John R. Lanza
John R. Lanza is an accomplished trial lawyer with over three decades of experience, focusing his practice on civil and criminal litigation, municipal and land use law. In addition to representing his individual and corporate clients, Mr. Lanza is the Law Director of the City of South Amboy and the City of Lambertville's Special Labor Counsel. He has been certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Civil Trial Attorney since 1990 and by the National Board of Trial Advocacy since 1998. Mr. Lanza has served as President of the Hunterdon County Bar Association (1997-1998) and Chairman of the New Jersey Supreme Court District XIII Ethics Committee (2003-2004). He is the managing Partner of a full-service, general practice with offices in Flemington and South Plainfield, New Jersey.
Areas of Practice
- General Litigation
- Government/Cities/Municipalities
- Criminal Defense
Certified Legal Specialties
- Civil Trial Attorney, Certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy, 1998
- Civil Trial Attorney, Certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey; recertified in 1997, 1990
Bar Admissions
- New Jersey, 1975
- U.S. District Court District of New Jersey, 1975
- U.S. Supreme Court, 1986
- U.S. Court of Appeals 3rd Circuit, 1988
Education
- Seton Hall University School of Law, Newark, New Jersey
- J.D. - January, 1975
- University of Virginia School of Law, Charlottesville, Virginia
- Honors: Participated in the Sixth Annual Institute of Trial Advocacy, Jan 2 - Jan 10, 1987
- Honors: Participated in the Eleventh Annual Institute of Trial Advocacy, Jan 3 - Jan 11, 1992
- Honors: Participated in the Nineteenth Annual Institute of Trial Advocacy, Jan 7 - Jan 15, 2000
- Seton Hall University, South Orange, New Jersey
- B.A. - June, 1971
- Major: English
Representative Cases
- Lamerio v. West New York Bd. of Ed., 136 N.J. Super. 585 (Law Div. 1985)
- Zyck v. Hartford Ins. Group, , 143 N.J. Super. 580 (Law Div. 1976), rev'd. in part, 150 N.J. Super. 431 (App. Div. 1977), cert. den., 75 N.J. 521 (1977)
- Nieder v. First Federal and Loan Assoc., 163 N.J. Super. 308 (App. Div. 1978)
- Sciascia v. American Ins. Co., 183 N.J. Super. 352 (Law Div. 1982), affd. 189 N.J. Super. 236 (App. Div. 1983)
- P.B.A. Local 174 v. Bridgewater Twp., 196 N.J. Super. 258 (App. Div. 1984)
- Sarzillo v. Turner Const. Co., 198 N.J. Super. 29 (App. Div. 1984), rev'd., 101 N.J. 236 (1985)
- Chipps v. Newmarket Condo. Ass'n., 228 N.J. Super. 144 (Law Div. 1988)
- Bass v. Attardi, 868 F. 2d. 45 (3rd Cir. 1989)
- Shevlin v. Prudential, 256 N.J. Super. 691 (Law Div. 1991)
- Kentopp v. Franklin Mut. Ins Co., 293 N.J. Super. 66 (App. Div. 1996)
- O'Rourke v. City of Lambertville et al , 405 N.J. Super. 8 (App. Div. 2008)
Classes/Seminars
- Special Presenter, Supreme Court of N.J., District XIII Ethics Committee
- Seminar "Auto Cost Reduction Act; Can We Live With It?", Association of Trial Lawyers of American, N.J., February 27, 1999
Professional Associations and Memberships
- Member, American Trial Lawyers Association, New Jersey, (Board of Governors, 1990-2000)
- Member, Trial Attorneys of New Jersey
- Member, New Jersey State Bar Association
- Member, Hunterdon County Bar Association, Trustee, 1998; President, 1997 - 1998; President-Elect, 1996 -1997; Vice President, 1995 -1996; Treasurer, 1993 - 1995; Coordinator, Moot Trial Court Competition, 1983 - 1984
- The Joseph Halpern American Inn of Court, Master of the Bench; Treasurer/Secretary, 1994 - 1997
- Faculty Member, Advanced Trial Academy, Association of Trial Lawyers of America - New Jersey, Fall, 1990 and 1992
- Member, N. J. Supreme Court, District XIII Ethics Committee, (Hunterdon, Somerset & Warren Counties); Sept 2000 - Aug 2004; (Vice-Chair, 2002 - 2003; Chair, 2003 - 2004)
- New Jersey Super Lawyers, Nominated and selected as a New Jersey Super Lawyer in 2008 and 2009
Past Employment Positions
- Lanza & Lanza, LLP, Partner and Attorney at Law, 2005 - Present
- Thatcher & Lanza, Partner and Attorney at Law, 1983 - 2005
- City of South Amboy, New Jersey, Law Director - Legal advisor to the Mayor, Council and all City Departments., January 1, 1987 - Present
- City of South Amboy, New Jersey, Special Legal Counsel - Represents the City and its governing body in the development of the City's waterfront, zoning matters and land use litigation, January 1, 1987 - Present
- Winget, Keating, Thatcher & Lanza, Partner and Attorney at Law, January 1, 1978 - March 31, 1983
- Winget & Keating Law Offices, Associate and Attorney at Law, 1975 - 1977
- Robert J. Casulli, Esquire, Attorney at Law, 1975
- Robert J. Casulli, Esquire, Law Clerk, 1971 - 1975
Pro Bono Activities
- Lector, St. John the Evangelist Church, Lambertville, N.J., 1985 - 1997
- Manager, South Hunterdon Little League, Flemington, N.J., 1988 - 1989
- Trustee, South Hunterdon Little League, Flemington, N.J., 1989 - 1990
- Volunteer in Probation, Hunterdon County Probation Department, Flemington, N.J., 1981 - 1983
- Trustee, Women's Crisis Center, Flemington, N.J., 1985 - 1986
