Omar A. Bareentto | McCarter & English, LLP

Omar Bareentto represents individuals and businesses in the resolution of a wide variety of corporate disputes. He has prosecuted and defended claims involving breach of contract, fraud, shareholder oppression, breach of fiduciary duty, and federal and state securities laws claims. Active in both state and federal courts, Omar’s recent experience includes his role as a member of the McCarter litigation teams: representing a privately-held wastewater treatment company and several principals in state and federal court shareholder actions asserting breach of fiduciary duty and fraud related claims; defense of a leading healthcare provider in a New Jersey federal court action seeking damages for the alleged improper termination of a contemplated substance abuse venture; defending a financial technology entrepreneur and related entities in a New Jersey state court action asserting breach of contract, misappropriation and fraud related claims; and local counsel to an international pharmaceutical company in multiple New Jersey federal securities class actions.

In addition to his work as a litigator, Omar is a registered Government Affairs Agent in New Jersey and, as a member of McCarter’s Government Affairs group, regularly advises on regulations, helps draft legislation, and represents clients in bid protest actions, challenges to certification denials and other administrative law proceedings.

In law school, Omar was appointed a Governor’s Fellow with the Eagleton Institute of Politics. He was a Minority Student Program Teaching Fellow and tutored students in contracts law. He received a certificate in Corporate and Business Law from the Rutgers Center for Corporate Law and Governance.

In the community, Omar serves and has served as Director of the Garden State Bar Association, Trustee of the New Jersey Muslim Lawyers Association, Board Member of Wynona’s House Child Advocacy Center, Schools That Can, Leadership Council of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Essex, Hudson & Union County and the Islamic Society of Essex County. Omar is a founding member of “The Collective” – a professional group of nearly 20 African American male attorneys – created to promote community service, business development, and mentorship among attorneys of color in large New Jersey law firms and in-house departments.

Representative Matters

Defended a property management company and its principal against federal securities fraud claims as well as pendant state law claims filed by bondholders in connection with a twice-failed municipal bond transaction involving a student housing project for a community college.

Secured the dismissal of an election contest brought by a defeated mayoral candidate who lost an election to our client. The dismissal followed a win at the preliminary injunction stage which allowed our client take office.

Representing a pharmacy in a bid protest against a public hospital issuing pharmacological services to patients.

Represented a woman-owned company seeking to be certified as a Minority/Women Business Enterprise and secured a victory on appeal before the New Jersey Department of the Treasury, Division of Revenue.

Secured a critical appellate victory before the New Jersey Supreme Court on behalf of the widow of a New Jersey public school teacher whose request to modify her husband’s retirement application after his death from cancer was denied by the Teachers’ Pension and Annuity Fund. At stake in this case were thousands of dollars in monthly benefits that would be denied to our client and her children due to her husband having selected the “early retirement” option on his application before passing away only two months short of the 25 years required for “early retirement” eligibility. In its ruling in our client’s favor, the New Jersey Supreme Court agreed that neither membership nor approval of a retirement application was required to permit an employee or his or her surviving spouse to seek modification of a retirement selection, so long as he or she was able to demonstrate good cause, reasonable grounds, and diligence. Thus, the court held that our client was entitled to a remand for the opportunity to demonstrate these three elements in support of her modification request.

Memberships & Affiliations