Gerald R. Salerno
For more than four decades, the name Gerald Salerno has been synonymous with professionalism, integrity, and excellence in the practice of law. Throughout his distinguished career, Jerry has exemplified the finest traditions of the profession—as a skilled advocate, trusted counselor, dedicated public servant, and steadfast member of the Bergen County legal community.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Jerry graduated from Seton Hall University in 1982 and earned his Juris Doctor from Georgetown University in 1985. Following law school, he began his legal career as law clerk to the Honorable Charles R. Di Gisi, Presiding Criminal Judge of the Superior Court of New Jersey, Bergen County.
For more than three decades, Jerry was a partner at Aronsohn, Weiner, Salerno & Kaufman. Following the firm’s recent merger with Einhorn, Barbarito, Frost, Botwinick, Nunn & Musmanno, P.C., he continues to concentrate his practice in complex civil and commercial litigation, commercial real estate and transactional matters, zoning and land use, and redevelopment.
Over the course of his career, Jerry has represented businesses, developers, redevelopers, financial institutions, municipalities, and local boards in high-stakes litigation, significant development projects, and complex regulatory matters throughout New Jersey. He brings to each matter decades of experience in land use, redevelopment, and municipal law, coupled with a sophisticated understanding of the legal, financial, and practical considerations that shape complex transactions and disputes. He also represents businesses and individuals in sophisticated commercial litigation, drawing upon his extensive courtroom experience and deep knowledge of the law.
Jerry’s commitment to public service is reflected in the many roles he has undertaken on behalf of municipalities and public entities. He currently serves as Borough Attorney for the Borough of East Rutherford, Land Use Board Attorney for the Borough of Wood-Ridge, Planning Board Attorney for the Borough of Rutherford, and Public Defender for the Pascack Joint Municipal Court. His prior public-sector service includes serving as Special Redevelopment Counsel to the Lodi Planning Board, Counsel to the Upper Saddle River Zoning Board of Adjustment, Counsel to the Upper Main Street Business Alliance in Hackensack, and Prosecutor for the Boroughs of Wood-Ridge and Oradell.
A longstanding leader in the Bergen County legal community, Jerry is a Past President of the Bergen County Bar Association. He also served for six years as the Bergen County representative to the New Jersey State Bar Association’s Judicial and Prosecutorial Appointments Committee and as a member of the Bergen County Bar Association Judicial Appointments Committee. In these roles, he devoted considerable time and energy to advancing the profession and supporting the institutions that serve the legal community.
Jerry’s professional accomplishments have been recognized by his peers throughout his career. He has been selected numerous times as a New Jersey Super Lawyer in civil litigation. He also received the Bergen County Legal Services Pro Bono Award for representing an indigent defendant in a constitutional challenge to Megan’s Law.
For more than forty years, Jerry has devoted his talents, judgment, and energy not only to the practice of law, but also to the profession and community of which he has been such an important part. His commitment to advocacy, public service, and the highest ideals of the legal profession has earned him the respect of his colleagues and the lasting gratitude of the Bergen County legal community. His career is distinguished not only by professional accomplishment, but by a sustained commitment to the people and institutions he has served.