40 Under 40: Lawyers To Watch in the Next Decade

Firm: McCarter & English, Newark

Position: Partner

Born: Sept. 12, 1968, Parsippany

Education: Rutgers Law School-Newark, J.D., 1993 (articles editor, Computer & Technology Law Journal); Princeton Univ., B.A., 1990

Years at Present Firm: 7

Primary Practice Areas: Employment law defense.

Previous Experience: United States Army, Judge Advocate, 1994-97; served as lead prosecutor for the U.S. Army Military District of Washington; special assistant U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia; criminal defense counsel in the National Capital Region

Highlights: Avallone joined McCarter & English directly from service as an Army Judge Advocate, having already amassed a formidable record in military legal practice. He served as first or second chair in criminal jury trials, bench trials and administrative hearings both on the prosecution and defense sides. His most notable successes included the defense of several nationally publicized cases of sexual harassment against Army drill instructors at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland. As a special assistant U.S. attorney, he handled the criminal prosecution of civilians who engaged in unlawful conduct on select military installations. Avallone received special recognition for his judge advocate work, including the Army Commendation Medal.
At McCarter & English, Avallone rapidly developed significant client relationships in the field of labor and employment law and became a partner in just four years. The firm says he has consistently delivered outstanding results, successfully negotiating favorable resolutions and obtaining favorable trial verdicts and pretrial dismissals. In April 2004, he became leader of the firm’s Employment Law Practice Group, comprised of 13 attorneys in offices in Hartford, Stamford, New York City, Newark, Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore. He is also a published author and frequent speaker on employer-defense issues.

Firm: Saiber Schlesinger Satz & Goldstein, Newark

Position: Partner

Born: Dec. 19, 1967, Providence, R.I.

Education: Duke Univ. Law School, J.D., 1992; Boston Univ., M.A., 1989, British history; Boston Univ., B.A., 1989

Years at Present Firm: 7

Primary Practice Areas: Litigation and dispute resolution.

Previous Experience: U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission, staff attorney, 1995-97; Strook & Strook & Lavan, associate, 1992-95

Highlights: Coming to Saiber, Schlesinger from the SEC, Badway quickly carved out a unique specialty niche, representing broker-dealers, associated persons, hedge funds, corporations, and high net worth individuals in litigation and dispute resolution. At age 36, he is already an established authority on regulatory compliance, and especially on the hottest topic in the area, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. He has lectured in the New Jersey Corporate Counsel Association’s program on the Sarbanes-Oxley aftermath and was co-program chair of “The Sarbanes-Oxley Act: How the New Rules Affect Your Law Practice” and “The Sarbanes-Oxley Update.” He has moderated forums at the New York County Lawyers’ Association titled “Navigating the Regulatory Rapids in Today’s Security Industry,” “Regulation FD: A Practical Approach,” “State Securities Regulation: The States Are Here to Stay,” and “Securities Enforcement Update.” Badway has also spoken at the ACI’s Corporate Counsel program on internal investigations, is co-chair of the New York County Lawyers’ Association Committee on Securities and Exchanges and is on the adjunct faculty at Brooklyn Law School. He has published articles in the field of regulatory compliance and has also been a featured commentator for Bloomberg Television News, KFXN All News Radio, and print publications, including CBS Marketwatch.com, Bloomberg.com and Fortune magazine. He became a partner this year.