Gerald Carozza Jr. has joined McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter LLP as chief operating officer.

In the new role, Carozza is responsible for all operations and support for the Morristown-based law firm’s 175 attorneys, who serve clients across 13 offices in nine states.

With more than 35 years of experience, Carozza most recently served as the manager of the surety, fidelity, cyber and construction defect claims unit for Selective Insurance Company of America. He was with that company for more than two decades, earning national prominence as chair of the Surety and Fidelity Association  of America’s Surety Claim Advisory Committee, McElroy Deutsch said.

Co-managing partners Edward Deutsch and Michael Marone were enthusiastic about the addition to the leadership team.

“Jerry’s unique background coupled with his legal expertise, will fit well with McElroy Deutsch’s 40-year commitment to excellence and outstanding service to  clients,” they said in a statement. “Jerry will enhance operational efficiencies to our Firm, and brings a client’s perspective that will serve to advance the superior experience the Firm continues to achieve for its clients.”

Retiring from the military in 2021 at the rank of full colonel, Carozza served with distinction in the U.S. Army’s Judge Advocate General’s Corps, including assignments as an operations officer for a special ops battalion and as general counsel to a major Army reserve command, according to his hiring announcement. He was also part of a senior leadership team of officers responsible for transforming the Army Reserve’s 2,000-person JAG Corps into today’s Legal Command. In 2010, he was deployed to Afghanistan to support development of the Afghan Ministry of Defense’s legal structure, McElroy Deutsch said.

“I am excited to join McElroy Deutsch, a powerhouse law firm with whom I have worked for more than 25 years. The Firm is a magnet for clients that expect a turnkey experience from start to finish with winning results, and has superb lawyers who serve its clients with the highest level of professionalism,” Carozza said in a prepared statement.

The new hire also celebrated the move in a post on LinkedIn, writing: “CHANGES! After a great 23+ year run at Selective Insurance Company of America, I will be retiring in December and pursuing a new chapter in my career. I am excited to announce that next month I will be starting a new role as Chief Operating Officer and Of Counsel to one of the finest firms I have had the pleasure to work with as a client for many years: McElroy Deutsch Mulvaney & Carpenter.”