LAWYER REFERRAL SERVICE

| | |



135th Annual Installation Dinner Toni Belford Damiano May 3, 2024
The Brownstone, 351 W. Broadway, Paterson, NJ

View All




401 Grand St.
3rd Floor
Paterson NJ 07505

Phone (973)345.4585
Fax (973)279.6015
Email info@passaicbar.org


Law Clerk Bios

2010-2011
PASSAIC VICINAGE
LAW CLERK BIOGRAPHIES

Hon. Donald J. Volkert, Passaic County Assignment Judge

Mindy P. Fox

Mindy P. Fox graduated Fordham Law School cum laude in 2010 and the University of Pennsylvania magna cum laude in 2007.

During law school, she was the Senior Notes & Comments Editor of the Fordham Intellectual Property, Media & Entertainment Law Journal, in which she published a Note, and Chairwoman of the Unemployment Action Center. Her Note won 2nd Place in the International Trademark Association’s 2010 Ladas Memorial Competition.

During law school, she served as a judicial extern to the Honorable Naomi Reice Buchwald, United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. She completed summer internships at a law firm in Manhattan and in the Legal, Compliance, and Audit group at Lehman Brothers. During college, she interned for various corporations including American Express and Alcoa.

Mindy grew up in Wayside, New Jersey, and graduated Ocean Township High School in 2003. She currently lives in New York City with her husband. She enjoys photography and cooking.

Caitlin E. Lane

Caitlin Lane received her B.A. from the University of Wisconsin – Madison in Legal Studies and Communication Arts and her J.D. from Rutgers School of Law – Camden. During law school, she was active in various Moot Court competitions and attended international law programs in China and South Africa. Caitlin also completed an internship with the Honorable Virginia A. Long of the New Jersey Supreme Court and worked as a law clerk for a personal injury firm and the pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk.



Hon Margaret Mary McVeigh, Presiding Judge, Chancery Division

Eric Reiser

I received my BA from the University of Michigan studying Political Science and Film. I then attended Rutgers School of Law-Newark and received my JD from there in May of 2010. I currently work for Judge McVeigh in the Chancery-General Equity Division. I am a cinema enthusiast and plan to practice law in either Commercial, Bankruptcy, or Entertainment litigation.



Hon. Judge Marilyn C. Clark, Presiding Judge, Criminal Division

Pierre Leandre

My undying interest in the practice of law was not only fueled by my desire to help my family, but also by the struggles that minorities go through, caused in part by the modern social stereotyping of ethnicities. Growing up, I witnessed the anticipated failure of the African- American youth due to affliction with drugs, the negligible attitude towards education, or even gang affiliations, and I knew that this was not the future for me. Because of countless efforts on my mother’s behalf in providing perpetual support and inspiration, I always knew that I was destined to have a bright future. I was meant to rise above these struggles and succeed, putting myself in a position to help my community, my family, and to contribute to the dismantling of social stereotypes. This is what drives me today, what motivated me to work hard as a law student, and what will continue to drive and inspire me as a lawyer.

Indeed, that drive continued and shined brightly in all of my prior work expereinces. While in law school, I interned at the Essex County Prosecutor's Office (Trial & Appellate Sections), the Law Department for the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey (Department of Litigation & Corporate Securities), and the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey (the Honorable Patty Shwartz, U.S.M.J.). I further joined a clinic, aptly entitled the Community Law Clinic, which focused on providing legal knowledge, assistance, and representation to the less fortunate. Currently, I clerk for the Honorable Marilyn C. Clark, Presiding Judge of the Criminal Division for the Superior Court in Passaic County, New Jersey. All of these aforementioned experiences reassured my passion for public service and showed me different avenues in advocating justice.

My calling in life is public service - to be an ambassador of justice. With that said, I am confident that my position as a public servant will serve as a beacon of light to many troubled minorities, moreover the American youth, who feel stigmatized by not only the paralyzing effects of sterotypes, but also by regressive effects of society in general. I am confident I can provide them with the requiste inspiration they need to rise above these obstacles and make something of themselves, like I did. As a future U.S. Attorney and federal judge, that will be undying mission.

By way of background, I obtained both a Bachlor of Arts in Political Science and a Master of Arts in Public Policy at SUNY Stony Brook. I received my Juris Doctorate from Rutgers University School of Law in Newark. I grew up in Hollis, Queens, NY and currently reside in Newark, NJ. My immediate family, which consists of my mother, father, and my two older sisters, lives in Queens, NY.



