Roseland, New Jersey - February 19, 2015 - Connell Foley LLP is proud to announce that firm partner Richard J. Badolato was selected by the New Jersey Law Journal as a winner of their first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award. The Law Journal sought to recognize those who have “left an imprint on the legal history” of New Jersey, “whether through their work on the bench, assisting those in need of legal services, building a firm or any other means.”
“I am very humbled and honored,” said Mr. Badolato upon learning of winning the award. “In reviewing the list of winners, I see that I am in great company.” A total of 25 legal leaders were named to the inaugural list of Lifetime Achievement Award recipients. Mr. Badolato and his fellow honorees will be celebrated at an awards program on Wednesday, May 27, 2015 at Brooklake Country Club in Florham Park, N.J. For a full list of the honorees, please see the Law Journal’s website.
Richard Badolato’s legal career has been marked by nearly five decades of ongoing service not only to his clients, but to the bar, the legal profession, the New Jersey State Bar Association, the New Jersey State Bar Foundation and the American Bar Association, as well as the executive and judicial branches of New Jersey state government.
Since 1982, Mr. Badolato has been a partner at Connell Foley LLP in Roseland, where he has amassed a remarkable record in civil litigation while earning numerous accolades for his service to the legal profession. Mr. Badolato is a certified trial lawyer who in 2013 received the Medal of Honor from the NJSBF, the highest award given by the organization. The Medal of Honor is awarded for significant contribution to the advancement or improvement of the justice system and the betterment of the legal profession, as well as for professional excellence, as demonstrated by accomplishments in the law, and service to the profession and to the community.
Among his many appointments, Mr. Badolato is the former President of the Essex County Bar Association. In addition, he was a member of the House of Delegates of the ABA, former President of both the NJSBA and NJSBF, Chairman of the New Jersey Commission on Professionalism in the Law and Chairman of JPAC. He also served on the National Conference of Bar Presidents Executive Committee.
Mr. Badolato currently serves as Chairman of the Supreme Court’s Advisory Committee on Professional Ethics, is a member of the Supreme Court’s Committee on “E” Filing, and is a member of the New Jersey Commission on Ethics 20/20. He was previously on the Supreme Court’s Committee on Mandatory CLE and now serves on its Professional Responsibility Rules Committee. He is also a member of the CLE Advisory Board of the New Jersey State Bar Association. Mr. Badolato is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Legal Services of New Jersey and a member of the Board for Legal Services Foundation of Essex County.
Presently, Mr. Badolato is a member of Governor Christie’s Advisory Panel for New Jersey Judicial Appointments. He also served as State Chair of the Fellows of the American Bar Foundation and is a Diplomat of the American Board of Trial Advocates. He has been AV® rated by Martindale Hubbell since 1977 and selected for inclusion in “New Jersey Super Lawyers” since 2005.
Mr. Badolato is admitted to practice in New Jersey, New York, the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, the New York Court of Appeals and the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and before the United States Supreme Court. He received his law degree from Rutgers University School of Law and his undergraduate degree from Fairfield University.
Mr. Badolato and his wife Betty reside in Verona, New Jersey. They have five children: Paul Ramée and his wife Tracey, Tracey Badolato, Peter Ramée, Jill Badolato, and Art Ramée. They also have five grandchildren: Hunter, Abby, Owen, Caroline and Oliver.