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While the legal landscape is ever-changing, one constant is the caliber of professionals who call New Jersey home. To recognize these individuals, NJBIZ is unveiling the 2025 Leaders in Law honorees.

This program honors legal professionals – lawyers and general counsels – whose dedication to their occupation and to their communities is outstanding.

Following an open nomination period, the 60 honorees were chosen by a panel of independent judges with experience in the justice system. 

A new recognition category added just this year is third-party neutral professionals, which was open to mediators, arbitrators, conciliators, evaluators, etc. Added in 2024, the new Rising Star category recognizes individuals with seven years or less of legal experience who show extreme potential to be an industry leader in the next few years. 

The 2025 Leaders in Law celebration will take place from 8-10:30 a.m. March 25 at The Marigold in Somerset. Tickets for the event are on sale now on the event page. 

Congratulations to the 2025 NJBIZ Leaders in Law honorees! 

Listed alphabetically: 

Craig Aronow, certified civil trial lawyer
RAM Law 

Michael Ash, partner
Carlin, Ward, Ash & Heiart LLC 

William Baton, co-chair, Intellectual Property Practice
Saul Ewing LLP 

Ronald Bienstock, partner and chair, Intellectual Property, Entertainment & Media
Scarinci & Hollenbeck LLC 

Shaun Blick, managing member
Blick Law LLC 

Jennifer Borek, partner, chair, Complex Commercial Litigation Practice
Genova Burns LLC 

Anthony Campanelli, partner
Deloitte Financial Advisory Services LLP 

Ronald Campione, assistant general counsel
Dealer Owned Warranty Co. 

Marc Capone, partner
Gillman Capone 

Michael Carucci, member
Sills Cummis & Gross PC 

Lisa Chrystal, counsel (former Superior Court judge)
Brach Eichler 

Clifford Dawkins, managing partner
Dawkins & Warrington Law Group 

Joseph Dickson, chair, Alternative Dispute Resolution Group
Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi PC 

Delia Dougherty, shareholder
Sherman Silverstein 

John Fanburg, managing member and health care law chair
Brach Eichler LLC 

Michael Fusco, shareholder
Levinson Axelrod PA 

Vito Gagliardi Jr., managing principal
Porzio, Bromberg & Newman PC 

Rosemary Gambardella, judge
United States Bankruptcy Court 

Keith Gentes, partner
Malamut & Associates LLC 

Robin Goldfischer, senior vice president and general counsel
Valley Health System Inc. 

Noel Hillman, chair, Alternative Dispute Resolution (former District Court judge)
Gibbons PC 

Natalya Johnson, senior director and senior counsel
Johnson & Johnson 

Vahbiz Karanjia, partner
Epstein Ostrove LLC 

Nivritha Ketty, partner
Nukk-Freeman & Cerra PC 

Rona Korman, executive vice president and general counsel
Onyx Equities LLC 

Joseph Lemkin, shareholder
Stark & Stark 

Nicole Liebman, general counsel
Withum 

Jason Listhaus, general counsel
Kushner 

Joseph Lucosky, managing partner
Lucosky Brookman LLP 

Bennett MacDougall, executive vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary
Provident Financial Services Inc. 

Linda Mainenti Walsh, solo practioner
Law Offices of Linda Mainenti Walsh Esq. LLC 

Arielle Miliambro, partner
Frier Levitt 

Nikitas Moustakas, managing partner
Moustakas Nelson LLC 

Kellen Murphy, managing partner
Murphy Schiller & Wilkes LLP 

Mark Natale, practice group leader
Malamut Law 

Jason Navarino, partner and chair, Corporate and Tax Groups
Riker Danzig LLP 

Brian Nelson, partner
Spiro Harrison & Nelson LLC 

Esther Omoloyin, partner, co-chair, Workers’ Compensation Practice
Goldberg Segalla 

Perry Pappas, senior vice president, chief legal and compliance officer
CentralReach 

Steven Poulathas, co-managing shareholder
Flaster Greenberg PC 

Frank Quinn, partner
Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf LLP 

Susan Roberts, vice president, associate general counsel, litigation management
Hackensack Meridian Health 

Prema Roddam, senior associate
Fragomen, Del Ray, Bernsen and Loewy LLP 

Jerold Rothkoff, elder care law attorney
Rothkoff Law Group 

Thomas Scrivo, managing partner
O’Toole Scrivo LLC 

Calvin Souder, managing and founding partner
Souder Law Group LLP 

William Sullivan Jr., partner and chair, environmental
Scarinci & Hollenbeck LLC 

Steven Teppler, chair, Cybersecurity and Privacy Practice
Mandelbaum Barrett PC 

Mary Toscano, partner
Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith & Davis LLP 

Richard Trenk, director
Trenk Isabel Siddiqi & Shahdanian PC 

Brigitte Tsampalis, founder
Fair Forward Mediation 

Lee Vartan, member
Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi PC 

Alyssa Verderami, chief legal and risk officer
Saint Peter’s University Hospital 

Anthony Vitiello, chair, Taxation and Estate Planning Group
Connell Foley LLP 

Marquis Whitney, associate
Barnes & Thornburg LLP 

Anthony Yacullo, associate professor of business
Centenary University 

Rising Stars 

Michael Cedrone, associate
Stevens & Lee 

Joseph Natale, associate, Litigation, Real Estate and Redevelopment & Land Use Departments
Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith & Davis LLP 

Timothy Ryan, partner
Cohen Seglias Pallas Greenhall & Furman PC 

Editor’s note: This story was updated at 11:46 a.m. ET Feb. 17, 2025, to update Delia Dougherty’s title to shareholder. It was also updated at 1:58 p.m. ET March 5, 2025, to reflect the final list of recipients.