Overview. Assignments for the benefit of creditors (receiverships); Bankruptcy (chapters 7, 11 and 13), business and personal; Civil, consumer and commercial disputes and collections; Civil Unions and "living together" agreements; Contract drafting and review; Criminal defense, juvenile delinquency and Megan's Law proceedings; Discrimination, Age, Gender, Racial, Other; Divorce, child custody and support, alimony and separate maintenance; Domestic violence, restraining orders and defense; Employment and labor matters; Landlord-tenant disputes; Litigation and trials; Municipal court defense and prosecution, traffic offenses and drunk driving (DWI); Pre-hospital care claims (ambulance, emergency medical technician and service [EMT and EMS], medics and paramedics); Personal Injury, automobile and other accidents, assaults, defective-product injuries, slip-and-fall; Police defense; Restaurant and diner, contracts and sales; Real estate, residential and commercial; Sexual discrimination and abuse; Veterans' issues.

Philosophy. If you are considering the services of an attorney, your matter is serious. You require professional advice tailored to your personal situation by a practitioner specializing in individuals and closely held businesses, not a "general practice" firm. We have a "holistic" strategy to find a balanced result.

Qualifications. A magna cum laude graduate of Seton Hall Law School with a Penn State bachelor of science degree, Ms. SanFilippo served in a prestigious clerkship for the Chief Judge of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New Jersey. She next practiced in two premier national firms, now Drinker Biddle and Goodwin Procter, also in the general counsel office of the Bank of America. Raised in small but successful family plumbing supply business, Ms. SanFilippo appreciates practical, genuine solutions to the legal concerns of individuals, closely held businesses and S-corporations. Outside the office Ms. SanFilippo, a former synchronized swimmer and skater, now volunteers as a licensed EMT for a busy ambulance and rescue squad. Her other passions are riding her Harley-Davidson motorcycle, her pets, reading, the history of the Vietnam War and its legacy for Veterans.

Ms. SanFilippo started her own professional corporation in 1998 to specialize in serving these clients in a personal and cost-effective manner. She is admitted to practice in the federal, state and municipal courts of New Jersey and Pennsylvania and the Court of Veterans Appeals. She is the officially appointed Public Defender for the busy Municipal Court of Cedar Grove.

In sum, Ms. SanFilippo is a well-rounded professional offering her clients stellar credentials and top-level, big-firm experience at a realistic, affordable and mutually fair fee.

Bankruptcy and Bankruptcy Alternatives. Ms. SanFilippo has experienced the many ways individuals and businesses can fall on hard times through no fault of their own. Finance and mortgage companies have access to the best legal representation their money can buy, but an even playing field requires that both sides have seasoned counsel to advise them. Many if not most bankruptcy lawyers are unaware that an alternative to bankruptcy exists for some businesses in the State court system in the right situation, instead of filing for Chapter 7 or Chapter 11 protection: an assignment for the benefit of creditors in the local county court may retain more control than is usual in the federal courts in Newark, Trenton or Camden. The firm can also assist with difficult Chapter 13 workouts usually practiced only by larger, more expensive firms. In those cases where the news is bad, it is best to have an experienced, tough-minded attorney who can deliver and fight for your best outcome under the circumstances.

Civil, Commercial and Consumer Litigation. Even successful, ongoing businesses routinely experience breaches of contract, consumer fraud and employment issues as part and parcel of the commercial world. It is usually best to have a thick skin, minimize losses and concentrate on the practicalities of running and growing one's business or career. However, when commercial transactions turn into disputes, or contract violations or personnel issues go so far awry as to become potential liabilities or major expenses, it is time to act to assert or defend all the rights to which your business or yourself are entitled. Ms. SanFilippo represents both company officials enforcing agreements from those who have breached or shortchanged them, to employees and independent contractors who have experienced discrimination, harassment, or worse. And where a consumer is defrauded or subjected to unconscionable business practices, the N.J. Consumer Fraud Act can force the offending business to pay triple damages and attorney's fees, too. The firm will prosecute and defend meritorious cases.

