Lowenstein Sandler is pleased to announce that Parimal Garg, Chief Counsel to New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, will join as partner in the firm’s White Collar Defense and Business Litigation groups at the conclusion of his state service in November.

Garg has served as Chief Counsel to Governor Murphy since October 2020, making him the longest serving Governor’s Counsel in New Jersey history. In this role, Garg manages a team of 25 attorneys and serves as the Governor’s primary advisor on all legal matters, including civil litigation, legislation, executive orders, oversight of the state’s independent authorities, judicial and prosecutorial appointments, ethics matters, and public records requests. Prior to serving as Chief Counsel, Garg served as Deputy Chief Counsel to the Governor for nearly three years, reporting to then-Chief Counsel and Lowenstein alumnus Matt Platkin.

Garg says: “I have had the pleasure of working with many current and former Lowenstein litigators during my time in government, and I admire their commitment to excellence, public service, and the practice of law. I look forward to collaborating with them, and to leveraging the insights I have gleaned from my seven years in the Governor’s Office to benefit the firm’s clients and communities.”

Christopher Porrino, who served as the 60th Attorney General of New Jersey, as Chief Counsel to former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and who now serves as Chair of Lowenstein’s Litigation Department, says, “Parimal was enormously successful as Governor Murphy’s Chief Counsel because of his brilliance, his impeccable integrity, and his work ethic. His in-depth government experience further bolsters our firm’s ability to serve our clients in all aspects of litigation and complex bipartisan problem-solving.”

Partner and White Collar Defense Chair Matthew Boxer, who joined Lowenstein after serving as New Jersey State Comptroller and Director of New Jersey’s Authorities Unit in addition to his work as a federal prosecutor in the state’s U.S. Attorney’s Office, notes: “Parimal’s impressive record of public service and his dedication to serving all communities—regardless of party—will be highly valuable to our clients doing business in this state, region, and beyond.”  

Lowenstein Chairman and Managing Partner Gary M. Wingens says, "It’s an honor to welcome another brilliant lawyer and public servant to our already formidable team of litigators. Parimal’s reputation for excellence will benefit all of our clients throughout the public and private sectors.”

Garg’s numerous achievements during his tenure as Chief Counsel include:

  • Managing the selection and confirmation process for four current Justices of the New Jersey Supreme Court, over 160 new Superior Court judges, and 10 current county prosecutors, as well as the vetting and selection process of the Governor’s high-profile appointments, including Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, and Public Defender
  • Overseeing all executive orders over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic that implemented mitigation measures to slow the spread of the virus, and working with the Attorney General’s Office to successfully defend all of those orders in court; participating in hundreds of the Governor’s COVID-19 press conferences; and facilitating a comprehensive and independent after-action review of New Jersey’s response to the pandemic that is the only one of its kind in the nation
  • Supervising the State’s position in civil litigation in hundreds of important matters, including the years long effort to withdraw New Jersey from the Waterfront Commission, which culminated in a 9 to 0 victory at the U.S. Supreme Court
  • Managing negotiations of two consent decrees with the U.S. Department of Justice regarding New Jersey’s only women’s prison and the three state-operated veterans’ homes
  • Directing the administration’s involvement in the legislative process for thousands of bills that became law, and overseeing the legislative strategy behind the passage of numerous bills governing such varied issues as affordable housing, gun safety, legalized cannabis, and sports betting.

Garg is a former law clerk for Chief Justice Stuart Rabner of the New Jersey Supreme Court. He also worked as a litigation associate at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP in Washington, D.C., where he focused on antitrust matters and financial investigations. Garg received his B.A. in Government and Economics from Georgetown University, magna cum laude, and his J.D. from Harvard Law School, cum laude.

Garg’s arrival highlights the firm’s ongoing success in attracting prominent, accomplished former public servants, prosecutors, and trial lawyers whose experience enhances the team’s depth and breadth. In addition to Boxer and Porrino, Lowenstein litigators with records of government service also include Justice Barry T. Albin (ret.) (former Associate Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court, Deputy Attorney General in the Appellate Section of the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice, and Assistant Prosecutor in Passaic and Middlesex counties); Kent Anderson (former Deputy Attorney General at the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General); Jason S. Gould (former Chief, Health Care Fraud Unit, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey); Michael B. Himmel (former Assistant U.S. Attorney); Rachel Maimin (former Assistant U.S. Attorney, Southern District of New York); Scott B. McBride (former Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of New Jersey; former Deputy Chief, Economic Crimes Unit; former member, Health Care & Government Fraud Unit); Kathleen A. McGee (former Bureau Chief of the Bureau of Internet and Technology, New York State Attorney General’s Office); Peter Slocum (former First Assistant Attorney General of New Jersey and former Assistant Counsel to the Governor); and Freda L. Wolfson (former Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey).

About Lowenstein Sandler LLP
Lowenstein Sandler 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.