Retired New Jersey Supreme Court Justice Jaynee LaVecchia will join Newark-based law firm McCarter & English, the firm announced Monday.
LaVecchia, 68, left the court in late 2021 after serving nearly 22 years — longer than any female state Supreme Court justice.
She announced last March that she would retire at the start of her new term in the fall. But she ended up sitting on the bench until Dec. 31, as last fall’s election cycle postponed consideration of her potential replacement by the state Senate. Consideration for civil rights lawyer Rachel Wainer Apter to replace her did not occur during the two-year legislative cycle that just expired, but she is expected to be reappointed by Gov. Phil Murphy.
Joe Boccassini, McCarter’s managing partner, said LaVecchia brings a unique perspective to the firm.
“Her depth of litigation experience, coupled with her unique insight into the state’s regulatory landscape, will make her an excellent resource for our clients as well as our attorneys,” Boccassini said.
LaVecchia will join the firm’s commercial litigation group. She starts her new job on February 7.
“As a retired judge of New Jersey’s highest court, she is uniquely qualified to advise clients on trial strategy and appellate issues, as well as to facilitate the resolution of complex disputes,” said Jose. Linares, chair of the firm’s alternative dispute resolution group, in a company statement.
LaVecchia, who joins the ranks of former justices who joined high-profile firms after leaving the bench, said she looked forward to her new role.
“I am thrilled to begin this new phase of my career at McCarter and proud to join a team of lawyers who are distinguished by their powerful and unwavering advocacy for their clients,” LaVecchia said in a statement.
LaVecchia was nominated by former Republican Governor Christie Todd Whitman and began her term on the Supreme Court on February 1, 2000.
During his two decades on the bench, LaVecchia forged a reputation as a pragmatic and compassionate jurist with a sharp intellect. She has written opinions on some of the state’s most important issues, from school funding to privacy rights.
In one of his most influential opinions, Abbott XXI as of 2011, LaVecchia said it was the state’s obligation to fulfill its promise to fund a thorough and effective education for children, as required by the New Jersey Constitution.
LaVecchia also celebrated her first gay marriage in New Jersey in April 2017.
She graduated from Douglass College at Rutgers University and graduated in 1979 from Rutgers School of Law in Newark. She was admitted to practice in New Jersey in 1980.
Prior to his appointment to the state Supreme Court, LaVecchia served as State Commissioner of Banking and Insurance, Deputy Chief Counsel in the Office of Legal Counsel to former Gov. Thomas H. Kean, and Division Director of Law within the Department of Law and Public Affairs. Security.
In her March 8, 2021, resignation letter from the state Supreme Court, LaVecchia said that while she served in many public service positions, her time on the state’s highest court was truly special. .
“I can only add at this time that being able to serve on our highest court for over 21 years has been the greatest honor I could have ever hoped for as a lawyer in the State of New Jersey. “, she wrote.
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Suzette Parmley can be attached to [email protected] or follow her on Twitter: @SuzParmley
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