Officers, Trustees and Young Lawyers Division Executive Board

Cynthia A. Petrowsky is proud to be sworn in this evening at the 127th President of the Bergen County Bar Association and the 7th female President of the organization since it was founded in 1898. She acknowledges with thanks and appreciation the female presidents who served before her including the Hon. Lois Lipton who was installed as the first female President in 2001.

Cynthia has a long history of service to the BCBA and has been a member for over 30 years. She was sworn in as a Trustee in 2008 and joined the Executive Board in 2019. Currently, she serves as co-chair of the Arbitration Screening Committee. She is also a member of the Civil Practice Committee and the Nominating Committee. Cynthia is also Vice President of the Bergen County Bar Foundation and has served on the Foundation board since 2007. She has chaired a number of programs including Backpack for Kids, Law Day and Bring Our Children to Court Day. She also serves as an arbitrator in Bergen County and was a speaker at the Arbitrator Retraining seminars for the both the BCBA and the New Jersey Association for Justice.

Cynthia graduated Magna Cum Laude from Seton Hall University and earned her law degree from Seton Hall University School of Law. After graduating law school, she was an associate at Carella, Byrne, Cecchi, Brody and Agnello in Lyndhurst and handled personal injury, commercial and chancery litigation in both state and federal court. While there, she also served as an adjunct professor of Business Law at Seton Hall University. Cynthia’s first appearance as a newly admitted attorney was in Bergen County on a motion before Judge Hamer while a snow storm was raging in Hackensack. She fondly remembers an attorney she met who was also appearing before Judge Hamer that helped her dig out her car from the old courthouse parking lot.

Cynthia went on to work as a staff counsel trial attorney for Zurich Insurance Group at the Law Office of Stierli & McFadden and later as staff counsel trial attorney for Farmers Insurance Group at the Law Offices of Nancy L. Callagher. She is currently a seniorstaff counsel trial attorney at the Law Office of William J. Fitzula in Woodbridge, New Jersey. She primarily handles cases venued in Bergen County and successfully tried numerous cases to a defense verdict in counties from Hudson and Bergen to Middlesex. She actively mentors newly admitted attorneys and has received recognition for her advocacy on behalf of her clients.

Cynthia has built a career focused on the principles of integrity, excellence, professionalism and camaraderie. As an attorney, she recognizes we often view others in the legal community as competition. Cynthia, however, believes no one succeeds alone and membership in the BCBA offers endless opportunities for collaboration and professional growth. As President of the BCBA she will continue to foster the collaborative relationship between the bench and the bar and reach out to non-members to join the BCBA. She also pledges to support the principles of equality under the law, an independent and impartial judiciary and the absence of arbitrary power.

Cynthia has made lifelong friendships with attorneys she met through her involvement with the BCBA and cherishes their continued support and guidance. She is the proud mother of Thomas P. Monahan, III, a 2022 graduate from Seton Hall University and a Project Manager with Lumanity and Kaitlyn P. Monahan, a graduating senior Summa Cum Laude from Fordham College Lincoln Center who is an intern with Dey Ideas + Influence and will be starting there as an Account Coordinator after graduation.
Cynthia offers her sincere gratitude to her family, friends and colleagues who have supported her in her journey and thanks everyone who attended this special event.