Lawrence M. Berkeley

Lawrence M. Berkeley, a Certified Civil Trial Attorney, concentrates 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-insureds, 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, The TJX Companies (TJ Maxx, Homegoods) and CEC Entertainment, Inc. (Chuck E. Cheese’s). Lawrence also provides coverage opinions and policy interpretations.

In his commercial litigation practice, Lawrence has provided particular expertise to the resolution of landlord-tenant and sophisticated lease issues for many clients, including Simon Property Group, the No. 1 mall owner in the United States, Brookfield and Macerich.

Lawrence has  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.