The basics:

• Essex County Bar Association honored 10 attorneys across 10 award categories
• Scrivo received the association’s highest honor
• Racioppi won the ECBA’s first Dealmaker of the Year award
• Mandelbaum will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award this fall

The Essex County Bar Association is recognizing lawyers whose work, leadership and service extend far beyond the courthouse doors.

As part of the ECBA’s annual Installation & Awards Reception held this past spring at Mountain Ridge Country Club in West Caldwell, the organization spotlighted 10 attorneys across a range of categories, including general practice, transactions, public service and community engagement.

For more than four decades, the ECBA has handed out Achievement Awards each year as a way to highlight outstanding accomplishments of attorneys who have ties to Essex County.

Founded in 1879, the ECBA is one of the oldest and largest county bar associations in New Jersey. It represents 1,500 members through education, networking, referral services and programs aimed at improving access to justice.

Membership is open to those who live, have an office or practice in Essex County, which has enabled the organization to have a large base, according to ECBA Executive Director Heather Jenquine.

After soliciting nominations from its membership, the association’s event planning committee selects annual Achievement Award winners.

No stranger to legal talent

As home to some of the state’s most influential law firms and attorneys, Essex County has long been a powerhouse for New Jersey’s legal industry. And, over the years, that’s given the ECBA a deep bench of accomplished lawyers to recognize.

Past honorees have included:

• Former U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Craig Carpenito
• Essex County Prosecutor Theodore Stephens II
• Lowenstein Sandler LLP partner and former New Jersey Attorney General Christopher Porrino
• Arnold & Porter partner and retired federal judge Joseph Greenaway Jr.

Newly installed 129th president of the Essex County Bar Association Mauro Tucci Jr. said, “Our 2026 honorees reflect an extraordinary cross-section of talent, leadership, professionalism, and service that represents the very best of the Essex County Bar Association.”

The Roseland-based Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi PC (CSG Law) litigation group member told NJBIZ, “The quality of our membership makes it difficult to choose just a handful for recognition at our awards reception every spring, but we were especially proud of this year’s slate.”

2026 winners

• Samuel S. Saiber Professional Achievement Award – Thomas Scrivo of O’Toole Scrivo in Cedar Grove
  After co-founding a mid-sized litigation and government practice in 2017 with Kevin O’Toole, Scrivo serves as managing partner. An accomplished trial lawyer, he is a former president of the Essex County Bar Association and served as chief counsel to Gov. Chris Christie from 2015 to 2017. He is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and a New Jersey Supreme Court-certified Civil Trial Attorney, advising businesses, government entities and individuals on complex legal matters.
• Civil Practice Award – Kathleen Barnett Einhorn of PEM Law LLP in West Orange
  A longtime commercial litigator, Einhorn has extensive experience handling high-stakes litigation, employment matters, trials, appeals, arbitrations, and mediations in state and federal courts. After co-founding PEM Law in 2024, she is the firm’s managing partner.
• Criminal Practice Award – Vincent Scoca of the Law Offices of Vincent C. Scoca in Bloomfield
  An Essex County-based solo practitioner, Scoca has nearly four decades of experience as a criminal defense attorney. Prior to his criminal defense work, he served as an assistant Essex County Prosecutor for two years.
• Family Practice Award – LaDonna Cousins of Williams Law Group in Short Hills
  A partner at Williams Law Group, Cousins is a trained family law mediator who focuses on all aspects of family law. In 2025, she was recognized by Women World Magazine as one of the 10 Most Powerful Women in Law Making an Impact.
• Federal Practice Award – Victor Afanador of Lite DePalma Greenberg & Afanador LLC in Newark
  A member of Lite DePalma Greenberg & Afanador, Afanador is a seasoned trial attorney, commercial litigator and negotiator. Recognized as a leading federal practitioner, he has argued before the Third Circuit, litigated before the U.S. Supreme Court and served as president of the Association of the Federal Bar of New Jersey in 2023.
• General Practice Award – Reginald Jenkins Jr. of Trenk Isabel Siddiqi & Shahdanian PC in Livingston
  A partner at Trenk Isabel Siddiqi & Shahdanian, Jenkins focuses on redevelopment, real estate, land use and zoning matters for government, corporate and private clients. He also serves on several community boards, including the Mental Health Association of Essex and Morris, and is a member of The National Black Lawyers Top 100.
• Bernard A. Kuttner Pro Bono Service Award – Penelope Taylor of McCarter & English LLP in Newark
  A partner at McCarter & English, Taylor has extensive experience in complex commercial litigation involving financial services, securities, insurance and business disputes. She has also devoted more than a decade to pro bono work through Volunteer Lawyers for Justice, where she aims to help individuals facing housing and debt challenges.
• Dealmaker of the Year Award – Nicholas Racioppi Jr. of Riker Danzig LLP in Madison
  The chair of Riker Danzig’s real estate group, Racioppi has considerable commercial real estate experience – particularly in acquisitions, development, zoning and transactions. He has played a role in some of the most significant economic development and real estate deals in New Jersey, including the new Netflix studios in Fort Monmouth and the sale of Anheuser-Busch’s longtime factory in Newark. His background also includes being named as a fellow of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers in 2019 and serving as pro-bono counsel to the Housing Partnership, which provides resources to prospective homebuyers.
• Maureen McCully Significant Bar Supporter Award – Harriet Farber Klein of Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Diker LLP in Madison
  After 15 years as a superior court judge in Essex County and an additional two years on recall, Klein joined Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Diker in 2015 as of counsel, focusing on arbitration and meditation. While on the bench, Klein was a faculty member for the training of new judges and law clerks. Prior to her judgeship, she was in private practice as a commercial and employment litigator with two New Jersey–based firms for a combined total of 25 years. Klein continues to support the legal communities with leadership roles with the ECBA and New Jersey State Bar Association.
• Walter Lucas Special Merit Award – Matthew Schultz of Schindler Elevator Corp. in Morristown
  A former litigator, Schultz is now vice president and general counsel at Schindler Elevator Corp.. The one-time ECBA president was also instrumental in founding one of the association’s premier educational events – the annual Corporate Counsel Symposium for in-house counsel, general counsel and transactional attorneys.

