Mr. Scrivo is certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Civil Trial Attorney and has been included in New Jersey Super Lawyers “Top 100” List , a Thomson Reuters business. In 2016 and 2017, he was listed as No. 16 in the NJBIZ Power 100: the 100 most powerful people in New Jersey and No. 15 (2016) and No. 35 (2017) in the PolitickerNJ Power List. He previously served as Managing Partner of the Newark, New Jersey Office of an Am Law 200 firm and Co-Chair of that firm’s Commercial Litigation Practice Group.
Mr. Scrivo served as Chief Counsel to Governor Chris Christie from 2015 to 2017. He was responsible for leading the Governor's legislative initiatives, supervising gubernatorial appointments, and overseeing New Jersey’s Executive Branch, including all state departments and authorities.
Mr. Scrivo has also served as Chair of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, an independent state agency that provides financing and tax incentives to New Jersey businesses to retain and grow jobs and revitalize communities through redevelopment initiatives.
He has extensive experience in a diverse range of practice areas, including complex commercial and business litigation, labor and employment law, internal investigations, land use and zoning, local government and redevelopment law, construction litigation, healthcare, estates and trusts litigation, professional liability litigation, patent, copyright, trademark infringement and anti-trust litigation, toxic tort and product liability litigation, class actions, and securities litigation. He regularly appears before the state and federal trial and appellate courts and arbitration tribunals throughout New Jersey and New York. He has argued before the New Jersey Supreme Court on several occasions.
Mr. Scrivo represents employers’ interests in employment discrimination claims involving race, sex, religion, age, handicap, and sexual orientation. He regularly handles wrongful discharge, retaliation, breach of contract, whistleblowing, and related claims and has litigated many cases involving the enforcement of restrictive covenants in employment agreements. He provides counseling to clients on all aspects of the employment relationship, including general employment advice and counseling, preparing employee manuals and handbooks, and conducting internal investigations. He also provides management and employee training. He has a traditional labor practice in the public and private sectors, representing management as principal spokesperson and counsel to chief negotiators.
Mr. Scrivo has vast experience in the public sector, having served as municipal attorney to several New Jersey municipalities and as special counsel to governmental entities in a wide array of litigated matters, including real estate, labor and employment, construction litigation, civil rights litigation, public bidding and contracts, and redevelopment law. He also has extensive experience representing applicants and developers in matters before land use boards throughout New Jersey. He is the author of the New Jersey Local Government Deskbook, a leading government treatise updated annually.
Mr. Scrivo recently served as the Chair of the New Jersey State Bar Association’s prestigious Judicial and Prosecutorial Appointments Committee (JPAC), which conducts confidential reviews of all judicial and county prosecutor candidates and advises the Governor whether the candidates are qualified for office. He is a past President of the Essex County Bar Association, former Trustee of the New Jersey State Bar Association, and current Trustee of the Association of the Federal Bar of the State of New Jersey. He recently served as an adjunct professor at Seton Hall University School of Law, where he taught State and Local Government. He has served as a member of the New Jersey Supreme Court’s District V-B Ethics Committee. He is a frequent lecturer, speaking on many topics, including attorney ethics. Chief Justice Stuart Rabner appointed Mr. Scrivo as Vice-Chair of the Supreme Court of New Jersey’s Working Group on Ethical Issues Involving Metadata in Electronic Documents. He currently serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, CT. Mr. Scrivo previously served on the Essex County College Board of Trustees for fifteen years. He has also served as Chair of the Essex County Heart Walk, which raised more than $500,000 for the American Heart Association.
Matters
- Successfully represented real estate brokerage firm against national mortgage bank in arbitration involving claims for breach of contract and breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing. (American Arbitration Association, New Jersey)
- Represented employee-recruiting firm against former employee for enforcement of restrictive covenant. Obtained permanent injunction. (Superior Court of New Jersey, Morris County, Chancery Division, General Equity Part)
- Obtained preliminary injunction on behalf of multiple listing service with more than 2000 members against competing multiple listing service and four real estate brokerage firms for violation of the New Jersey Anti-trust laws and breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing. (Superior Court of New Jersey, Bergen County, Chancery Division, General Equity Part)
- Represented former owner of advertising agency against national ad agency in eleven-day trial involving claims of breach of asset purchase agreement and breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing. (Superior Court of New Jersey, Somerset County, Law Division)
- Represented candidates for New Jersey State Senate and General Assembly in action to require County Clerk to re-draw ballot positions. (Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division, on appeal from Bergen County, Law Division)
- Successfully represented contractor for alleged failure to pay prevailing wages in multi-day administrative law trial. (New Jersey Office of Administrative Law)
- Obtained preliminary injunction on behalf of Board of Realtors comprised of approximately 1000 members against competing Board of Realtors and real estate brokerage firms for violation of the New Jersey Anti-trust laws. (Superior Court of New Jersey, Ocean County, Law Division)
- Represented partner against national accounting firm in eight-day arbitration hearing involving partnership dispute. (American Arbitration Association, New York, New York)
- Successfully represented owner against general contractor in arbitration involving claims of construction defects arising out of construction of warehouse. (American Arbitration Association, New Jersey)
- Lead counsel in ten-day jury trial in employment case involving claims of sexual harassment. (Supreme Court of New York, New York County)
- Co-lead counsel for Fortune 50 pharmaceutical company in four-week jury trial defending whistleblower claim, resulting in dismissal of all claims. (Superior Court of New Jersey, Mercer County, Law Division)
- Represented minority shareholder in six-day bench trial involving claims under the New Jersey Oppressed Minority Shareholders Act, and for breach of contract, and breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing. (Superior Court of New Jersey, Bergen County, Chancery Division, General Equity Part)
- Miskowitz v. Union County Utilities Auth., 336 N.J. Super. 183 (App. Div. 2001).
