| | Bruce, a director, leverages more than 25 years of expertise in civil litigation and criminal defense, coupled with a career as an award-winning newspaper reporter and editor, in bringing about the best result for his clients. He has long been associated with high-profile First Amendment litigations related to free speech, media law (such as defamation and open public records) and religious freedom. More recently, crisis management and issues related to public information, web defamation, workplace privacy, appropriation of image and data theft have become a big part of his practice. Bruce has argued successfully numerous times before the New Jersey Supreme Court and U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, aside from many other courts in New Jersey and New York.
He also represents public corporate clients as well as individuals who own and/or manage private businesses. Bruce has extensive experience in complex and standard commercial litigation, including employment litigation and counseling, environmental law and insurance coverage, contract disputes, class action defense, land use matters, public school issues and business disputes such as minority shareholder matters.
Bruce has been listed since 2005 in The Best Lawyers in America©, a guide to legal excellence based on peer reviews. And he was named the Newark area Litigation-First Amendment "Lawyer of the Year" by Best Lawyers for 2014-2015. He has been selected every year since 2006 for the New Jersey Super Lawyers© list, lawyers who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. In addition, peers give him an AV Preeminent™ rating of 5 out of 5 for professional excellence, as published in the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory, an authoritative resource about the legal profession. As a result, he was selected for inclusion in the New York Area’s Top Rated Lawyers, put out by Martindale-Hubbell and ALM Media, LLC. Bruce also has been elected a fellow of the American Bar Foundation, which advances justice through research on the law and its impact on society.* Court Admissions
Education
Memberships
- New Jersey Supreme Court Bench-Bar-Media Committee
- Association of the Federal Bar of New Jersey
- Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers-NJ
- ACLU-New Jersey Board of Trustees
- New Jersey Media Lawyers Association, founding member
- Media Law Resource Center, Defense Counsel Section
- New Jersey Supreme Court Criminal Practice Committee, 2007-2009
- Media Law Committee of the New Jersey State Bar Association, chair, 2002-2005
Professional Activities
- Rutgers University School of Law-Newark, adjunct professor, Law and Mass Communications, 2005-present
- U.S. District Court Criminal Justice Act Panel, 2002-present
- Editorial Board, New Jersey Law Journal, 1990-present
- New Jersey Public Policy (NJPP), Board of Trustees, 1998-2011
- New Jersey Law Journal, editor in chief, and American Lawyer Newspapers, executive editor, 1986-1990
- Award-winning newspaper reporter for The Record of Hackensack, NJ, covering legal and other issues, 1977-1986
Publications
- Co-author, annual “50-State Survey of Media Libel Law” and “50-State Survey of Employment Privacy Law” (Media Law Resource Center, NYC)
- “With Friends Like These…”, New Jersey Lawyer Magazine, a publication of the New Jersey State Bar Association (October 2013)
- “Sloppy Journalism Is Not Malice,” American Bar Association Section of Litigation, First Amendment & Media Litigation Committee (Sept. 25, 2012)
- “Employment References: A Cautionary Tale,” New Jersey Law Journal (Sept. 26, 2005)
- "Is the Reporter’s Privilege a Barometer of Free Speech's Health in 2005?" New Jersey Lawyer Magazine, a publication of the New Jersey State Bar Association (April 2005)
- “A New Minefield for Defense Counsel: Celebrity Jurors,” Corporate Counsel magazine (May 2004)
Lectures and Appearances
- Lecturer on defamation, civil rights, white-collar criminal defense and data-theft issues for various organizations and continuing legal education providers
- Interviewee and resource for a wide range of publications on media and employment issues. Appearances include interview on Fox News on significance of Too Much Media v. Hale, a New Jersey Supreme Court opinion on shield laws and bloggers. Represented media organizations filing as friends of the court. Click here to view the segment.
Clerkship
- Hon. H. Lee Sarokin, U.S. District Court, Newark, 1985
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