James R. Zazzali

James R. Zazzali joins Gibbons as Of Counsel upon completing his term as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New Jersey. He served on the Supreme Court for over seven years, and wrote more than 100 opinions, before being named Chief Justice in 2006. Prior to his service on the bench, Mr. Zazzali had served as New Jersey Attorney General; general counsel for the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority; Chairman of the New Jersey State Commission of Investigation; Chief of the Appeals Division of the Office of the Essex County Prosecutor; as well as other positions in addition to his private law practice.

Mr. Zazzali is also a former Adjunct Professor at Seton Hall Law School, where he taught mediation and arbitration. He also served as the court-approved receiver for Bloomfield College, from 1974-1976; and as the special master investigating, reporting on and assisting in the reform of the Monmouth, Essex, Bergen and Newark jails; and as a member of the United States delegations to various United Nations Conferences in Geneva and Paris.

Georgetown University Law Center (J.D., 1963)

Georgetown University (B.S., 1958)

New Jersey

New York

District of Columbia

Chair, Congressional Superfund Study Group, 1981 - 1982

Chair, Judicial Labor Relations Task Force, 1985 - 1988

Chair, Committee of Minority Participation in the Courts, 1985 - 1992

Member and Vice-Chair, Disciplinary Review Board, 1984 - 1999

Member and Vice-Chair, Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct, 1999 - 2000; 2009 - present

Adjunct Professor, Seton Hall Law School, 1984 - 2000 (Alternative Dispute Resolution & Arbitration)

"Using Rule 2:12A to Certify Questions of Law," New Jersey Law Journal, February 9, 2009

"Providing Meaningful Judicial Review of Municipal Redevelopment Designations: Redevelopment in New Jersey Before and After Gallenthin Realty Development, Inc. v. Borough of Paulsboro," 40 Rutgers L.J. 451, 2009 (James R. Zazzali, Co-author)

"The Whys and Hows of Permanent Disbarment: New Jersey’s Wilson Rule," 21 Geo. J. Legal Ethics 311, 2008

"International Human Rights: An Overview: Annual Vanderbilt Address to the New Jersey Alumni of Harvard Law School," 36 Seton Hall L. Rev. 661, 2007

"Disciplining Attorneys: The New Jersey Experience," 1 Geo. J. Legal Ethics 659, 1988

"Hazardous Wastes: New Rights and Remedies?," 13 Seton Hall L.Rev. 452, 1983 (James R. Zazzali, Co-author)

Interviewed in NJN television's panel discussion, Citizens Wanted - "Looking for Lincoln," conducted by Mike Aron concerning Lincoln and the education of our youth concerning civics, March 29, 2009

Interviewed in NJN's Due Process, March 14, 2008

Interviewed in "Life After Serving on the State's Highest Bench," NJBIZ, November 5, 2007

Speaker, New Jersey State Bar Association, "Justice at Stake," Atlantic City, NJ. May 17, 2013

Moderator, Gibbons Diversity Initiative, "Success Symposium," Newark, NJ. April 22, 2010

Moderator, New Jersey Corporate Counsel Association's Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee, "Practical Strategies for Proactively Managing the Arbitration Process," Roseland, NJ. October 30, 2008

Recipient, The Roger N. Baldwin Award from The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Jersey, 2013

Listed in The Best Lawyers in America, Commercial Litigation, 2013

Recipient, New Jersey State Bar Foundation's Medal of Honor Award, 2010

Recipient, The John Carroll Award from Georgetown University, 2004

Recipient, The Dean Paul Award from Georgetown University Law Center, 2000

Gibbons Of Counsel James Zazzali Named To Newly Launched NJ Chapter of National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals

ACLU of NJ Honors Former Justice James Zazzali With Roger N. Baldwin Award

Law clerk to the Honorable Lawrence A. Whipple, 1964-1965

Chief Justice, New Jersey Supreme Court, 2006 - 2007

Associate Justice, New Jersey Supreme Court, 2000 - 2006

Attorney General, New Jersey, 1981 - 1982

Commissioner, State Commission of Investigation (SCI), 1984 - 1989; Chair, 1989 - 1993

Assistant Essex County Prosecutor, 1965 - 1968; Trial Prosecutor, 1965 - 1966; Chief of Appeals, 1967 - 1968

General Counsel, New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority, 1974 - 1982

Receiver, Bloomfield College, 1972-1974

Master, Appointed by United States District Court, 1982-1992, to conduct investigations and recommend reforms of jails in Essex County, Monmouth County, Bergen County and Newark

Investigative Counsel and Monitor, Stevens Institute of Technology, 2009 - 2011

Trustee appointed by Casino Control Commission, Borgata Casino, 2010 - 2011

Practice of Law, 1962 - 2000; 2000 - present

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