Justice LaVecchia brings a deep understanding of litigation and trial strategy and counsels clients through each stage of their legal matters and business disputes. Her extensive knowledge and experience with the appellate process informs trial strategy for the most complex cases, ensuring that potential appellate issues are identified at the earliest possible stage and positioning clients for success. Her regulatory experience likewise provides valuable insight into the complexities and processes of numerous state agencies touching every industry from financial services to healthcare and public utilities. Justice LaVecchia also handles internal investigations and serves as a mediator or arbitrator.
Nominated by Governor Christine Todd Whitman, Justice LaVecchia served for more than 21 years on the New Jersey Supreme Court. During her tenure, she presided over hundreds of cases and authored numerous opinions on critical issues impacting New Jersey’s most prominent industries. On her departure from the bench, her fellow justices cited her extensive knowledge of the intricacies of the state’s governmental laws and agencies.
Before her nomination to the Supreme Court, Justice LaVecchia served as the New Jersey Commissioner of Banking and Insurance, overseeing thousands of insurance companies, banks, and credit unions. Prior to that, she held various leadership positions, including Deputy Chief Counsel in the Office of Counsel to Governor Thomas H. Kean, Chief Administrative Law Judge in New Jersey’s Office of Administrative Law, and Director of the Division of Law within the Department of Law and Public Safety. Justice LaVecchia has presided over hundreds of agency hearings, adding to her extensive knowledge of the inner workings of the state government, on issues ranging from procurement and healthcare to public contracts and utilities. This government experience allows her to help businesses navigate complicated regulatory issues at the state and local levels.
As the longest-serving female justice in New Jersey history, Justice LaVecchia has received numerous awards and honors, including the New Jersey State Bar Foundation Medal of Honor, the New Jersey Women of Achievement Award and the Rutgers Law School Distinguished Alumni Award. She is a member of the Rutgers University Hall of Distinguished Alumni and is elected member of the American Law Institute and a Fellow of the American Bar Association.
