Retired Superior Court Judge Terry Paul Bottinelli is a senior member of the DeCotiis Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Family Law Practice Group. In this capacity, Judge Bottinelli is focused on resolving Matrimonial and other disputes more quickly and efficiently than can be accomplished through traditional litigation in the courts.

Judge Bottinelli was first appointed to the bench as a Municipal Court Judge in 1993 and elevated to the Superior Court in 2011, where he served in the Family Part presiding over thousands of Matrimonial Cases involving complex issues such as Custody and Parenting Time, Spousal Support, Equitable Distribution and the like.

Before ascending to the bench, he was a partner in the Hackensack law firm of Herten, Burstein, Sheridan, Cevasco, Bottinelli, Litt, Toskos and Harz. That firm later merged with the Archer Law firm.

He had presented scores of Civil Jury cases in both the Federal and State Courts and was Certified as a Civil Trial Attorney by the Supreme Court of New Jersey. He was a member of the Castano Plaintiff’s Legal Committee, which spearheaded litigation against Big Tobacco in several states, including California, Louisiana and New Jersey. Those actions resulted in the multi-billion dollar settlements on behalf of the States and litigants and resulted in tobacco advertising bans and restrictions on the sale of tobacco products to minors which continue today.

He was a member of the defense team in the Fen-Phen litigation and had been involved in several nationwide Consumer Class Actions against Gun Manufacturers, as well as automobile manufacturers and other industries.

He has been an Approved Mediator by the New Jersey Supreme Court (R. 1:40), Chair of the Bergen County Arbitrator Selection Committee, Member of the Supreme Court Alternative Dispute Resolution Advisory Committee and continues to serve on the Supreme Court Mediation and Arbitration Committee, where he is Chair of the Subcommittee on Qualifications. He has also served as Chair of the District II B Ethics Committee, the District II B Fee Arbitration Committee and served as a Standing Master in Ethics.

Judge Bottinelli is a frequent presenter for the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, Citizens for Justice - NJ, Institute for Continuing Legal Education, New Jersey Judicial College, New Jersey State Bar Association, Bergen County and Passaic Bar Associations, Rutgers Law School and others.

He is a Master for the Barry Croland North Jersey Inns of Court and the Virginia Long Inns of Court in Hudson County, where he has made many presentations on issues in Family Law.

A former President of both the Bergen County Bar Association and the New Jersey Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, he has also served in many leadership positions of the New Jersey State Bar Association and Bergen County Bar Association; was a member of the New Jersey State Bar Foundation, Bergen County Bar Foundation and the New Jersey Association for Justice.

He had been named as a “Super Lawyer” for many years; received an A-V Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell, was named to several “Who’s Who” publications, received Commendations from the New Jersey Senate, New Jersey Assembly, Bergen County Executive and was recognized in the Congressional Record. He is the recipient of the Seton Hall Law School Rodino Society Award for having demonstrated “compassion, honor and wisdom” as a Jurist.

Andrew J. Cevasco has handled a broad array of matters over his 40-year career, representing businesses and individuals in a variety of transactional matters. Andrew appears regularly in Superior Court in will contests, trust litigation, and probate matters. He prepares Wills, Trusts, and related estate planning documents, and is experienced in the administration of estates and trusts. He also represents clients with regard to guardianship and elder law issues. He has been appointed by the Court to administer estates and to represent minors and allegedly incapacitated persons in both contested and uncontested matters.

Andrew provides a broad range of services to the firm’s commercial clients, including business planning, business formation and dissolution, employment and contract issues, and real estate matters. He has also appeared before the Disciplinary Review Board and the New Jersey Supreme Court to represent attorneys who have been charged with violations of the Rules of Professional Conduct. Andrew represents clients in trials in both the Law and Chancery Divisions of the N.J. Superior Court. He has also argued appeals to the Appellate Division of the New Jersey Superior Court and appeared before the New Jersey Supreme Court.

Andrew is AV Rated by Martindale Hubbell. He is listed by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a mediator and mentor on its Roster of Mediators and also serves as an arbitrator in the New Jersey Superior Court of New Jersey, Bergen County. Throughout his career, Andrew has demonstrated dedication to public service, most recently through his work on the N.J. Supreme Court Committee on Character, which reviews applications for admission to the New Jersey Bar and as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Bergen County Bar Association. Andrew served as President of the Bergen County Bar Association for the 2019-2020 term. He co-chairs the Association’s Professionalism and Estate Planning/Probate Committees. Andrew is a frequent lecturer for the New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education and the National Business Institute in the areas of estate and tax planning, estate litigation, and trusts and ethics.

Jeffrey Fiorello has been engaged in the practice of law since 1997. Jeffrey concentrates his practice in the area of Family Law Mediation, assisting parties in the amicable resolution of their issues concerning Custody, Parenting Time, Spousal Support, Child Support, College Contributions, Distribution of Assets and Debts and related issues. In the past he has handled Family Law Litigation, domestic violence, civil litigation and appeals.