Hon. Thomas F. Brogan, Presiding Judge, Civil Division

Adam W. Gross

Adam Welsh Gross graduated from Thomas Jefferson School Law in 2010. Adam received his Bachelors Degree in Marketing from the University of Connecticut in 2006. In 2007, Adam founded and ran Welsh-Gross Surfboards, where he designed and manufactured custom surfboards.

During law school, Adam was an active member of the Surfing Law Association and the Environmental Law Society. While in law school, he interned at the Law Offices of Steven T. Cummings and the Law Offices of Craig Allen Klein. Adam grew up in Weston, Connecticut, and graduated from Weston High School in 2002. He currently lives in Hoboken, New Jersey.



Hon. Ernest M. Caposela, Presiding Judge, Family Division

Jennifer Reimers

I worked for one month as the Judge’s clerk in the criminal division. My transition from criminal law clerk to family law clerk not yet complete. I anticipate assisting the Judge with matrimonial and non-matrimonial dissolutions, domestic violence cases and some juvenile cases. In my one-month tenure as a criminal law clerk, she drafted memorandums and orders and researched criminal law issues.

I graduated from the University of California at Davis in 2002 with degrees in Political Science and History. After graduation, I worked in Los Angeles in the private sector doing market research and analysis and in the public sector as a political intern and campaign volunteer. In 2007, I returned to academia and began law school at Syracuse University. In school, I worked as a research assistant for Professor Aviva Abramovsky, who focuses on insurance and contract law and Professor Sanjay Chhablani, who focuses on criminal law and the criminal justice system.

I was born and raised in Los Angeles, California where my parents, Jerre and Sally, still live. At the completion of I clerkship, Jennifer plans to pursue a career in either appellate work or real estate transactions on the east cost.



Hon. Greta Gooden Brown, J.S.C..

Damien L. Bevelle

Name: Damien L. Bevelle
Hometown: Queens, NY
Current City: Newark, NJ
Undergraduate School: Hampton University, Hampton, VA
Law School: Seton Hall University School of Law
Honors/Awards: Distinguished Scholar, Constitutional Law Scholar, Student Bar Association Senator, Pres. of Black Law Students Association.
Areas of Interest: Constitutional Law, Educational Policy, International Law/Human Rights



Hon. Miguel A. de la Carrera, J.S.C..

Nabil A. Adawi

Nabil A. Adawi is a recent graduate of Seton Hall School of Law, and is currently clerking for the Honorable Miguel de la Carrera of the Superior Court of New Jersey, Family Division. Nabil has expressed an interest in pursuing a career in Intellectual Property, and has worked as a patent prosecution extern at the New Jersey Institute of Technology and as a summer associate with Kenyon and Kenyon, LLP. He is also furthering his career in Intellectual Property as he is currently studying for the patent registration exam. Nabil was also active in the Seton Hall Law community as he served as the president of the Muslim Law Student Association, treasurer of the Intellectual Property Law Association, and as a member of the Dean’s Diversity Council. Moreover, he contributed to Seton Hall’s Pro Bono Program as a student teacher for NJLEEP and as an intern with the Center for Social Justice’s Urban Revitalization Project.



Hon. Ralph L. DeLuccia, Jr. J.S.C..

Kelly Graziano

Kelly Graziano was raised in Butler, New Jersey. She graduated Butler High School in 2003. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in History and Political Science from Ramapo College of New Jersey in 2007. In 2010 she received her J.D. from Seton Hall. Kelly has interned in Essex County with the Law Guardian’s Office and in Passaic County with the Prosecutor’s Office. In her free time she enjoys reading, hiking with her husband and cooking.



Hon. Joseph A. Falcone, J.S.C.

Scott DeRosa

Scott DeRosa was raised in Verona, N.J., graduating high school from Montclair Kimberly Academy. He attended The College of New Jersey where he received his Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice in 2003. Scott earned his J.D. from Barry University School of Law where he received a certification in Family Law. In his free time, Scott is an avid football (NY Giants) and baseball (NY Yankees) fan.



Hon. Richard M. Fried, J.S.C.

