Lawrence M Berkeley

Lawrence M. Berkeley is a Partner with Braff, Harris & Sukoneck in Livingston, New Jersey.

A Certified Civil Trial Attorney, Lawrence Berkeley has quickly established himself as one of the state's prominent trial lawyers with a national reputation concentrating his professional practice in civil litigation with an emphasis in representing large self-insured corporations in the defense of liability lawsuits as well as in commercial matters. He is a regular panelist and speaker at defense counsel conferences.

Certified Civil Trial Attorneys have a recognized level of competence and an unblemished reputation attested to by attorneys and judges. Less than one percent of the 60,000+ New Jersey attorneys qualify as Certified Civil Trial Attorneys. The Supreme Court of New Jersey established the Certification Program to help consumers make an informed decision when seeking and selecting a lawyer.

Working with self-insured, insurance carriers and third-party administrators, Lawrence's general liability defense practice includes premises liability, construction defects, motor vehicle matters and product liability claims for many well-known companies such as Costco, BJ's and Best Buy. Lawrence M. Berkeley also provides coverage opinions and policy interpretations.

In his commercial litigation practice, Lawrence is consistently sought out to provide particular expertise to the resolution of landlord-tenant and sophisticated lease issues and he has earned the respect of clients that include, among others, Simon Property Group, the No. 1 mall owner in the United States.

Lawrence Berkeley has extensive experience in Federal and state courts in New Jersey and New York and has tried a number of jury trials to a verdict. He has appeared before the New Jersey Supreme Court where in Azurak v. Corporate Property Investors the Court ruled that a party is not entitled to indemnification for its own negligence absent explicit contractual language. Lawrence has also argued successfully before the Appellate Division of the Superior Court of the State of New Jersey in various cases.

Lawrence is admitted to practice before the state courts of New Jersey, New York and Connecticut as well as before the U.S. District Courts for the District of New Jersey, Southern District of New York and Eastern District of New York. He is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) and a past member of the Arthur T. Vanderbilt Inn of Court, Essex County. He is currently the President of the Central New Jersey Board of the Jewish National Fund.

Lawrence M. Berkeley is AV ®-Rated by Martindale-Hubbell, the confidential national peer review rating service for attorneys. The AV ® designation is the highest possible rating. It identifies an individual as having reached the height of professional excellence and is a reflection of that attorney's pre-eminent expertise, experience and integrity.

Lawrence is a graduate of Swarthmore College and the New York University School of Law where during his internship with the Securities and Exchange Commission, he was the recipient of the Wiener Internship Award.

In his leisure time, Lawrence coaches his daughters in soccer, basketball and lacrosse.

Industry Focus:

Large Self-Insured Corporations Insurance Carriers

Practice Area(s):

Civil Defense Commercial Litigation Commercial Real Estate Personal Injury

Bar Admissions:

New Jersey New York Connecticut

Education:

Swarthmore College New York University School of Law

Professional Affiliations & Leadership:

International Council of Shopping Centers Jewish National Fund, President, Central New Jersey Board New Jersey State Bar Association

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