LITIGATION

            Civil Trials and Appeals

            Every attorney at Wiley Malehorn Sirota & Raynes has had experience in litigation.  Even areas of our practice such as trusts and estate, corporate law, or real estate see litigation at times.  Further, because of the broad nature of our practice, we have litigators who have become familiar with a wide range of law.  We think that it is a great advantage to our clients to have litigators who know something about how a corporation works or how to handle a real estate closing or draft a will.  On the flip side, our litigation experience gives us insight in drafting documents that keep our clients out of court down the road.

            Our trial attorneys have represented clients in state and federal courts, as well as the administrative forums.  We have appeared before countless mediators and arbitrators.  Some of our cases have attracted nationwide attention, such as when we successfully defended a bank accused of wrongfully terminating a pregnant woman acting as a surrogate mother for her sister.  The Bank’s complete victory in that case was broadcast in its entirety on Court TV.

            Our firm has handled numerous appeals in state and federal court and is familiar with the various rules of procedure necessary to present the best argument for our clients. Our firm has a number of former trial and appellate clerks who can provide their experience to our clients.

             We approach each case with the same dedication and thoroughness, regardless of the complexity of issues or money at stake. Our firm likes to think that we “swarm” all over our cases in an effort achieve the best results for our clients. 

            Commercial Litigation

             Wiley Malehorn Sirota & Raynes has handled commercial litigation matters from our inception more than 30 years ago.  Our lawyers handle everything from the simple breach of contract case to complex commercial disputes.  We have represented individuals, public entities, partnerships, limited liability companies, banks and corporations of all types and sizes.

             Our lawyers have litigated restrictive covenant cases, collection matters, partnership and joint venture disputes, as well as franchise, lease and contractual disputes of every type and complexity.

             One of our partners describes the latest developments in the area of commercial law in the New Jersey Law Journal's annual "N.J. Supreme Court Year in Review".

             At any given time our caseload often includes disputes arising from real estate joint ventures, mortgage foreclosures, estate litigation, NASD investor suits, school matters, insurance defense and construction.  We have handled unusual cases, such as a landowner suing a utility company that clear-cut the trees in his yard near a power line, and a suit involving determining the identity of an individual who sent harassing e-mails. 

             Given the increase in environmental litigation, we have represented a number of clients seeking compensation from their insurance carriers for the costs of environmental clean-up. Similarly, we have defended individuals, schools and corporations sued by the government for environmental clean-up. 

             Our firm zealously represents our clients within the boundaries of the law.

Products Liability/Personal Injury/Medical Malpractice

            Wiley Malehorn Sirota & Raynes represents both plaintiffs and defendants in substantial personal injury, property damage and medical malpractice cases.  We represent individuals who have sustained injuries in a variety of ways, including car accidents, workplace injuries that are not workers’ compensation claims, medical malpractice, unsafe products, premises liability and substantial slip and falls. 

            We also provide defense for clients facing lawsuits involving personal injuries, property damage and products liability matters.  As clients’ needs, cases and businesses differ, we work to get familiar with our client’s business or product in order to help us provide the best defense for the client.  We also take into account the client’s strategic concerns in defending a personal injury or products liability matter. 

            It is our practice to keep all of our clients fully informed about their cases.  We consult our clients before making critical decisions, such as retention of experts, witnesses to depose and settlement.  As appropriate, we assemble and orchestrate teams of experts, including physicians, economic experts and engineers, to represent our clients. 

            Employment

            This firm represents employees and employers in all aspects of labor and employment litigation, including harassment, discrimination, restrictive covenants, contracts, handbooks, whistleblowing, wrongful termination, disability, leaves of absence, and other employment-related matters.  We represent employees and employers with regard to claims involving federal laws (e.g. Age Discrimination in Employment Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964) and state laws, such as the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination.  We have a strong track record representing employers and employees in litigation and negotiating favorable settlements and severance packages.

            Municipal Court

            We represent individuals in municipal court matters, involving moving violations, drunk driving, neighbor disputes, and municipal code violations.