Alina Grigoryeva

Born in Kishinev, Moldova. Immigrated to the United States in 1991 at the age of 6. Lived in Queens, NY for 12 years until moving to Brooklyn, NY in 2002. Attended William C. Bryant HS. Received a B.A. at the College of Arts and Science of New York University. Obtained a J.D. at the City University of New York Law School, where she was a staff member at the New York Law Review and actively participated in the Elder Law Clinic involved in Mental Health Article 81 guardianship proceedings.



Hon. Nestor F. Guzman, J.S.C.

Jabeen Reza

Jabeen Reza grew up in North Jersey and graduated from the New Jersey Institute of Technology with a Bachelors of Science in Applied Physics. After completing this seemingly unrelated undergraduate degree, she began her legal career as a paralegal at Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy in Iselin, NJ. In May 2010 she received her J.D. from American University, Washington College of Law (WCL) in Washington D.C. While at WCL, Jabeen competed in two Mock Trial Honors Society competitions, was a member of the Journal of Gender, Social Policy and the Law, and actively involved in the Immigrants’ Rights Coalition. As a member of the International Human Rights Law Clinic, Immigrants’ Rights Division, Jabeen spent her third year of law school in preparation of a deportation hearing she argued before the Arlington Immigration Court in Arlington, Virginia.



Hon Jared Honigfeld, J.S.C. and Hon. Ronnie Jo Siegal

Mark Bunbury

Mark Bunbury originally clerked for Judge Michael K. Diamond, presiding judge of the Family Division, until his retirement. Currently, he is the law clerk for the Honorable Jared Honigfeld of the Civil Division but also assists the Honorable Ronnie Jo Siegal in the Family Division as well.

Mark is from Long Pond, PA but, lived in Jersey City, NJ until 1998. He attended the Pennsylvania State University in University Park, PA for his undergraduate degree. While there, he earned a B.A. in Political Science, with distinction, along with two minors in French and African American Studies. After attending college, he took a year off from school and worked as a sales associate and customer relations manager at Major Hyundai-Mitsubishi of Stroudsburg, PA.

Mark attended law school at the University of North Carolina School of Law in Chapel Hill, NC. While there, he served as an editor of the University of North Carolina Law Review, an Honors Writing Scholar, and as Vice President of the Black Law Students Association. In addition, he spent a semester in Lyon, France, studying French Constitutional and Civil Law. Mark graduated from the University of North Carolina with honors, in the Spring of 2010. As he is still pursuing which particular field of law he wants to focus on, he is excited for the opportunity to work in several divisions of the Superior Court and looks forward to learning more about the practice of law and the inner-workings of the court system.



Hon. Thomas J. LaConte, J.S.C.

Julie B. Dorfman

Ms. Julie Dorfman received her J.D., cum laude, from Seton Hall University School of Law in May 2010. During her time at Seton Hall, she served as Gressman Director of the Appellate Advocacy Moot Court Board. As Gressman Director, Ms. Dorfman was responsible for every aspect of Seton Hall’s Eugene Gressman Moot Court Competition, in which 132 students participated in six rounds of oral argument presided over by more than ninety-five practicing attorneys, professors, and judges. Prior to becoming Gressman Director, Ms. Dorfman participated in the Gressman Competition where she finished as a semi-finalist and was awarded Runner-up Best Respondent Brief. Ms. Dorfman was also a member of Seton Hall’s Interscholastic Moot Court Board. While representing Seton Hall in the 2010 Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition, she was awarded Third Place Team in the Eastern Regional. Ms. Dorfman also served as a member of Seton Hall’s Legislative Journal and participated in the Civil Litigation Clinic. During her summers in law school, Ms. Dorfman was a summer associate at Critchley, Kinum & Vazquez, LLC and research assistant to Professor Charles Sullivan.

Ms. Dorfman received her B.S. in International Business from the University of Maryland in 2007. At Maryland, she was on the Dean’s List and was a member of the Golden Key National Honors Society and Primannum Honors Society.



Hon. Bruno Mongiardo, J.S.C.

