William D. Grand

Of Counsel

General Counsel Emeritus

Iselin

T: 732.476.2520

F: 732.476.2521

wgrand@greenbaumlaw.com

New York

Experienced in complex commercial litigation and trials
Legal malpractice defense, attorney ethics matters, trade secret and non-compete claims, real estate and environmental cases
Available as expert witness in professional ethics matters and commercial litigation

Bill concentrates his practice in all phases of complex commercial litigation, including trials. He has litigated a broad range of commercial disputes. His experience encompasses legal malpractice defense, suits alleging the theft of trade secrets and violations of non-competition clauses, major eminent domain proceedings, and cases involving environmental contamination and the breach of real estate and other contracts. Bill has successfully litigated cases in the Chancery and Law Divisions of the state courts, as well as in the federal courts of both New Jersey and New York.

Bill also has over three decades of experience in the area of attorney ethics, loss prevention and legal malpractice defense. He has defended attorneys in legal malpractice cases and in attorney ethics proceedings. He counsels attorneys on how to avoid legal malpractice claims and is available to serve as an expert witness in both ethics and commercial litigation.

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

Areas of Focus

Practice Areas

Commercial Litigation

Professional Negligence, Malpractice & Ethics

Litigation

Real Estate Litigation
- Specific Performance

Credentials

Bar Admissions

New Jersey, 1972
New York, 1978
U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey, 1972
U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit, 1983
U.S. District Court, Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, 1987
U.S. Supreme Court, 1992
U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit, 1998

Education

University of Michigan Law School, J.D., 1972
University of Rochester, A.B. , with honors, 1969

Recognition

Listed in The Best Lawyers in America (a trademark of Woodward/White, Inc.) in the Commercial Litigation, Litigation - Real Estate, Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law, and Litigation - Environmental practice areas (2009 – present)
Selected by Best Lawyers (a trademark of Woodward/White, Inc.) as 2022 Woodbridge "Lawyer of the Year" in Litigation - Real Estate; as 2018 Woodbridge "Lawyer of the Year" in Litigation - Real Estate; as 2017 Woodbridge "Lawyer of the Year" in Litigation - Environmental; as 2013 Woodbridge "Lawyer of the Year" in Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law
Listed in Super Lawyers - New Jersey Edition (a Thomson Reuters business) in the Professional Liability: Defense, Business Litigation and Eminent Domain practice areas (2012 – 2020)
Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rated AV Preeminent (a trademark of Internet Brands, Inc.)

Please visit our Award Methodology page for a description of the standard or methodology on which these accolades are based. Attorney Advertising: No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.

Clerkships

Former law clerk to The Honorable Nelson K. Mintz, Appellate Division of the Superior Court of New Jersey (1972-1973)

Experience

Published Cases

In Harrington, et al v. Director, Division of Taxation, et al. (2016), represented the plaintiffs, a group of former co-workers who won a $216 million jackpot in New Jersey’s Mega Millions lottery. When the plaintiffs purchased their winning ticket and received their winnings, New Jersey law exempted lottery winnings from state income tax. However, months later, the rules were changed to retroactively tax lottery winnings, including those of the plaintiffs. Plaintiffs prevailed in the Tax Court, which ordered the State to fully refund plaintiffs' state income tax on their winnings, plus interest.
In The Geon Company v. Cary Compounds (2001), successfully defended a multinational corporation against trade secret and formula misappropriation claims in a six-week jury trial, obtaining a complete no-cause verdict.
In G & W Laboratories v. Able Laboratories (2018), defended a pharmaceutical manufacturer against allegations of trade secret theft and misappropriation, leading to dismissal of all claims after five weeks of trial.
In Middlesex County Utilities Authority v. Edgeboro Landfill (2010), defended a landfill owner in an eminent domain proceeding brought by a county utilities authority, achieving a settlement of nearly $40 million, more than ten times the authority’s initial offer of $3.5 million, after 40 days of hearings.
In Sgro v. Getty Petroleum Corp. (1994), successfully represented the defendant before the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey in a case involving underground storage tank removal obligations, securing judgment in favor of the client and eliminating environmental remediation liability.

Affiliations

Other Activities

John J. Gibbons American Inn of Court for Federal Trial Practice and Intellectual Property (former Master)
Yale Invitational Annual Mock Trial Tournament (former Judge)