Robert B. Reed

Robert B. Reed, a retired Presiding Judge of the Criminal Division, Vicinage 13, of the Superior Court of New Jersey, has joined the Firm in an of counsel capacity effective February 15, 2022.

Initially appointed to the Superior Court on October 24, 2004, Judge Reed served for 14 years in the Court’s Civil, Probate, Chancery, Family, and Criminal Divisions for Somerset, Hunterdon, and Warren counties before retiring on July 30, 2018. Upon retirement from the bench, Judge Reed was recalled to judicial service by Order of the Chief Justice and continued to serve as a recall judge almost exclusively in the Family Division through September 2021.

Admitted to the bar in 1973, Judge Reed was a practicing attorney trying cases before both state and federal courts for 31 years before assuming his judicial service. During this time, he was admitted to practice before the Supreme Court and the lower courts of New Jersey, as well as the United State Supreme Court, United States District Courts of New Jersey, the Eastern District Court of New York, Southern District of New York, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Judge Reed also was admitted pro hac vice to try cases before the United States District Court for the District of Illinois and the United States District Court for the Central District of Pennsylvania.

In 1985, Judge Reed was certified by the NJ Supreme Court as a Certified Civil Trial Attorney and a Certified Criminal Trial Attorney. He has been recertified every seven years thereafter. To be certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey, an attorney must meet certain criteria, including:

• being a member in good standing of the New Jersey Bar for at least five years;
• taking a specific number of continuing legal education courses;
• demonstrating an unblemished reputation; and
• passing a written examination.

See https://www.njcourts.gov/attorneys/attcert.html for criteria details.

At the time of his certification, Judge Reed was one of less than 60 attorneys out of the more than 60,000 licensed attorneys in the State to have met the criteria for certification in the above-mentioned areas of practice, which were the only two areas eligible for certification at that time.

At the Firm, Judge Reed serves as a mediator/arbitrator, as well as special discovery master and consultant to individuals and organizations, including other law firms and their clients. When serving as a consultant, he is particularly helpful in complex criminal, civil, and family matters.