The New Jersey Commission on Professionalism in the Law and the New Jersey Defense Association have recognized Edward J. Fanning, Jr. of McCarter & English as a 2015 Professional Lawyer of the Year.
The NJDA – the state’s leading organization of civil defense trial attorneys – and the Commission – a cooperative venture of the New Jersey State Bar Association, the state and federal judiciary and New Jersey’s three law schools – honored Fanning for his professionalism, competence, ethical conduct, leadership and demeanor. Fanning, who is chair of the law firm’s Products Liability Practice Group, received the award at a luncheon on Oct. 29.
At the luncheon, State Supreme Court Justice Barry T. Albin called the honorees “a true array of stars … who have ennobled our profession and make us proud to be lawyers.”
Fanning recently completed a three-year term as the state’s representative to the Defense Research Institute (DRI) – the leading nationwide organization of the defense bar – and is a past resident and member of the board of the NJDA. He focuses on the defense of claims against manufacturers and sellers of pharmaceuticals, medical devices, consumer and industrial products.
Resident in the firm’s Newark office, Fanning routinely represents manufacturers and sellers in the state and federal courts of New Jersey and New York, among other jurisdictions. He also defends against class action lawsuits brought under various states’ consumer protection statutes, and has performed extensive appellate work in federal and state courts.
Fanning is closely associated with significant decisions in major products liability cases, including a recent jury verdict for his client in the first trial in its metal-on-metal hip product multi-district litigation.
“This richly deserved recognition reflects what his clients and colleagues already knew about Ed,” said Stephen M. Vajtay, Jr., managing partner of McCarter & English. “He is the consummate legal professional who is committed to vigorous advocacy on behalf of his clients, as well as to a just and fair system of justice.”
Fanning, a 1994 cum laude graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center and a 1991 magna cum laude graduate of Boston College, lives in Scotch Plains, N.J.