Jeffrey is involved in leadership positions in the New Jersey State Bar Association as well as the Passaic County Bar Association. He served as President of the Passaic County Bar Association, 2011-2012. He continues to serve as a Trustee of that Association and for years served as the Chairperson of its Family Law Section, the Chairperson of its Continuing Legal Education Section and as the Chairperson of the Activities and Social Committee. He is a court-qualified Family Law Mediator.

Jeffrey has extensively lectured and presented at seminars and continuing education programs on Family Law matters and has authored many articles on family law issues. He served as a Judicial Law Clerk to the Honorable Carole Weaver McCracken and the Honorable Ralph L. DeLuccia from 1997 -1998.

Our 122nd and current Immediate Past President, Joseph A. Maurice, has enjoyed a diverse and successful legal career in Bergen County over the past quarter century. Joe’s practice has encompassed everything from the representation of those accused of organized criminal activity to the representation of the NJDEP in ongoing environmental litigation pending in Federal Court. Joe Maurice is an accomplished courtroom attorney who has earned certification as a Civil Trial Attorney by the New Jersey Supreme Court’s Board on Attorney Certification. Joe is a member of the bars of New Jersey, New York, the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, the U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Joe’s roots are through and through Bergen County. He was born and raised in the house that his grandfather built in Fairview--a house that was literally attached to his grandfather’s braidwork factory, a family business that spanned many decades. Joe is a proud graduate of Bergen Catholic High School, a former member of its Board of Directors, and in 2014 his achievements as a distinguished Crusader alumnus were recognized when he was bestowed the Brother Martin P. Burns, C.F.C. Award.

Joe took an academic sojourn out of Bergen County to attend Muhlenberg College and then Pace University School of Law. Even during his law school years, Joe lived at home and interned for the Honorable Bruce A. Gaeta, J.S.C. and also for the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office. Joe made such a favorable impression on Judge Gaeta that when Joe earned his law degree Judge Gaeta practically insisted that Joe be his next--and, Joe maintains, favorite--law clerk.

Joe is a partner with Cohn Lifland Pearlman Herrmann & Knopf LLP. In addition to being thankful for the ongoing support of his partners, Joe will always be grateful to Albert Cohn for the opportunity to practice law with a true luminary in the profession. Joe’s ties to the Bergen County legal community are manifest by his past service as the Borough of Paramus Municipal Prosecutor and as Chair of the New Jersey Supreme Court District IIA Ethics Committee. Joe’s commitment to the profession, and even to the next generation of prospective Bergen County lawyers, is evident in his ongoing service as a judge for the Vincent J. Apruzzese High School Mock Trial Competition.

Joe has also supported the Bergen County Bar Association with tireless efforts to advance our practice. He has moderated continuing legal education seminars, and he has served on its civil practice, criminal practice, municipal court, securities law, membership, judicial selection and bench/bar committees. He also serves as a trustee to the charitable arm of our Bar Association, the Bergen County Bar Foundation, where he succeeded Albert Cohn as the Scholarship Chair. He has also chaired the Foundation’s Mock Trial Program.

Joe’s professional accolades include mention in (201) Magazine's list of Bergen County’s “Top Lawyers.” He has also been included in the list of New Jersey Super Lawyers and was previously named by Super Lawyers as a “Rising Star.” As a result of his success in a class action securities fraud trial, Joe also earned membership in the Million Dollar Advocates Forum.

Ms. O’Shea-Criscione represents both employees and employers in workplace matters. Regarding employees, Ms. O’Shea-Criscione has represented individuals who have been subjected to unlawful workplace conduct including discrimination, harassment, workplace accommodations, claims arising from the Federal and State Medical Leave Acts and retaliation, including claims for whistleblowing under the Conscientious Employee Protection Act. Regarding employers, Ms. O’Shea-Criscione reviews employee handbooks, presents sexual harassment and anti-discrimination in the workplace training, as well as negotiating or enforcing non-compete and non-solicitation provisions. As a member of the bar in New Jersey and New York, Ms. O’Shea-Criscione appears in New Jersey Superior Court and Municipal Court in northern New Jersey and has been chosen one of Bergen’s Top Attorneys by (201) Magazine for three consecutive years (2012-2015).

Ms. O’Shea-Criscione is a trained and R.1:40 qualified mediator for the Statewide Mediation Program for Civil, General Equity, and Probate Cases. She mediates both private and court-appointed disputes. Ms. O’Shea-Criscione is also a Barrister member of the Justice Morris Pashman Inn of Court. Since 1993, Ms. O’Shea-Criscione has been an adjunct professor at Montclair State University, where she teaches undergraduate classes such as “Conflict and Its Resolution,” “Negotiation, Mediation, Arbitration,” “Legal Research,” and “Introduction to Law and the Legal Procedure,” as well as teaching graduate-level classes on negotiation and mediation. Ms. O’Shea-Criscione has made several appearances on New Jersey News 12 as well as WABC in New York regarding workplace issues and has presented numerous seminars on employee rights.

