Who Are Cullen Law NJ?
Cullen Law is a law firm in order to focus on two areas of the law: family law and criminal matters. The firm was opened in the 1980’s by David A. Cullen, who grew up in Woodbridge and remained in New Jersey during his studies at Rutgers College in Newark before graduating from Seton Hall School of Law in 1983. At first, he worked as a law clerk for Judge Richard O’Leary in the Superior Court of Woodbridge before being admitted to practice law in 1984.
After Cullen, the firm was joined by Jeffrey J. Mandell. Mandell grew up in Maplewood before getting his Bachelor’s in Politics from the University of California at Santa Barbra in 1988 (and then his Juris Doctor from Seton Hall School of Law like his partner). He is a family law attorney who has held several different positions and jobs in the area’s bar associations over the years , including serving on the New Jersey State Bar Association’s family law section.
Through this process, Cullen Law has gained experience. Its family lawyers are skilled litigators, at-home with settlement conferences and court proceedings, while the firm’s family law attorneys will help clients try to avoid any such proceedings if at all possible. In addition to family law, the firm also handles criminal matters and area of particular knowledge and expertise for its staff — who have done everything from employment with the Public Defender’s Office to work with municipal courts to being prosecutors in local municipalities.
Cullen Law NJ Practice Areas
Cullen Law specializes in a number of practice areas. The firm’s family law practice in New Jersey covers what can best be generally described as matters that relate to the family. This includes divorce, child support, custody, parenting time, alimony, equitable distribution, temporary NJ Restraining Orders, final Restraining Orders, adoption, simple wills, powers of attorney, living wills and cohabitation agreements. When it comes to divorce, Ms. Michielli is certified as a matrimonial law attorney by the Supreme Court of New Jersey. This means that she has proven herself to be an expert practitioner in the field of family law and divorce. She has earned this designation through an extensive application process, references from other attorneys, a successful passing of the family law examination and many years representing clients in divorce and family cases.
In addition to family/divorce law, the firm also represents clients throughout New Jersey in criminal matters involving everything from minor traffic offenses and municipal court cases to serious indictable matters involving serious drugs and weapons crimes. We defend against serious criminal charges such as drunk driving and domestic violence. These crimes all have lengthy potential prison sentences if convicted and are very serious matters that require an attorney knowledgeable in criminal practice.
Cullen Law provides legal representation in real estate matters throughout the state of New Jersey. The firm represents clients in real estate transactions both residential and commercial throughout the state. Often times real estate matters involve a title search of property and representation in front of the city or township’s Zoning Board seeking a variance on a property.
In addition to these core practice areas the firm also takes cases dealing with fraud, and unfair and deceptive trade practices under New Jersey’s Consumer Fraud Act.
Cullen Law NJ Reputation and Customer Reviews
The reputation of Cullen Law within the legal community is a testament to our commitment to achieving the best possible outcomes for our clients. Many of our clients have expressed their gratitude for our effective advocacy. Here are just a few examples:
"Not only was Mr. Cullen professional and caring, he fought hard for our case and through his diligence and extensive research, he won. I highly recommend him."
"On behalf of my family and I, I would like to thank you for the remedies your office provided to my family with a successful outcome against Wells Fargo bank. Your firm is very proficient in its business and follows all guidelines and expectations throughout the case."
"My experience with Cullen Law Group has been wonderful every time I had to contact their office. Their level of service is extraordinary as all employees are kind, quick to respond, and helpful."
These testimonials underscore why Cullen Law has earned a strong reputation among those who have been fortunate enough to experience our services.
About the Internal Team at Cullen Law Legal Practitioners
Cullen Law is home to a wide range of legal experts, each with a dedicated focus and a wealth of experience in their chosen fields. With a strategic partner-led team approach to all cases, Cullen Law combines a diversity of experiences and expertise to achieve the best results for their clients. Because the firm believes that personal commitment to a case is vital to success, your attorney will originally accept the matter. However, when necessary for the efficient handling of the case, the firm may involve other attorneys in the process. If this occurs, it does not involve additional legal fees; these attorneys bill the firm at their regular billing rates. • Andrew G. DiGregorio is associated with the firm. • Peter W. Cullen leads the Municipal, Redevelopment and Litigation Group. • Christopher J. Bruno leads the Land Use and Zoning Group. • Christopher L. Wynne leads the Redevelopment and Title Groups. • Henry S. Shim leads the Tax, Eminent Domain, and Condemnation Groups. • Sarah E. Turk leads the Environmental Group. • Janet M. Apeiron leads the Trusts & Estates group. • Carolyn P. Neuberger leads the Family Law Group. • John M. Hayden leads the General Municipal and Litigation. • Fareed K. Nadar leads the Litigation Group. • Jennifer MacRae is associated with the firm. The firm also actively uses the expertise of Of Counsel attorneys who are well-respected in their fields, including seasoned and highly experienced trial attorneys. The firm also draws upon the expertise of outside consultants who are highly regarded in their fields. The support services of the firm include: law clerks, experienced paralegals, secretarial staff and information systems personnel who are dedicated to providing the firm’s attorneys and clients with the technological support they need.
How to Connect with New Jersey Cullen Law
There are several ways in which one can engage our firm for a case. To begin, many of our clients find us through referral and will provide us with a referral from another attorney or a close friend. In those situations, we will have an initial conversation with the potential client, determine whether the case is a matter which we will accept and we will then schedule a consultation. During the consultation we will discuss the facts of the case with the new client and any issues which may be present. Once it is determined that we will take the case an engagement agreement (aka retainer agreement or contract) is provided. We will also provide the client our statement of policy and procedures.
We quickly learned early on in our opening of our New Jersey office , that it was in everyone’s best interest for new clients to retain us right away. Seeing that we have a substantial financial investment in a matter, we know that it is often difficult or impossible for a client to retain a law firm once they have commenced a lawsuit. In this digital world, this is not as big of a hurdle as it once was for both parties. We have adopted the same practices for all cases we accept. Full transparency on litigation matters.
Cullen Law does not require a consultation or signing the engagement agreement in order to move forward. We have accepted cases over the phone before. From that point we often request our new clients to take a video conference and sign documents via email. If that is not feasible, we often send our clients documentation through via expedited commercial shipping services.
Recent Cases & Wins of Cullen Law
Cullen Law has prided itself on offering stellar, creative counsel and aggressive representation for all of our clients. We’ve built relationships with clients based solely on referrals from clients, attorneys and judges. Below is a representative list of cases handled by Cullen Law, LLC in NJ: Confidence & Creativity is required for a successful result. We recently approached a case where a consumer sold a car to another consumer and the owner failed to pay the lien holder and filed bankruptcy without informing the customer or the dealer. We brought suit in the U.S. Federal District Court and settled the matter first for the best interests of the customer’s credit and then for the money damages due at the time of settlement. In another case, a brother, the executor of the estate, refuses to provide yearly annual accounting to the other heirs. After filing a Verified Complaint, the other heirs received an itemized accounting document and the brother agreed to make monetary upgrades to the house without further litigation. A successful settlement of a matrimonial case is only as successful as the aggressive yet diplomatic attorney handling the process. In this case, we represented a mother of 2 children in a full divorce action and litigated custody and parenting time issues for both children. After negotiations, we determined that the mother’s comprehensive parenting time plan worked best and she was granted the Custody for both children with the other parent being designated as Parent of Alternate Residence. The question that comes up is why are settled divorce matters so extreme. Some people don’t like to settle, while others place ill advisement and pressure on themselves to end things in accordance with signing a document. We have the experience to know when to negotiate and when push the envelope. Don’t be fooled by the thought that you cannot win your case. We obtained this result on behalf of our client. Our client is a farmer who leased 40 acres of land from a non-profit community garden. Well, the community garden had a problem as to the legality of its land rent collected. The Attorney General wrote a letter to the garden requesting plans to redress the matter. The garden hired us to represent them and the issue of fault of the tenant was resolved without further litigation. The landowner accepted his responsibility and paid restitution. The owner of a house was given an overgrown weeds as the primary reason for receiving violation from the Township Construction Department. We took on the Township and despite the overwhelming odds against us we won this dispute. Knowing when to litigate or when to stand firm is what makes us the best. A neighborhood deemed our client as a nuisance and even though there was no home owner association we were able to convince the local township that the client’s grandmother was not violating the peace of the neighborhood so long as there was a privacy fence. An eminent domain condemnation matter taken away from the neighborhood. We represented the defense and despite their attempts to thwart the construction process the judge allowed the project to go forward.
Community Engagement & Philanthropy
Cullen Law believes that community involvement is crucial to being a successful, reputable, and well-rounded law firm. They participate in outreach programs that allow them to be more involved in New Jersey communities. Cullen Law is currently involved in multiple areas of community and outreach programs, including legal education programs to judges and attorneys , leadership and advocacy groups that directly influence the New Jersey legal system, and pro bono legal service programs that provide legal support to residents in need. There are many other community and outreach programs that Cullen Law participates in, but they are under the legal guidance of a senior attorney or partner.