Feldman Shepherd Wohlgelernter Tanner Weinstock Dodig LLP is proud to announce that partnerJohn M. Dodig has been designated as a Certified Civil Trial Attorney by the Supreme Court of New Jersey. To put this rare distinction in perspective, 91,880 attorneys are licensed to practice law in the State of New Jersey in 2014. Only 1,059 of them are Certified Civil Trial Attorneys, representing less than 1.2 percent of the New Jersey Bar.
“We are pleased for John, whose reputation for excellence is now a matter of official record in two states,” said Alan M. Feldman, co-managing partner of Feldman Shepherd.
The Board on Attorney Certification was created in 1980 by the NJ Supreme Court “for the purpose of helping consumers find attorneys who have a recognized level of competence in particular fields of law.” In order to become a Certified Civil Trial Attorney, an attorney must be recognized by their peers as having sufficient skills and reputation in the field of civil litigation, and must expressly meet the following requirements:
An attorney must be a member of the Bar for a minimum of five (5) years and show that they have actively participated in the preparation and trial of numerous litigated matters;
Attorneys must verify that they have completed the mandatory number of trials tried to verdict in the Superior Court of the State of New Jersey, and must fulfill mandated continuing legal education requirements;
An attorney applying for certification must submit references from attorneys and judges which acknowledge and confirm the attorney’s skills, ethics and character;
Finally, attorneys must pass a rigorous written examination which specifically addresses civil trial practice issues and procedures.
“Being certified as a civil trial attorney by the Supreme Court of New Jersey is a great honor,” said Dodig. “I’m proud to be officially counted among the ranks of the top legal practitioners in New Jersey, and I’m pleased to be able to bring that experience to bear in serving our clients at Feldman Shepherd.”
Pursuant to New Jersey Rule 1:39-6(d), only a New Jersey Certified Trial Attorney is permitted to pay a referral fee to a referring attorney without consideration of the amount of work performed by the referring attorney. Non-certified attorneys are limited to payment of referral fees predicated upon the amount of work actually performed by the referring attorney.
An experienced trial attorney who has represented plaintiffs in various types of complex civil litigation, Dodig has obtained multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements on behalf of seriously injured individuals and their families. He also has worked tirelessly to preserve the rights of innocent victims to be compensated fairly for their injuries by advocating to preserve their access to the court system.
Dodig received his Bachelor of Science from Fairleigh Dickinson University, his law degree from Nova University, and an LLM in Trial Advocacy from Temple University. He recently was named among the Top 10 attorneys in Pennsylvania by Super Lawyers, a Thomson Reuters publication.
To learn more information on NJ Board Certification for attorneys, log on tohttp://www.judiciary.state.nj.us/supreme_doc/njbac/
About Feldman Shepherd — Feldman Shepherd Wohlgelernter Tanner Weinstock Dodig LLP has handled cases producing some of the largest verdicts and settlements in Pennsylvania. The firm represents plaintiffs in significant personal injury, class action, and other complex civil litigation. Clients include victims of medical malpractice, defective products, unsafe workplaces, motor vehicle accidents, legal malpractice and insurer misconduct.