Secaucus-based Scarinci and Hollenbeck, one of the most powerful legal firms in Hudson County, just became one of the most powerful firms in Bergen County, too.
The Secaucus-based firm recently expanded with a vengeance, taking on a group of new attorneys that gives partner Donald Scarinci even more influence in Bergen County than ever.
The 13-year-old Hudson County firm is well known for its political connections. Scarinci is aligned closely with Rep. Robert Menendez (D-13th Dist.), who also serves as the chairman of the Hudson County Democratic Party.
Last month, the firm announced that Joseph A. Ferriero, Richard M. Salsberg, and Matthew J. Giacobbe have become partners in the firm. The firm also announced the addition of Mitchell L. Pascual as counsel to the firm, and Peter A. Tucci, Jr. as an Associate. In addition, Scarinci & Hollenbeck has opened an office in Hackensack, New Jersey.
In the middle of one of the most contentious Hudson County political fights in decades, Donald Scarinci said he wants to get back to his primary occupation: being an attorney.
This is a startling turn of events for a man who once boasted that he was among the members of Gov. Jim McGreevey’s “kitchen cabinet,” part of the governor’s transition team that often met in the governor’s home.
Scarinci lately has been the target of Jersey City Mayor Glenn Cunningham’s attacks – which Scarinci claims he lets wash over him.
“I’ve got a new attitude on life,” he said. “After what happened several years ago when our firm was under attack around the county, nothing much bothers me any more.”
In the past, Scarinci was victim in a political war between Menendez and then Union City Mayor Rudy Garcia. Over a year, his firm lost contracts throughout the county in what Scarinci believes was a political attack by Garcia.
Since then, the firm has become even more powerful, and the recent expansion indicates a significant change in perspective.
Ferriero, one of the most significant litigators in Bergen County, also serves as the chairman of the Bergen County Democratic Party. He has a significant say in appointments to the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission, the Passaic Valley Sewerage Authority and the Bergen County Community College.
Secaucus Mayor Dennis Elwell said Ferriero could have a significant impact on Secaucus and the Meadowlands since he is involved with various issues that come before the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission.
“I’ve met him a few times, and he is a very sharp man,” Elwell said.
Ferriero’s legal style has been called “brash and bare-knuckled.” But he also covers a significant range of legal cases from personal injury to land use.
Several of the other new attorneys come from the firm DeCotiis, Fitzpatrick, Gluck & Cole, and promise to bolster Scarinci’s firm by providing more experience in private sector.
Scarinci’s firm has represented numerous public entities in northern New Jersey and throughout the entire state. He has worked with some of the largest New Jersey municipalities and counties, as well as numerous planning and zoning boards, economic development authorities, school boards, utility authorities, and other public sector entities at every level of municipal, county, regional and state government
“We’ve been looking to reduce our governmental work,” Scarinci said, a lesson learned from his brush with Garcia. “While we’re not going to get out of government altogether, we’re just not going to depend upon it as much as we did in Hudson County.”