Donald A. Kessler

Judge Kessler’s experience in the resolution of business, construction and healthcare disputes includes the breach, enforcement and interpretation of complex commercial business contracts, corporate and partnership disputes, minority shareholder oppression cases, business dissolutions, claims of business fraud, breach of fiduciary duties, Stark and Anti-Kickback violations in medical contracts, real estate matters including title and specific performance issues, breach and enforcement of commercial leases, and legal malpractice and professional negligence matters.

In the area of employment disputes, his experience encompasses the breach, enforcement and interpretation of employment contracts, executive compensation issues, restrictive covenant and trade secret matters, employee misclassification disputes, wrongful termination claims, whistleblower and discrimination, harassment, and retaliation matters.

Prior to joining the firm, Judge Kessler served on the bench of the New Jersey Superior Court, Essex Vicinage from 2009-2019 in the Chancery Division. During his tenure as a Chancery Division judge, he presided over and oversaw complex business and employment non-jury trials and motions. He was frequently asked to lecture before bar and judicial groups on a variety of topics related to his areas of expertise and was also called upon to teach at the New Jersey Judicial College for six years and at new judge orientation.

Prior to his service in the New Jersey Judiciary, Judge Kessler spent 35 years in private practice representing corporate and individual clients on complex litigation and business counseling. He also represented Chilton Memorial Hospital in Pompton Plains for 27 years and several physicians, physician practices, lawyers and law firms with respect to a variety of legal matters. His clients also included several businesses including a real estate developer who owned an office park which contained more than one million feet of commercial and warehouse space and one of the largest drywall subcontractors in the United States. He also handled a number of employment claims for individual employees and represented one of the largest wholesalers of newspapers and magazines in the world in a variety of employment matters.

Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstances.