Criminal Law

• Criminal Defense
  Ryan Lee O’Neill, a partner in the Firms White Collar Criminal Defense and Investigations Group, recently authored an article...
• Fraud
  Counsel representing four title insurance companies in class action alleging overcharges on residential closing and seeking damages under New Jersey's Consumer Fraud Act.
• Restraining Order
  Most recently, in 2022 the Firm was honored to receive the “Partner in Justice Award” along with our client Johnson & Johnson from Partners for Women and Justice. We have long been involved with Partners, which provides legal assistance to victims of domestic violence who cannot afford an attorney but their income disqualifies them from using Legal Services. The award reflects our efforts to enhance and expand Partners’ pro bono program. In addition to representing numerous Partners clients in domestic violence restraining order cases, we hosted a CLE training that included a presentation by our ethics counsel on special ethical considerations when representing domestic violence clients. The result was an uptick in attorneys assisting Partners clients, and more successful resolutions to allow safe and secure futures for Partners clients. A Riker Danzig Counsel serves on Partners’ Board of Directors, and numerous attorneys contribute pro bono legal time.
• Forgery
  Jorge A. Sanchez is a Partner in Riker Danzig’s Commercial Litigation Group. His practice includes a variety of commercial litigation cases, with an emphasis on banking litigation and title insurance claims. He regularly handles title disputes, including claims and litigations involving mortgage fraud, forgery, mortgage priority disputes, boundary line disputes, and quiet title and ejectment claims, lender liability claims, and commercial foreclosures. Jorge serves as a Trustee of the Hispanic Bar Association of New Jersey, and is a member of the Firm’s Diversity Committee. He received his J.D. from Rutgers School of Law...
• Money Laundering
  Title Nerds co-hosts Michael R. O’Donnell and Bethany A. Abele interviewed Steve Gottheim, General Counsel of the American Land Title Association (“ALTA”). Steve discussed some of the primary issues of concern to ALTA and its members, including housing recession possibilities, public policy issues around increased access to affordable housing and, generating the most conversation, real estate and wire fraud. Steve noted that ALTA is deeply involved in providing education and assistance to title insurance and real estate professionals to help avoid scams and to identify money laundering scenarios. In addition, ALTA provides a host of educational materials about avoiding wire fraud for consumers and real estate agents. Steve also touched on the proliferation of title monitoring services, and the need for home buyers to consider enhanced homeowners policies with title insurance fraud protection.

Business and Corporate Law

• Corporate Law
  Our Commercial Litigation attorneys have successfully litigated a wide range of matters for the corporate law departments of our major insurance company clients, including multiple published decisions and high-value collection matters.
• Mergers and Acquisitions
  We understand that actions in the Energy & Natural Resources Industry—including mergers and acquisitions, new legislation and policy developments—are consequential, having often led, enforced, or otherwise affected movements whose outcomes may have local, state, national, and even potentially international reach.
• Intellectual Property
  At Riker Danzig, it is our grasp of up-to-the-minute trends and influences in this industry that allows us to provide specialized insights. Additionally, we offer cross-practice coverage, working with our Firm’s experts in areas of Litigation, Governmental Affairs, Intellectual Property Law, Environmental Law, Employment Law, Real Estate Law, Bankruptcy Law and Corporate Law, as needed. We also stay current with changes to legislation related to consumer products and retail (recent and pending), which allows our attorneys to best counsel our clients.

Property Law

• Real Estate Litigation
  It is often the case that title insurance matters will require extensive expertise in real estate law, banking and bankruptcy areas. For that matter, most of the attorneys in the title insurance group have extensive experience in banking litigation for financial institutions, and the Firm has seasoned bankruptcy and real estate law practice departments, whose assistance is sought as needed. Indeed, the Firm's century-old representation of financial institutions adds immeasurably to its depth of experience and expertise on real estate law and title matters. The Firm also has a substantial lobbying group that assists the title insurance group in responding to regulatory matters and keeping them and our clients abreast of current legislation.
• Construction Litigation
  3-5 years of litigation experience. Complex commercial/financial services, class action or construction litigation experience is a plus. Must be admitted in New Jersey or New York.
• Real Estate Transactions
  Our Real Estate attorneys provide counsel to our insurance industry clients on real estate transactions, permits, contracts and more.
• Eminent Domain
  Rudy S. Randazzo is a Partner in the Firm’s Governmental Affairs Group.  Rudy represents private, public and quasi-public clients in complex government-related litigation.  He also has significant experience in construction litigation, eminent domain, land use litigation and general real estate litigation. Rudy obtained his undergraduate degree in Archeology from Rutgers University in 2005.  He earned his law degree from Fordham University School of Law in 2008, where he served on the
• Land Use and Zoning
  Riker Danzig has again received a national ranking for our Land Use and Zoning Law practice, and 24 First-Tier rankings among Metropolitan New Jersey Law practices, in the 2023

Trusts and Estates

• Estate Planning
  Title Nerds is excited to begin its second season of exploring title insurance and real estate litigation issues that Riker Danzig attorneys see in our practice. In this first episode of the new season, co-hosts Michael R. O’Donnell and Bethany A. Abele enjoyed drawing on insights from one of our esteemed Of Counsel, New Jersey title insurance guru Vincent J. Sharkey, Jr. Vince provided entertaining conversation about his journey into and through the title insurance world, and some of the significant cases and challenges in his practice, including recommendations for lawyers who represent title insurance companies as to how to effectively approach cases and work well with clients.
• Trusts
  Our Trusts and Estates attorneys consider strategies for wealth preservation among family generations that reduce and minimize transfer taxes.
• Probate

Finance Law

• Bankruptcy
  Pratt’s Journal of Bankruptcy Law published an article by Michael R. O’Donnell, Michael P. Crowley, Desiree McDonald and Kevin Hakansson in its...
• Foreclosure
  Our experienced Real Estate Law attorneys work closely with our Corporate attorneys to effectively handle PILOT (Payment in Lieu of Taxes) Program and similar deals, while members of our Litigation and Title Insurance Law practices address issues of mortgage priority and mortgage fraud, loan workout and foreclosures. Clients also rely on our Governmental Affairs attorneys for assistance with Real Property Tax Appeals, while our Bankruptcy attorneys provide expertise in purchases of property out of bankruptcy and addressing bankruptcy-related provisions in contracts.  Our Trusts & Estates attorneys consider strategies for wealth preservation among family generations that reduce and minimize transfer taxes.
• Tax Law
  Energy & Natural Resources is a broad field, comprising all entities involved in its procurement or manufacture, refinement, distribution, and sale. Its mastery requires knowledge of land use, geopolitics, environmental policy, real estate, utilities regulation, tax law, and more. In many cases, it also requires expertise in specific subsections of the broader field. Most recently, that has involved an up-to-the-minute knowledge of alternative energy and renewable energy attitudes, hyperlocal regulations, and land use exemptions.