Officers and Trustees

Bergen County Bar Association 122nd President Joseph A. Maurice

Our incoming president, Joseph A. Maurice, has enjoyed a diverse and successful legal career in Bergen County over the past quarter century. Joe’s practice has encompassed everything from the representation of those accused of organized criminal activity to the representation of the NJDEP in ongoing environmental litigation pending in Federal Court. Joe Maurice is an accomplished courtroom attorney who has earned certification as a Civil Trial Attorney by the New Jersey Supreme Court’s Board on Attorney Certification. Joe is a member of the bars of New Jersey, New York, the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, the U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Joe’s roots are through and through Bergen County. He was born and raised in the house that his grandfather built in Fairview–a house that was literally attached to his grandfather’s braidwork factory, a family business that spanned many decades. Joe is a proud graduate of Bergen Catholic High School, a former member of its Board of Directors, and in 2014 his achievements as a distinguished Crusader alumnus were recognized when he was bestowed the Brother Martin P. Burns, C.F.C. Award.

Joe took an academic sojourn out of Bergen County to attend Muhlenberg College and then Pace University School of Law. Even during his law school years, Joe lived at home and interned for the Honorable Bruce A. Gaeta, J.S.C. and also for the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office. Joe made such a favorable impression on Judge Gaeta that when Joe earned his law degree Judge Gaeta practically insisted that Joe be his next–and, Joe maintains, favorite–law clerk.

Joe is a partner with Cohn Lifland Pearlman Herrmann & Knopf LLP. In addition to being thankful for the ongoing support of his partners, Joe will always be grateful to Albert Cohn for the opportunity to practice law with a true luminary in the profession. Joe’s ties to the Bergen County legal community are manifest by his past service as the Borough of Paramus Municipal Prosecutor and as Chair of the New Jersey Supreme Court District IIA Ethics Committee. Joe’s commitment to the profession, and even to the next generation of prospective Bergen County lawyers, is evident in his ongoing service as a judge for the Vincent J. Apruzzese High School Mock Trial Competition.

Joe has also supported the Bergen County Bar Association with tireless efforts to advance our practice. He has moderated continuing legal education seminars, and he has served on its civil practice, criminal practice, municipal court, securities law, membership, judicial selection and bench/bar committees. He also serves as a trustee to the charitable arm of our Bar Association, the Bergen County Bar Foundation, where he succeeded Albert Cohn as the Scholarship Chair. He has also chaired the Foundation’s Mock Trial Program. Joe’s professional accolades include mention in (201) Magazine’s list of Bergen County’s “Top Lawyers.” He has also been included in the list of New Jersey Super Lawyers and was previously named by Super Lawyers as a “Rising Star.” As a result of his success in a class action securities fraud trial, Joe also earned membership in the Million Dollar Advocates Forum.

In his hometown of Wyckoff, Joe is a Knight of Columbus at Saint Elizabeth’s Church and is a member of the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association. He has also volunteered as a Wyckoff Recreation League coach in several sports for many years and he enjoys his volunteer time with the Saint Nicholas Church youth group. Joe is also a trustee of the Columbians, a philanthropic Italian-American club.

For the past 20 years, Joe has been married to Demetra–a member of our association and a formidable attorney in her own right. Demetra, an Assistant Bergen County Prosecutor, is the Chief of the Major Crimes Unit of the Prosecutor’s Office, having previously served as the Chief of the Special Victim’s Unit. Joe and Demetra’s treasures are their children, Joseph Dante and Chloe Celeste. Both are excellent students. Joe enjoys rooting for Dante as he “paints corners” from the pitcher’s mound and applauding for Chloe as she gracefully dances across the stage. In what little spare time he can find, Joe heads to the golf course, the ski mountain or the skeet/trap range. Most importantly, Joe thanks his parents Joseph and Delia (she of blessed memory) for their support, love and encouragement, without which he would not be the man he is today.