Lowenstein Sandler is pleased to announce that the Honorable Freda L. Wolfson (ret.) has rejoined the firm after a decades-long career in the federal judiciary, including as Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, which has one of the largest dockets of all federal district courts in the nation.
Judge Wolfson’s practice will focus on complex commercial litigation, special master appointments in multidistrict litigations (MDL), monitorships, internal investigations, and presiding over mock trials and oral arguments. She will also lead the firm’s Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) practice. Judge Wolfson is the latest addition to Lowenstein with notable tenure on the bench, following former New Jersey Supreme Court Associate Justice Barry T. Albin, who joined as Chair of the firm’s Appellate practice group in July 2022.
During her 36-year judicial tenure, Judge Wolfson authored thousands of opinions involving such complex issues as securities litigations, shareholder derivative lawsuits, products liability, commercial transactions and financial fraud, civil rights, and constitutionality of federal and state statutes. She presided over a multitude of civil and criminal trials, ranging from Hatch Waxman ANDA patent infringement, to fee disputes in the context of securities and mutual funds, employment discrimination and civil rights violations to white collar crime. The Multidistrict Litigation Panel appointed her to handle six national MDLs, including, In re Johnson & Johnson Talcum Powder Prods. Mktg. Sales Practices & Prods. Liab. Litig. (the second largest MDL in the country), In re Fosamax (Alendronate Sodium) Prods. Liab. Litig., In re Plavix Mktg., Sales Practice & Prods Liab. Litig., In re Vonage Mktg. & Sales Practices Litig., and In re Verizon Wireless Data Charges Litig.
Christopher Porrino, partner and Chair of Lowenstein Sandler’s Litigation Department and former Attorney General of the State of New Jersey, says: “Judge Wolfson was my boss, a mentor and now—thirty years after serving as her law clerk—it is my honor to call Judge Wolfson my partner. Judge Wolfson has been a trailblazer throughout her entire career. She started as one of the youngest members of the District Court as well as one of its few women and mothers. She went on to lead the District as Chief during very challenging times, through the COVID-19 pandemic, unprecedented judicial vacancies, and security threats. Our lawyers and clients all will benefit from her innovative problem-solving skills and her wide range of knowledge across many of our core practice areas.”
Judge Wolfson was nominated to the District Court in 2002, ascending to the Chief Judge post in 2019. Prior to her appointment, she served as a U.S. Magistrate Judge, handling pre-trial matters and facilitating settlements, for over 16 years. As a District Judge, in 2014, she was appointed by U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts to represent the Third Circuit on the Judicial Conference Committee on the Administration of the Magistrate Judge System, and in 2020, Judge Wolfson was appointed to the Judicial Conference of the United States.
Gary M. Wingens, Chair and Managing Partner of Lowenstein, says: “We are delighted that Judge Wolfson has returned to Lowenstein Sandler, where she first practiced law after her graduation from Rutgers Law School. It has been well worth the wait.” He adds: “Since her time with us, Judge Wolfson has gone on to national acclaim for her astute judicial opinions and keen leadership on the bench. Her many accomplishments, accolades, and experience make her an invaluable resource to our firm.”
“I am immensely proud of my public service,” says Judge Wolfson. “I am also very excited to start this new stage of my career, working with the talented lawyers at Lowenstein. The firm shares my dedication to advancing the public good, and I look forward to collaborating with my new colleagues in ways that benefit our local, regional, and global communities.”
Judge Wolfson has been honored with numerous state and national awards, including the 2022 Donald A. Robinson Meritorious Service Award, the 2016 Rutgers University Law Review Distinguished Alumni Award, and the 2013 Women in the Profession Section’s Justice Marie L. Garibaldi Award for Distinguished Service and Excellence, to name a few. She graduated magna cum laude from Rutgers University, Douglass College, and cum laude from Rutgers School of Law – Newark, where she served as an editor of the Rutgers Law Review.
About Lowenstein Sandler LLP
Lowenstein Sandler LLP is a national law firm with over 350 lawyers based in New York, Palo Alto, New Jersey, Utah, and Washington, D.C. The firm represents leaders in virtually every sector of the global economy, with particular emphasis on investment funds, life sciences, and technology. Recognized for its entrepreneurial spirit and high standard of client service, the firm is committed to the interests of its clients, colleagues, and communities.
