Murphy chief counsel to leave post for Lowenstein Sandler

Daniel J. Munoz//September 16, 2020

Matt Platkin, who serves as the chief counsel for Gov. Phil Murphy’s office, will leave his post next month for a position at the law firm Lowenstein Sandler LLP.

An announcement for his successor will be made “in the coming weeks,” reads a Wednesday evening statement from the governor’s office.

As chief counsel, Platkin – who was ranked No. 1 on NJBIZ’s Law Power 50 for 2020 – played a key role in drafting the myriad of executive orders in March that imposed restrictions on business and travel in New Jersey in an effort to halt, or at least slow, the spread of COVID-19.

Matt Platkin, chief counsel to Gov. Phil Murphy — Platkin is chief counsel to Gov. Phil Murphy and served as policy director during his gubernatorial campaign. In 2013, he worked on the campaign team of New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker. – NJBIZ FILE PHOTO

“From promoting commonsense gun safety to guaranteeing paid sick leave to reforming our criminal justice system, we’ve made meaningful progress to improve the lives of every New Jerseyan,” Platkin said Wednesday.

Former New Jersey attorney general Chris Porrino, who held the position during Republican Gov. Chris Christie’s time in office and also served as his chief counsel, is a partner at Lowenstein Sandler. Matthew Boxer, who served as state comptroller under former Gov. Jon Corzine, a Democrat, and Christie, is also a partner at the firm.

The politically connected law firm was tapped by the Murphy administration for representation during the Katie Brennan sexual assault scandal. And, it represented the Andover Subacute and Rehabilitation facilities following an outbreak of COVID-19 that claimed the lives of over a dozen elderly residents in April.

Over the summer, Rutgers University contracted Lowenstein Sandler to investigate allegations of abuse in its softball program.