Wilentz, Goldman & Spitzer history

1922 Following his graduation from Columbia Law School, Gershon George Goldman joins the practice.

1928 Following his distinguished service as an Assistant Prosecutor for Middlesex County, Henry M. Spitzer joins the Wilentz firm as a partner.

1935 As Attorney General, David T. Wilentz prosecutes the world's most notorious case known then as “The Trial of the Century” arising from the Lindbergh Baby kidnapping and murder.

1942 As a mentor and close friend to Leon B. Hess, David T. Wilentz serves as a caretaker of Hess’ burgeoning business in the wake of the attack on Pearl Harbor after Hess joins the United States Army.

1945 At age 19, Warren W. Wilentz joins the U.S Army, serving with the Combat Engineers of the 104th Infantry Division on the front lines in France, Belgium, Holland and Germany.

1955 In an expansion led by six partners, the Wilentz firm relocates to larger offices at 252 Madison Avenue in Perth Amboy, New Jersey.

Earlier, the firm represented Hess in the 1958 construction of the Hess Port Reading oil refinery.

A rising star in commercial real estate law and a life-long Perth Amboy resident, Goldman practices at the firm until his death in 1959.

1962 Shareholder and named partner Arthur J. Sills departs the firm following his appointment by Governor Richard J. Hughes as the Attorney General of New Jersey.

1975 The firm represents long-standing client, Amerada Hess Corporation, in another major modernization of its New Jersey oil refinery.

1977 Expansion drives the firm to relocate to larger offices located at the Plaza 9 Building on Route 9 in Woodbridge, New Jersey.

1978 In a landmark New Jersey Bell rate case regarding a $157 million rate increase, Wilentz Shareholder John A. Hoffman leads the public effort to rebut the increase, and, following compelling presentation of facts, evidence and expert testimony, he won the support of the Board of Public Utilities.

1979 Practicing at the forefront of regulatory law in New Jersey, the firm obtains a license for Caesars Palace, the second Atlantic City casino to open.

1985 The firm represents supermodel and actress Cristina Ferrare in the DeLorean divorce case, in which Ferrare divorces from famed engineer and automobile industrialist John DeLorean.

1988 On July 6, after 70 years as an icon of the legal profession and a democratic party colossus, David T. Wilentz passes away at age 93, and leaves behind the legacy of one of New Jersey's oldest, largest and most successful law firms.

1990 The firm recovers $17.9 million from asbestos manufacturers in its first Consolidated Brooklyn Navy Yard Trial, representing nine workers who developed diseases as a result of their exposure to asbestos while working at the Navy Yard.

1991 Wilentz Managing Partner Matthias D. Dileo is elected President of the New Jersey State Bar Association and serves a two year term.

1992 On behalf of Doctor Robert B. Sica, the firm, led by Stephen E. Barcan and Richard J. Byrnes, wins an important ruling by the New Jersey Supreme Court in the Sica case (Sica v.

1993 The firm recovers $110 million from asbestos manufacturers on behalf of workers injured by asbestos at power plants in New York State in the first New York Powerhouse Consolidation.

1995 Shareholder Frederic K. Becker is elected as President of The Association of the Federal Bar of the State of New Jersey.

1996 Senior partner John A. Hoffman becomes executive director of the firm and serves in this role for the next two decades.

1997 In a case involving excessive police force, a Wilentz criminal law team wins a $17.5 million verdict, the largest awarded to an individual plaintiff in a federal civil rights case at that time.

1998 The firm serves as co-counsel to the State of New Jersey against the tobacco industry and secures the landmark $7.6 billion settlement for the citizens of New Jersey.

1999 Former Associate Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court Alan B. Handler joins Wilentz as Counsel in the firm’s commercial litigation and ADR practices.

2002 Barry T. Albin departs the firm after 20 years to begin service as Associate Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court.

2003 Shareholder Frank M. Ciuffani departs the firm following his confirmation by the Senate as New Jersey Superior Court Judge.

2004 Wilentz Chairman of the Board and member of the American College of Trial Lawyers, Frederic K. Becker, receives the prestigious William J. Brennan Award from the Association of the Federal Bar of New Jersey.

2007 Under the leadership of Shareholder Daniel S. Berheim, 3d, the firm opens offices in Philadelphia, expanding its legal services to clients in Pennsylvania.

2008 Senior Partner Brian J. Molloy becomes Managing Partner of the firm.

2012 Wilentz represents the seller in the landmark purchase and preservation of nearly 1,900 acres of land, spanning Monmouth, Mercer, and Burlington counties, purchased by the State of New Jersey.

2015 Under the leadership of Kevin Roddy, A Wilentz litigation team negotiates a settlement of 100% reimbursement to plaintiffs across the country who had purchased Akavar 20/50 weight loss supplement based on its false claims of efficacy via breaking the blood-brain barrier to effect weight loss.

2016 Clay Constantinou, former United States Ambassador to Luxembourg, and former Commissioner of the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, joins the firm as Counsel.

2017 As bond counsel to the City of New Brunswick, the Middlesex County Improvement Authority and the New Brunswick Parking Authority, Wilentz facilitates and coordinates over $100 million of public funding sources for the redevelopment and revitalization of the New Brunswick Cultural Center.

2018 Wilentz General Counsel and Shareholder Ellen Torregrossa-O’Connor departs the firm to begin her service as a New Jersey Superior Court Judge in Monmouth County.

2019 Shareholder Edward T. Kole is elected as President of The Association of the Federal Bar of the State of New Jersey.

Hopke was nominated by Governor Phil Murphy on February 24, 2020.

2021 Lisa A. Gorab is elected as the President and Managing Director.