- Muirfield Const. Co. v. Essex County Improvement Auth., 336 N.J. Super. 126 (App. Div. 2000).
- Princeton Ins. Co. v. Chunmuang, 151 N.J. 80, 60 A.L.R.5th 861 (1997).
- Princeton Ins. Co. v. 349 Associates, L.L.C., 147 N.J. 337 (1997).
- Kerr v. Able Sanitary and Environmental Services, Inc., 295 N.J. Super. 147 (App. Div. 1996).
- Communications Workers of America, AFL-CIO, Locals 1040 and 1081 v. Treffinger, 291 N.J. Super. 336 (Law Div. 1996).
- Peck v. Newark Morning Ledger Co., 344 N.J. Super. 169 (App. Div. 2001).
- In re Special Police Officers, 354 N.J. Super. 269 (App. Div. 2002).
- Mountain View Crossing Investors, LLC. v. Township of Wayne, 21 N.J. Tax 481 (App. Div. 2004).
- Rumana v. County of Passaic, 397 N.J. Super. 157 (App. Div. 2007).
- Romagnola v. Gillespie, Inc., 194 N.J. 596 (2008).
- Waste Management of New Jersey, et al. v. Morris County Municipal Utilities Authority, et al., 433 N.J. Super. 455, 80 A. 3d 1169 (App. Div. 2013).
- Kathleen A. Donovan, County Executive of Bergen County v. Bergen County Board of Chosen Freeholders, 436 N.J. Super. 91 (Law Div. 2012), aff’d, 436 N.J. Super. 1 (App. Div. 2014).
- 62-64 Main St., L.L.C. v. Mayor & Council of City of Hackensack, 221 N.J. 129 (2015)
Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstances.
Honors & Awards
- Included in Best Lawyers in America® list (2015, 2020-2023) in Commercial Litigation and Litigation - Labor and Employment (2022-2023)
- Included in New Jersey Super Lawyers® list (2005-2015, 2018-2022) in Business Litigation and State, Local & Municipal; Top 100 (2015, 2022) (conferred by Thomson Reuters)
- Recipient, Distinguished Graduate Award, Seton Hall University School of Law (2018)
- Certified Civil Trial Attorney, Supreme Court of New Jersey
- Included in One of New Jersey’s “Top 40 Lawyers under 40” list conferred by the New Jersey Law Journal
- Recipient, Achievement Award, Peter W. Rodino, Jr. Law Society, Seton Hall University School of Law
No aspect of the advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey or the New York State Court of Appeals. Click here to view Awards/Honors Methodology.
Memberships & Affiliations
- American Bar Association
- New Jersey State Bar Association, Chair, Judicial and Prosecutorial Appointments Committee; Trustee (2012–2015)
- Association of the Federal Bar of the State of New Jersey, Trustee (2018 - present)
- New Jersey Economic Development Authority, Chair (2017-2018)
- Trial Attorneys of New Jersey
- American Bar Foundation, Life Fellow
- New Jersey Legislature, Vice Chair, Joint Legislative Committee on Ethical Standards (2022-present)
Government Service
- Chair, New Jersey Economic Development Authority (2017-2018)
- Chief Counsel to Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey (2015-2017)
- Vice Chair, Essex County College Board of Trustees (2001-2015)
Additional Publications
- American Lawyer Media
- “New Jersey Local Government Deskbook” (2008-Present)
- New Jersey Law Journal
- “Special Fiscal Agents – Armed Peacekeepers” (Apr. 1, 2014)
- “Asset Monetization: Is it a Thing of the Past? Local Governments are Reminded of Their Duty to be Fiscally Responsible” (Apr. 21, 2008)
- “Witness to the Process” (May 7, 2007)
- “Ethics of Representing Multiple Public Entities” (Apr. 18, 2005)