Domestic and Family Law Matters. The firm's practice includes annulment, divorce, and the creation and dissolution of domestic partnerships, including antenuptial or prenuptial agreements, Civil Unions and "Living Together" contracts. In light of her impressive experience, Ms. SanFilippo is particularly sought out where closely held business corporations are involved in such cases or where one of the parties petitions for bankruptcy protection - a thorny area of conflicting federal and state law. Her work embraces both married and unmarried clients seeking and defending claims involving custody, support, separate maintenance and equitable distribution. Elder citizens are treated with particular sensitivity, as are minority, foreign-born, gay and lesbian clientele and others.

Criminal Offenses. Even the most prudent clients and their families may run afoul of the criminal justice system, from the petty disorderly or violation of a municipal ordinance through serious statutory crimes with presumptive incarceration. The firm is adept at the exacting demands of the criminal courtroom, and has represented all manner of accused, from minor drug charges to homicide. Ms. SanFilippo, an experienced trial lawyer, has developed a particular expertise in the category of crimes covered by Megan's Law. Juvenile delinquency cases are not minor, but are not entitled to juries. Serious cases are heard by Family judges, although possibly "bumped up" to adult court, but others get sent to "diversionary" programs (hearings by non-attorney referees or Juvenile Community Councils, or JCCs). Where the nature of the charge or family income disqualifies juveniles from a public defender, parents are often advised that they "don't need a lawyer," only to find their children later saddled with a juvenile record that is not expunged upon reaching the age of majority (18).

Employment, Discrimination, and Termination (severance). The firm's focus on individuals and small business includes expertise in all phases of employment law, including the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the N.J. Law Against Discrimination (LAD), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other important state and federal legislation, from both an employee's and employer's perspectives. In particular the firm can assist in the review or preparation of Severance Agreements and Non-compete Agreements often associated with the termination of employment, voluntarily or through lack of work.

Municipal Court Representation and Appeal. Ms. SanFilippo makes a particularly appropriate advocate for the more commonplace offenses New Jersey relegates to its municipal courts: ordinance violations, traffic citations and moving violations through more serious charges such as driving while intoxicated (DWI), domestic violence and assaults, restraining orders, and minor theft or property crimes. Her experience lead to her appointment as the Municipal Public Defender of Cedar Grove. The routines of New Jersey's municipal courts and prosecutors vary considerably from town to town, so a client does best to engage an attorney who appears frequently in a number of communities and who can adapt to a given court - or, in some cases, transfer the case to another court. There are also times when clients want to charge someone with an offense in municipal court, but not to prosecute the case themselves. We can act as prosecutors for a person or business bringing a complaint in the municipal system. Because of the informality, however, a lot of municipal charges get wrongly convicted, and the only remedy is to appeal to a judge of the Superior Court in the county seat. This process adds expense but, where warranted, is greatly enhanced by a competent trial lawyer comfortable arguing with a higher judge accustomed to hearing serious matters.

Personal Injury, Social Security Disability and Workers' Compensation Claims. If you have suffered an injury due to an accident, assault, slip or trip and fall, construction incident, other dangerous conditions or defective products, we can evaluate your claim realistically at no fee or risk to you. If an employee has been injured on the job or employment-related activities (such as a business trip), we can help obtain all rights and funds due through Workers' Compensation insurance, and determine whether a further financial recovery may be possible from vendors or other third parties. The firm will also assist with Social Security Disability claims.

Real Estate Transactions and Food Service Matters. As part of its philosophy of serving the overall needs of individuals and small businesses, the firm will assist with all phases of residential and commercial real estate transactions, closings, leases, title insurance and tenancies. With a B.S. degree in food sciences, Ms. SanFilippo has cultivated a particular expertise with issues confronting restaurant and diner owners.

Counties of Practice:
Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Sussex, Union.

Bar Membership:  New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Maryland