Lifetime Achievement Award

Additionally, the ECBA revealed that Barry Mandelbaum of Roseland-headquartered Mandelbaum Barrett PC will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award during a dinner this fall. The association will also recognize about a dozen members who were admitted to the bar 50 years ago, according to Tucci.

Mandelbaum was selected for the honor this past winter alongside the 10 Achievement Award winners, Tucci said.

A founding member and chairman of Mandelbaum Barrett, he has more than six decades of legal experience. The 2019 NJBIZ Icon Award winner‘s accomplishments include serving as a member of the Governor’s Corporate and Business Law Commission and the board of directors of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield. He was a past director of two NASDAQ-traded firms, Warwick Insurance Managers Inc. and Growth Bank Inc., as well as privately held companies.

He’s also active in several charitable organizations, as well as involved with the real estate division of New Jersey Performing Arts Center, the Codey Foundation for Mental Health and the Rubenstein Foundation.

The verdict is in

According to Tucci, this year marked the first time that the ECBA handed out a Dealmaker of the Year award to a transactional attorney. The newly established honor spotlights attorneys and legal professionals who have demonstrated excellence in transactional law or played a leadership role in a significant deal involving mergers, acquisitions, financings, real estate transactions or other complex matters with ties to Essex County.

Tucci said, “Non-litigators have not always been a focus of the Bar, and we are making a concerted effort to recognize the members of the Essex legal community who make corporate and real estate deals happen.”

Besides Netflix and Anheuser-Busch, another deal Racioppi was involved with was his firm’s move from its longtime headquarters at HQ Plaza in Morristown to 7 Giralda Farms in Madison. He led lease negotiations alongside partner Joshua Greenfield.

Racioppi also led Riker Danzig’s real estate team in representing the New York Red Bulls in the 2021 acquisition of the former Honeywell site and adjoining land in Morris Township for the professional soccer team’s state-of-the-art $112 million training facility.

Riker Danzig gave a shout out to Racioppi for being named as the ECBA’s inaugural Dealmaker of the Year, saying its real estate practice head’s “combination of impressive deals, sterling reputation and commanding mastery of all areas related to commercial real estate set him apart.”

‘Highest honor’

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Tucci added, “On a personal note, Tom Scrivo was the perfect recipient for this year’s Saiber Award, which is our highest honor. There’s no one who represents the Essex County Bar better than Tom.”

Named for the late Samuel Saiber – a prominent New Jersey attorney, former legislator and co-founder of the firm now known as Saiber LLC – the award recognizes distinguished achievement and leadership within the legal profession.

Shoutouts

Leading up to the April 27 awards ceremony, several law firms took to social media to congratulate colleagues being honored.

Trenk Isabel Siddiqi & Shahdanian said it was “particularly delighted to celebrate our partner, Reginald Jenkins Jr., as he receives the prestigious General Practice Award, an honor that reflects his dedication, leadership, and outstanding service to the legal community.”

The Williams Law Group expressed how proud it was of Cousins for receiving the Family Practice Award.

The firm said, “This recognition is a true reflection of her dedication, leadership, and the care she brings to every client and case. Congratulations, LaDonna — we’re proud to celebrate this well-deserved achievement.”

Meanwhile, McCarter & English pro bono partner Michelle Pallak described Taylor’s work as “inspiring.”  The honor is reserved for individual attorneys, law firms, law schools, government attorney offices, corporate law departments and other legal institutions “that have enhanced the human dignity of others by improving or delivering volunteer legal services to the Essex County community.”

“She treats every client with care and compassion, guiding them through their options and toward the decision that’s right for them. Her blend of creativity, practical problem-solving, and genuine empathy make even the toughest challenges more manageable for those she represents. Penny also trains and mentors junior attorneys, expanding the corps of attorneys ready to assist our neighbors in need. Her steady commitment, collaborative spirit, and leadership strengthen pro bono efforts across the firm and beyond,” Pallak said.

Underscoring core values

PEM Law praised Einhorn for the “well-deserved honor,” saying, “Awards like this underscore the core values that drive the practice every single day. The recognition of the firm’s managing partner on such a prominent stage is a source of immense pride and her continued leadership by example remains certain.”

Einhorn said she was “deeply honored” to receive the civil practice award. The accolade is given to professionals who make exceptional contributions in civil litigation, arbitration and mediation.

“This recognition is a testament to the hard work of our entire team at PEM Law, and I look forward to continuing our mission of providing exceptional advocacy for our clients,” she said.

Lite DePalma Greenberg & Afanador cheered Afanador for “his well-deserved recognition by the Essex County Bar Association.”

“Victor brings not only exceptional skill and dedication to his practice, but also humor, mentorship, and an energy that invigorates everyone around him. Seeing him honored among colleagues and friends was truly special and a reminder of the impact he has both in and out of the courtroom. We’re incredibly proud to call him our partner!” the firm shared on LinkedIn.