Jersey” (Lorman Education, 2000).
  • “Contentious Issues in Hiring and Firing” (Employment Law Super Conference, American Conference Institute, 2000).
  • “Complex Commercial Collection Law in New Jersey” (Lorman Education, 1999).
  • “The Asian Contagion: Turning Crisis into Opportunity for Northern New Jersey Business” (International Trade Conference, New Jersey Regional Business Partnership, 1999).
  • “Doing Business in the Far East: A Primer for Trading with China, Hong Kong, Japan and Beyond” (Regional Business Partnership, 1998).
  • “Chinese Business Opportunities and Cultural Dynamics” (Economic Development Council of Northeastern Pennsylvania, 1998).
  • “Global Trade 2000 Countdown ‘98: Intellectual Property Rights Outside of the United States” (Center for International Business & Education, 1998).
  • “Economic Outlook for New Jersey: Asia and Wall Street” (Regional Business Partnership, 1998).
  • “Doing Business in the Far East” (Doing Business in the Far East, 1998).
  • “Impact of China’s Takeover of Hong Kong” (Center for International Business & Education, 1997).

EDUCATION

  • J.D., Columbus School of Law, Catholic University of America (1984)
  • B.A. and B.A.H., Villanova University (1981)

FIRM DESCRIPTION

Wong Fleming was established in New Jersey in 1994 and has grown to become a national law firm with offices across the country.

Headquartered in Princeton, NJ, and with offices throughout the United States, the firm is committed to ongoing professional education and lifelong learning as well as to the promotion of diversity in the legal profession. Wong Fleming is certified as a minority business enterprise by the National Minority Supplier Development Council (“NMSDC”) and as a woman-owned business by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council. In 2014, the Minority Corporate Counsel Association awarded us the Thomas L. Sager Award for the Northeast Region. The Sager Award is given to law firms that have demonstrated sustained commitment to improve the hiring, retention and promotion of minority attorneys. In 2015, the NMSDC admitted Wong Fleming into the Corporate Plus Program, which is confined solely to those members who have demonstrated their capacity to execute national contracts for major corporations.

We pride ourselves on our innovation, representing clients vigorously and keeping in mind their business interests.

Thomas N. Torzewski

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Thomas N. Torzewski, Esq. earned an LL.M in Taxation from New York University of Law and is a graduate of Seton Hall University School of Law, and Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. Tom concentrates on transactional tax and business planning, comprehensive and sophisticated estate and succession planning, estate and trust administration and litigation, and all phases of tax law. He has extensive experience in the planning and structuring of new and ongoing enterprises, including the formation, purchase and sale of business interests and the orderly reorganization and transfer of said interests to successor generations.

Tom has represented a diverse client base in developing comprehensive estate plans, including owners of closely-held businesses, corporate executives, retired individuals and others in need of particularized counseling as a result of being faced with technical issues and specialized situations. Tom also directs estate and trust administration, such as proceeding through all aspects of probate, marshalling of estate assets, obtaining asset valuations, preparation of inventories and accountings, preparation of Federal and New Jersey Estate Tax Returns, New Jersey Inheritance Tax Returns, Federal and State Fiduciary Income Tax Returns and directing related audit proceedings, Tom has represented individuals, beneficiaries and fiduciaries in probate and trust related litigation, including will contests, under influence cases, disputes over trust administration, contested guardianship proceedings and complex litigation concerning valuation and distribution of assets of closely held businesses.

Torzewski & McInerney, LLC:

You can trust the future of your family, estate and business to the law office of Thomas N. Torzewski, LLC. We provide experienced representation in estate planning, probate and corporate formation from an attorney with 30 years of legal experience. In addition, the firm provides family law and divorce representation from a skilled trial lawyer who also has significant experience handling family law appeals.

Litigation is a crucial element of our practice. Many estate planning and administration attorneys do not litigate, which means they cannot resolve serious disputes without partnering with litigation counsel. However, we have the experience and skill to represent clients in complex probate and trust litigation.

As a certified public accountant (CPA) who has a legal master’s degree (LL.M.) in taxation from New York University School of Law, Mr. Torzewski has the financial and tax knowledge to take cases involving high net worth estates and sophisticated assets. Whether you need an attorney to help you plan for the future or to litigate a dispute, he has the accounting, tax and legal experience to assist you.

This experience is also valuable for our business clients. We can work with your accountants for day-to-day planning issues and to help with transactional work such as buying or selling a business. We also help business owners and partners with strategic business succession plans.

Frank Politano

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Mr. Politano has over 35 years of intellectual property law experience, including global experience in brand and software licensing.  He provides counsel to clients with respect to a variety of trademark, copyright, unfair competition, infringement, dilution, affirmative and defensive litigation, patent, entertainment law, and other intellectual property matters.  He also advises clients in licensing, assigning and valuing intellectual property, as well as performing due diligence with respect to intellectual property rights involved in merger and acquisition transactions. Another area of his experience relates to counseling standards setting organizations on a wide spectrum of legal issues.