Ms. O’Shea-Criscione believes that careful listening to the needs of a client has earned her a reputation as a tenacious, attentive and assertive advocate. “In employment and discrimination cases, truth is stranger than fiction. People come to us with egregious circumstances, and with hard work, we have proven most effective in our representation of both individuals and corporations.”

Prior to establishing Carcich O’Shea, Ms. O’Shea-Criscione was a partner with Deutsch Atkins, P.C. Before entering private practice, Ms. O’Shea-Criscione served as a Judicial Law Clerk for the Honorable Bruce A. Gaeta, J.S.C. (1992-1993). Ms. O’Shea-Criscione earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Legal Studies from the University of Massachusetts in 1988 and her Juris Doctorate from Pace University School of Law in 1992.

Alexander G. Pappas has tried and litigated to successful conclusion dozens of cases throughout the tri-state area, including 20 of New Jersey’s 21 counties.

Alex has extensive experience litigating a broad array of legal matters. He regularly handles cases involving products liability issues, insurance defense, premises liability and general liability matters, public entity defense, wrongful death, asbestos and toxic tort litigation, wrongful termination, and civil rights suits, as well as complex commercial and contract disputes. Alex also represents professionals, including attorneys, home inspectors, and insurance brokers, against malpractice claims.

Alex often is called on by his clients to conduct insurance fraud investigations and examinations under oath relative to medical providers seeking payment for purported services. Alex also has argued appeals to the New Jersey Appellate Division, and has participated in various forms of alternative dispute resolution, including mediations and arbitrations.

An active member of the New Jersey Bar, Alex recently was re-appointed to the Bergen County Bar Association Committees for Civil Practice and Professionalism in the Law for the 2014-2015 term. He also was re-appointed as a delegate from the Bergen County Bar Association to the New Jersey Bar Association.

Alex graduated from Quinnipiac College School of Law, where he served as an associate editor of the Quinnipiac Law Review and received the Outstanding Academic Achievement Award.

David T. Robertson is a Partner at Harwood Lloyd, LLC in the firm’s Insurance Litigation Department. He specializes in insurance defense litigation, municipal law, arson, and insurance fraud, insurance bad faith defense, legal ethics, and professional responsibility. He is certified by the New Jersey Supreme Court as a Civil Trial Attorney.

Mr. Robertson received his B.A. from Dickinson College, Cum Laude, in 1977. He received his J.D. from St. Louis University School of Law in 1980.

Mr. Robertson served as an Assistant Prosecutor in Bergen County from 1980 through 1984. While there, he served as Grand Jury Chief, Arson Squad Chief, Assistant Trial Chief, and Chief of the Bergen County Narcotics Task Force.

Mr. Robertson was the Chairman of the YMCA of Greater Bergen County and served on their Board from March of 2009 through March of 2016. He is also a Trustee of the Hackensack University Medical Center Foundation. He was appointed by the NJ Supreme Court to serve on the Supreme Court District Ethics Committee for District IIB. He was also appointed by the NJ Supreme Court to serve on the NJ Fee Arbitration Committee and was the Chairman of Bergen District IIB from 2009 to 2010. He is once again serving on the NJ Fee Arbitration Committee.

Mr. Robertson has been named by NJ Super Lawyers® magazine as one of the top attorneys in NJ for 2011-2020. Mr. Robertson has been named in New Jersey Monthly Magazine from 2012 through 2019 as one of New Jersey’s best civil litigators. Mr. Robertson was also named by 201 Magazine in 2013 – 2019 as one of “Bergen’s Best” Attorneys in the fields of Civil Litigation and Insurance law. Mr. Robertson was named in the Wall Street Journal in 2015 as a Top Rated Lawyer and New Jersey Legal Leader. Mr. Robertson has been named as one of Bergen County’s Top Lawyers as chosen by his peers in 2017 and 2020. Mr. Robertson has been named in New York Magazine as a Top Lawyer in the New York Area in 2018.

Mr. Robertson is admitted to practice before the courts of the State of NJ (1980), the United States District Court for the District of NJ (1980), and Washington, D.C. (2014).
Mr. Robertson is a member of the NJ State Bar Association and the Bergen County Bar Association. Mr. Robertson is serving on the Insurance Defense Committee for the NJ State Bar Association from 2017- 2020. He is also serving his second year as the Co-Chair of the Professionalism in the Law Committee of the Bergen County Bar Association, the Co-Chair of the Emergency Professional Assistance Committee, and the Chair of the Buddy System Committee.

Mr. Robertson is designated by the NJ Supreme Court as a Certified Civil Trial Attorney. Certified Civil Trial Attorneys have demonstrated levels of experience, education, knowledge, and skill in civil trial practice as recognized by other attorneys and judges familiar with their work. To attain and maintain this designation involved a written examination and ongoing continuing legal education requirements in civil trial law. Less than 2% of NJ attorneys are certified by the NJ Supreme Court.