DeCotiis, FitzPatrick, Cole & Giblin, LLP, is pleased to announce the addition of the Honorable Terry Paul Bottinelli, J.S.C. (Ret.) as a partner and senior member of the DeCotiis Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) practice group. In this capacity, Judge Bottinelli is focused on resolving matrimonial and other disputes more quickly and efficiently than can be accomplished through traditional litigation in the courts.

Judge Bottinelli, the 101^st President of the Bergen County Bar Association,, was elevated to the Superior Court in 2011 where he served in the Family Part.  He presided over thousands of Family cases involving complex issues such as custody and parenting time, child support, spousal support, equitable distribution and the like.  He was President of the New Jersey Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and a frequent lecturer for ICLE, Judicial College, local Bar Associations, New Jersey State Bar Association, Citizens for Justice – NJ, Rutgers Law School and others.

Prior to his appointment to the Bench, Judge Bottinelli was Certified as a Civil Trial Attorney by the New Jersey Supreme Court.  He was a partner at Herten, Burstein, Sheridan, Cevasco, Bottinelli, Litt, Toskos and Harz for twenty years.  While in Private Practice he represented multiple governmental entities and was either Class Counsel for plaintiffs or represented defendants on several prominent Mass Tort actions.

Hon. Walter F. Skrod (Ret.), formerly of the Bergen County judiciary civil and family divisions, has joined DeCotiis, Fitzpatrick, Cole & Giblin, LLP, 61 South Paramus Road, Suite 250, Paramus, N. J. 07652 in an Of Counsel position to commence an Alternative Dispute Resolution practice.

Judge Skrod welcomes and accepts mediation, arbitration and ADR referrals of disputes involving wrongful death, personal injury, economic loss, malpractice, negligence, Tort Claims Act liability, product liability, insurance coverage, business law, real estate law, and family law. He also consults on trial presentations and is available to manage litigation as a special master.

Prior to his appointment to the bench, Judge Skrod maintained an active civil litigation practice. He tried cases involving claims of serious personal injury. Judge Skrod was the managing attorney for the northern NJ staff counsel litigation office for Liberty Mutual for 20 years and served in that same role for GEICO for nearly 7 years. He oversaw the preparation of and trial of hundreds of cases.

Judge Skrod has lectured for ICLE on the issue of defending damages in personal injury cases. He is a member of NJAJ (formerly ATLA-NJ) and is also a member of the BCBA.