Mr. Politano has represented clients in numerous federal and state litigations concerning trademark and service mark infringement, patent infringement and validity, interpretation of licensing contracts, and general unfair competition matters.  He has also worked in an advisory role in several trademark infringement suits in Canada, Germany and the United Kingdom.

Professional Background

Prior to joining K&L Gates, Mr. Politano was in-house trademark and copyright counsel at a multinational telecommunications company where he was responsible for its global trademark and copyright portfolio.

Achievements

Mr. Politano has been recognized by his peers by being selected for the New Jersey Super Lawyers list 2010 – 2014.  He has been listed in The Legal 500 for many years and in Chambers USA, 2010 – 2015.

Mr. Politano has been listed in Best Lawyers in America in the area of Litigation (Intellectual Property and Patent) since 2013.

Inventor:  U.S. Patent No. 7,792,740 dated 7 September 2010.

Professional/Civic Activities

– Adjunct Professor of Law, Seton Hall University School of Law, 1989 – present

– World Intellectual Property Organization, Domain Name Panelist, November 2000 – present

– Licensing Law Institute, Co-Chairperson, 1989 – 2009

– Member, International Trademark Association (Board of Directors, 1991 – 1994)

Speaking Engagements

He is a frequent speaker on trademark, copyright and licensing law at domestic and international conferences.  Since 1996, he has been a lecturer for the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada and McGill University, Montreal, Canada, and since 1989 he has annually taught Intellectual Property law courses at Seton Hall University School of Law.

 

Jeffrey P. Weinstein

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Jeffrey P. Weinstein has practiced matrimonial law for more than 40 years and is well-known as a trial attorney and a compassionate advisor to his clients. He has represented thousands of clients, argued innumerable cases before the Trial Courts and Appellate Courts of the State of New Jersey and is recognized for his experience in the field of family law. Jeff has been called upon by other matrimonial attorneys to serve both as an expert and mediator in their own cases and receives referrals on a regular basis from other attorneys, including those whom he has opposed in previous matters.

His articles have appeared in Fair$Share, Journal of Divorce, New Jersey Family Lawyer, and National Business Institute, and he has been cited in both national and local publications. He has conducted many seminars for the New Jersey Institute of Continuing Legal Education. Jeff is a Fellow of both the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and the International Academy of Family Lawyers, as well as a member of the Essex County Bar Association, the New Jersey State Bar Association, the American Bar Association, and the Association of Trial Lawyers of America. Jeff has chaired the New Jersey State Bar Association Family Law Section, and he was one of two lawyers who assisted the Supreme Court committee of New Jersey in establishing the Family Part in the New Jersey Court system. In addition, Jeff has been appointed by the Superior Court of New Jersey, Family Part, as a Standing Master to assist in the resolution of complex matrimonial matters. He has also been a Master of the New Jersey Family Law Inns of Court, an association which enables young matrimonial practitioners to learn trial techniques from seasoned matrimonial lawyers.

Jeff has been selected for Martindale-Hubbell Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers. Jeff is also a Member of the Matrimonial Lawyers Alliance, an organization comprising the top matrimonial lawyers in New Jersey.

Law Firm Overview:

A titan of the New Jersey matrimonial bar, Jeffrey P. Weinstein had a vision for a different kind of family law firm. With a rising rate of divorce and an ever-changing body of law, he sought to create a firm that combined legal savvy with an intense and exclusive focus on clients. He recognized that facing a deeply painful time of life, clients needed to call upon trusted advisors, not merely technical practitioners.

He established a firm governed by these principles. That commitment lasts today.

With Jeffrey’s son, Evan, now taking the helm, WL&W has emerged as a nationally recognized practice with a deep bench of attorneys wholly committed to client service.

J Adrian Johnson, Esq.

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Leaders in Law endorses Adrian J Johnson, Esq as our exclusively recommended Bankruptcy Law expert in the USA – New Jersey. If you wish to get in touch with Adrian please use the contact information provided above.

Practice Areas:

Bankruptcy & Debts

Business & Corporate Law

Real Estate

Immigration (EB-5, H1-B, F-1)

Appeals

Litigation

Real Estate Syndication/Investment Trust

Education:

J.D. Rutgers School of Law – Newark
M.B.A. Auburn University – Montgomery
B.S.B.A. Auburn University – Montgomery

Memberships:

American Bar Association Member
New Jersey Bar Association Member
New York State Bar Association Member
Middlesex County Bar Association Member
Essex County Bar Association Member
Rotary Club – Metuchen, NJ

Bar Admissions:

New Jersey
New York

Court Admissions:

U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey

U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York

U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York