Jeffrey S. Mandel

e-mail Jeff Mandel at njappeal@aol.com

Top 40 Under 40

The New Jersey Law Journal names Jeff Mandel as one of New Jersey's Top 40 Lawyers Under the Age of 40.

Editor's Note

Life Still Begins at 40
Forty may be the new 30 in terms of the public health, but as a milestone in the career of the average lawyer, it hasn't moved. Because most lawyers' career cycles begin in their mid-20s, age 40 is still the point when an attorney has likely established himself or herself at a firm, has taken on management roles and has even made partner.

That's why the achievements chronicled in our annual 40 Under 40 magazine are so impressive. Not only have these lawyers distinguished themselves in their practice areas; they have also become denizens of New Jersey practice, weaving their careers into the fabric of their professional and residential communities,

The 40 lawyers chosen — which is of course an arbitrary number — all have special attributes that shine out from the gray lines of a curriculum vitae . . . .We generally picked lawyers who have developed practice niches, demonstrated leadership potential by work in practice groups or committees and amassed a thick book of business and a solid record of trial, appellate or transactional work . . . .The focus should be on the 40 high achievers featured on the following pages, whose careers — already redoubtable — have even brighter days ahead.

— Ronald J. Fleury, Editor in Chief

40 Under 40: Jeffrey S. Mandel

Position: Partner, Pinilis Halpern, Morristown

Practice Areas: Appellate, general civil and criminal defense

College: Indiana University, B.A, criminal justice (minor: psychology)

Law School: Seton Hall University Law School, J.D.

Career History: Current firm, 2008-present; Pitney Hardin (now Day Pitney), [counsel], 2003-08; Drinker Biddle & Reath, associate, 1999-2003; Hon. Donald Collester Jr., J.A.D., law clerk, 1998-1999

An accomplished appellate advocate, Mandel over the past three years has been responsible for groundbreaking appellate decisions in criminal law from the New Jersey Supreme Court. The most recent of these was State v. Nunez-Valdez , in which the Court on July 27 sent a message to trial judges that a noncitizen's guilty plea to a serious crime will be vacated if the defendant was not made aware that it will result in deportation. Mandel argued, in behalf of the amici Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers of New Jersey and American Civil Liberties Union-New Jersey, that the standard plea form's existing language has been made obsolete by federal law reforms that made deportation mandatory for certain crimes. The Court ordered the form amended.

Mandel's other significant amicus successes on appeal include State v. Cottle , 194 N.J. 449 (2008), which reversed a murder conviction based on a criminal defense attorney's nondisclosure of a potential conflict of interest; State v. Parks , 192 N.J. 483 (2007), which reversed a sentence of life without parole based on nonapplicability of the Three Strikes Law to the defendant; and State v. Jimenez , 188 N.J. 390 (2006), which set guidelines and burdens of proof for determining death penalty eligibility when one asserts mental retardation.

In State v. Mahoney , 188 N.J. 359 (2006), Mandel successfully argued as amicus that an attorney-defendant's conviction should be overturned because of incomplete jury instructions. And in State in the Interest of S.S. , 183 N.J. 20 (2005), he prevailed in his argument that a trial court judge lacked the authority to hold a juvenile in criminal contempt of court for violating a court order issued pursuant to a family-in-crisis petition.

Mandel is a frequently published author on appellate advocacy, in the Law Journal and in other legal publications. He also has co-chaired CLE seminars on appellate practice. He also teaches appellate advocacy as an adjunct professor at Rutgers Law School-Newark and at Seton Hall Law School.

IMPORTANT: In addition to reading my Disclaimer (see below and the related link), you should understand that the label "top 40 under 40" is given by the law journal. I have no way to confirm that I was, at that time, a "top 40 under 40". You should therefore not consider it if you are on this website trying to determine which lawyer is the right one for you.

Whether a client or not, please note that the fact that I may be a recipient of a particular award and/or achievement is not a representation that I have any ability greater than any other attorney and it certainly should not be construed to mean that I can achieve a particular result. Similarly, the fact that I wrote a book on a particular subject, placed on a Super Lawyer list, a Top 40 Lawyer Under the Age of 40, appear on TV, was named a Lawyer of the Year, and/or prevailed on a certain appeal/case does not mean that I have any greater knowledge than any other attorney and/or any greater ability to succeed on a particular appeal/case in the future than any other attorney. None of these awards or distinctions were given by a court nor were they endorsed by the Supreme Court of New Jersey, or any court and/or judge for that matter. No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey. For information on the standard for giving this award, please visit the NJ Law Journal website.
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