Hon. Garry S. Rothstadt (Ret.) expands the firm’s ADR services after having proudly served for over twenty years as a judge in the Superior Court of New Jersey.

Experience

Judge Rothstadt is committed to assisting attorneys and their clients achieve immediate results in an efficient and timely manner. Since retiring from the bench to join Cole Schotz, Judge Rothstadt’s practice has been concentrated on resolving disputes through mediation and arbitration as alternatives to litigation. The judge has engaged in an active mediation practice, addressing all types of complex cases, including contract litigation, probate matters, commercial lease, land use and construction disputes, as well as discrimination claims, including claims against government entities.

The judge serves as a mediator with the United States District Court of NJ’s mediation program for civil litigation, the American Arbitration Association’s panel of mediators, and as an arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association’s Roster of Commercial Arbitrators and its Judicial Panel. In addition to his ADR practice, Judge Rothstadt has been assisting attorneys develop strategy for pending litigated matters, including appeals.

Judicial Acumen & Unwavering Integrity

Judge Rothstadt brings to the ADR table the vast experience and knowledge he gained from his prestigious twenty-one-year tenure on the bench. During his last nine years with the court, Judge Rothstadt was assigned to the court’s Appellate Division, deciding appeals from all of the state’s trial courts and administrative agencies. During this time, the judge authored hundreds of opinions, addressing all areas of the law, some of which were published by the court.

Previously, Judge Rothstadt sat as a trial judge in Passaic County, serving three years in the court’s Criminal Division, three years in the Family Division, and six years in the Civil Division. The judge was also called upon to handle cases assigned to General Equity and the court’s Probate Part.

Before his appointment to the bench, Judge Rothstadt graduated from Rutgers Law School-Newark, where he was a co-recipient of the school’s award for most promising trial attorney. He then served as a law clerk to Hon. Joseph L. Conn in both the family and civil parts of the Superior Court. Afterward, he became an associate with Cole, Geaney, Yamner and Byrne, in Paterson, NJ where he primarily worked on business and family cases, as well as real estate matters. The judge left that practice with others in 1987 to form a new firm that eventually became Bray, Chiocca, Rothstadt & Miller, with offices first in Wayne and then Parsippany, NJ. While a member of that firm, Judge Rothstadt focused his practice on business litigation, including trying cases throughout the state.

Networks & Affiliations

While an attorney, Judge Rothstadt was an active member of the Passaic County Bar Association and was elected president of that organization in 1997. Judge Rothstadt has also maintained his membership in the American Bar Association and New Jersey State Bar Association.

In addition to his positions as an attorney and a member of the judiciary, Judge Rothstadt served as a visiting instructor at Rutgers Law School-Newark. For over fifteen years, he has assisted in teaching a course in trial presentation. The judge has also served as a member of the New Jersey Supreme Court’s Evidence and Special Civil Part Committees. Over the years, he has also been an instructor for the New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education and other professional organizations.