Fortunato Law Offices

The lawyers at the Law Office of Joseph A. Fortunato are experienced in the following areas of the law:

Bankruptcy
Civil Rights
Criminal Defense
Employment Law
Estate Planning - Wills and Trusts
Family Law and Divorce
Medical Malpractice
Personal Injury and/or Wrongful Death
Real Estate
Workers' Compensation

Bankruptcy
We represent creditors and debtors in bankruptcy proceedings in New Jersey. Our lawyers bring experience and creativity to the highly complex area of bankruptcy law, and handle the following bankruptcy proceedings:

Chapter 7 liquidations
Chapter 13 reorganizations
Workouts and debt restructuring
Security interests
Asset sales
Valuation proceedings
Automatic stay litigation
Involuntary petitions
Bankruptcy appeals

Our attorneys take a practical approach to bankruptcy and creditor-debtor law, recognizing the cost and risk of litigation, and the significant value in the speedy resolution of disputes.

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Civil Rights
We represent clients in cases involving fundamental issues of human rights and freedoms, including those who believe they have been victims of police misconduct, false arrest, excessive force during arrest, malicious prosecution and unlawful searches and seizures. We have extensive experience interpreting and applying 42 U.S.C. 1983 and other state and local laws protecting our individual rights and liberties. Areas of practice include:

Employment discrimination
Excessive force
False arrest
False imprisonment
Housing discrimination
Lending discrimination
Malicious prosecution
Police misconduct
Public accommodation discrimination
Racial discrimination
Racial profiling
Sexual Harassment

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Criminal Defense
Over the years, our criminal defense lawyers have successfully represented clients charged with all types of state and federal criminal offenses in New Jersey, from minor infractions and misdemeanors to serious felonies. Our experience extends to criminal charges involving:

Arson
Assault and battery
Burglary
Drug and narcotic offenses
Drunk driving - DWI - DUI
Firearms and weapons charges
Robbery
Sex Offenses
Theft
Violent crimes
White Collar Crimes

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Employment Law
Employment law covers a complex network of laws that controls how employers must treat employees, former employees, and applicants for employment. We have significant experience interpreting and applying state and federal law in cases involving:

Affirmative action
Employment discrimination
Retaliatory discharge
Sexual harassment
Wage and hour law violations
Whistleblower cases
Wrongful termination

Our cases involve applicability of New Jersey's Law Against Discrimination (NJLAD), the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN), the Federal Employer's Liability Act (FELA), the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA), and administrative claims filed with the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights (NJDCR) and/or Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

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Estate Planning - Wills and Trusts
Estate Planning is generally considered the process by which people develop a plan that ensures that the assets they have worked so hard accumulating during their lifetime are protected and distributed to those they love. Wills and trusts are common tools used to achieve the goals of clients. Our estate planning practice includes:

Wills
Trusts
Power of Attorney
Medical Power of Attorney
Guardianships
Conservatorships
Living Wills
Living Trusts
Life Insurance Planning
Educational Trusts
Charitable Trusts

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Family Law and Divorce
Clients involved in family law disputes need both personal and professional support through times that are highly emotional, but require calm and reasoned decision-making. We offer both litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) methods such as mediation in our family law practice, and represent clients in a full range of New Jersey family law matters, including:

Adoption
Alimony, maintenance, or spousal support
Child custody
Child support
Contempt proceedings
Divorce
Domestic abuse
Guardianships
Legal separation
Marital property disputes
Mediation
Paternity
Postnuptial agreements
Prenuptial agreements
Restraining orders
Termination of parental rights
Visitation and placement

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Personal Injury - Wrongful Death
Our lawyers represents individuals and families in New Jersey who have been seriously injured or killed as a result of the negligence, carelessness, or recklessness of others. We handle a wide variety of serious and catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death cases that involve:

Automobile accidents
Motorcycle accidents
Dog Bites
Dangerous and defective products
Medical malpractice
Workplace accidents
Fires and explosions
Slip and falls

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Real Estate
Real estate buyers and sellers come to us for our business approach to real estate transactions and understanding of their needs. They stay with us because of the personal care and attention to detail that we apply to every case. We represent clients in all types of commercial and residential real estate projects in New Jersey, and handle issues involving:

Buying and selling
Commercial and retail leasing
Construction law
Contract negotiation
Foreclosures
Landlord - tenant
Land use and development
Leasing
Mortgages
Title issues
Zoning

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Worker's Compensation
Every year, thousands of people are injured on the job in New Jersey. When employees are hurt while performing their duties at work, there is a specialized area of legislation in New Jersey that governs from whom and how much injured workers can recover. Work related injuries or illnesses typically covered by workers' compensation laws include:

Asbestos exposure
Back injuries
Carpal tunnel syndrome
Disfigurement
Emotional problems
Eye injuries
Hearing problems
Knee injuries
Psychiatric problems
Repetitive trauma injuries
Scarring
Work-induced heart attacks
Work-induced strokes

The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for individual advice regarding your own situation.

Copyright © 2007 by Joseph A. Fortunato Law Offices. All rights reserved. You may reproduce materials available at this site for your own personal use and for non-commercial distribution. All copies must include this copyright statement.