Jennifer Lee

Jennifer received her J.D. and a Certificate in Health Law from Saint Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri. During law school, she was an editor for the Saint Louis University Law Journal, a teaching assistant and competitor for the Moot Court Team, and served as the Vice- President of the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association (APALSA). Also during law school, Jennifer volunteered her time to the City of St. Louis Board of Aldermen, where she assisted in drafting new legislation. Jennifer also received a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor (Go Blue!). Despite having attended college and law school in the mid-West, Jennifer grew up in New Jersey and currently resides in Fort Lee. In her spare time, when she is not planning for her December wedding, Jennifer enjoys traveling, reading, golfing, and running with her puppy, Piggy.



Hon Joseph A. Portelli, J.S.C. .

J. Matthew Johnson

Matt Johnson grew up in Fuquay-Varina, NC. After obtaining a B.S. in Textile Technology from NC State University, he worked at NC State University for six years, primarily as a University Development Officer with the NC State Alumni Association. His primary responsibility was managing a grassroots fundraising campaign for the new Park Alumni Center at NC State which ultimately raised over three million dollars.

After starting his legal education at the Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law at Campbell University in North Carolina, he transferred to Seton Hall University School of Law, where he obtained a J.D. with a concentration in Intellectual Property. While at Seton Hall, he was a member of the National Mock Trial Team for two years, a community law instructor with NJ LEEP for two years, a member of the Public Interest Network, a member of the Litigation Society, a member of the Intellectual Property Law Association, and a member of Phi Alpha Delta. While pursuing his legal education, he worked as a summer associate for Patrick, Harper, & Dixon LLP in Hickory, NC, as a summer intern with the Office of the Federal Public Defender in Newark, and as an extern with the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. In his spare time, he enjoys following NC State Wolfpack sports and pursuing his F.A.A. Private Pilot license. He and his wife Rebecca, a lawyer with King & Spalding LLP in Manhattan, currently reside in Hoboken and are expecting their first son in December.



Hon. Raymond A. Reddin, J.S.C..

Kelly M. Walsh

I graduated from Montclair State University in 2006 with a Bachelor of Science degree with a concentration in economics and a minor in international studies. I was employed by Porzio, Bromberg, & Newman, P.C. as a tax paralegal and a corporate paralegal. Upon leaving Porzio, I worked as an employment law paralegal at Resnick & Nirenberg, P.C. I received my J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law in May of 2010.



Hon. George F. Rohde, Jr.

Daniel Debski

Daniel Debski emigrated from Poland at the beginning of his second grade, in 1992. He grew up in Haskell NJ. Mr. Debski attended St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark NJ. He went on to study Political Science and European History at the College of the Holy Cross, in Worcester MA. During his last semester at Holy Cross, he interned for a NJ Congressman on Capitol Hill. Daniel earned his J.D. from the City University of New York School of Law. During summers in college, Daniel interned for Celentano, Stadtmauer, and Walentowicz. He then went on to intern for Judge Rohde during his two summers in law school. Daniel is also fluent in Polish.



Hon. Gary S. Rothstadt, J.S.C.

Ola Akache

Ola Akache, originally from Miami, Florida, earned her B.A. in Political Science with a minor in International Relations from Florida International University. Shortly after graduating, she worked as a student advisor in a private company that provided online business and computer courses to the military. Desiring to spend time abroad prior to starting law school, she traveled to Paris, France, where she lived for six months while studying French at the Sorbonne. She earned her J.D. in May 2010 from Rutgers University School of Law - Newark.



Hon. John E. Selser III, J.S.C.

Katherine Ziemba

Born and raised in New York City, Katherine attended Barnard College, earning her B.A. in 1992. She then worked in the music industry for several years, before relocating to the West Coast and ultimately earning her M.B.A. in Marketing in 1997 from the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California. Katherine worked in Silicon Valley and Los Angeles for several years, in marketing positions with companies including Intel Corporation and Clear Channel.

Ultimately, however, she returned home to the East Coast in 2004 and decided on a career change shortly thereafter, to follow in the footsteps of the many attorneys in her family. Katherine earned her J.D at Rutgers School of Law-Newark, graduating in January 2010. During law school, Katherine interned at the NYPD's Legal Bureau, the Division of Law of the New Jersey Attorney General's office, and with Judge Eugene Austin in Bergen County. Katherine served as interim Law Clerk for Judge Ronny Jo Siegal from May to August 2010 and is excited about her clerkship with Judge John Selser this year.

Katherine is married and has a nearly three-year-old daughter. She and her family also have four dogs and four cats, all of which are rescues.





Login
Password

Forgot Password?
New Member?