Attorneys – The Toscano Law Firm

Patrick P. Toscano Jr.

Since leaving the position of First Assistant Essex County Prosecutor, where he forged strong relationships with several law enforcement officers and agencies, Mr. Toscano has earned the reputation of being a fierce advocate for all of his clients, including all law enforcement officers he represents.

While Mr. Toscano’s accomplishments in his legal career are staggering, the one he is perhaps most proud of is his appointment to the New Jersey Joint Legislative Committee on Ethical Standards, a position that he was appointed to by current New Jersey State Senator Jon Bramnick. The Commission is called upon to investigate alleged violations of statutes, rules and/or regulations that may have been committed by members of the New Jersey State Senate and Assembly, as well as other certain State employees.

While he specializes in four different areas, he has the ability to handle almost any type of contested matter.

AREAS OF PRACTICE:

Serious Personal Injury
Criminal Defense
Civil Rights
Law Enforcement Defense
Federal Court Litigation
Municipal Court Matters (Specializing in DWI Cases)

CERTIFICATION/SPECIALTIES:

Certified Criminal Trial Attorney, New Jersey Supreme Court
1997-2007
Certified Civil Trial Attorney, New Jersey Supreme Court
1994-2006

BAR ADMISSIONS:

New Jersey, 1986
New York, 1994
District of Columbia, 1993
U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey, 1986
U.S. Court of Appeals, 2^nd Circuit, 1994
U.S. Court of Appeals, 3^rd Circuit, 1986
U.S. Supreme Court, 1991

EDUCATION:

Seton Hall University School of Law, Newark, New Jersey
J.D., 1985
Seton Hall University, South Orange, New Jersey
B.A. with Honors, 1982
Major: Criminal Justice

HONORS, AWARDS, AND APPOINTMENTS:

Certificate of Commendation, United States Secret Service
1999
Certificate of Recognition, Essex County PBA Local #153
1998
Criminal Trial Attorney of the Year (Achievement Award), Essex County Bar Association
2005
Joint Legislative Resolution Proclamation Achievement, New Jersey State Senate and General Assembly
2000-Present
Member, Governor-Elect Chris Christie’s Transition Team, Law and Public Safety
2009
Member, New Jersey State Prisoner Reentry Commission (Appointed by Governor Chris Christie)
2011
Commissioner/Vice Chairman, New Jersey State Lottery Commission
2014-2018
Member, Finance Committee, State Senator Joe Kyrillos, Joe Kyrillos for U.S. Senate
2012
Voted Best Attorney by the Italian-American Police Society
2012
Voted Best of New Jersey, Distinguished American of Italian Descent, Italian Tribune Publications

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS, MEMBERSHIPS, AND REPRESENTATIVE CLIENTS:

Commissioner, Essex County Utility Authority
1993-1996
Certified Instructor, New Jersey State Police Training Commission
Investigator, Archdiocesan Sexual Assault Response Team, Archdiocese of Newark
2002
Hearing Officer, New Jersey Transit Police
2005
Counsel, National Police Defense Foundation
Counsel, New Jersey State Troopers Fraternal Association, Legal Defense Plan
Counsel, West Essex PBA Local #81
Counsel, Newark PBA Local #3
Vice Chair, District VC Fee Arbitration Committee (Appointed by New Jersey Supreme Court)
2008-2012
Instruction, New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education
General Counsel, Bronze Shields, Newark Police Department
Member, New Jersey State Bar Association
General Counsel, DeMattheis Real Estate Development Company

EDUCATIONAL TEACHING POSITIONS:

Member, Advisory Committee, Seton Hall University, Pre-Law/Criminal Justice Program
2015-Present
Adjunct Professor of Criminal Justice, Seton Hall University

PAST EMPLOYMENT POSITIONS:

First Assistant Essex County Prosecutor, Essex County Prosecutor’s Office
1998-1999
First Assistant Essex County Counsel, Essex County Counsel
1999-2000
Law Clerk, New Jersey Superior Court, Honorable Paul T. Murphy, J.S.C.
1986

TRUSTEE

Oratory Preparatory School, Summit, New Jersey

Matthew J. Toscano

Matthew J. Toscano handles a wide array of cases at The Toscano Law Firm, LLC. He graduated from Seton Hall University School of Law in 2019, having been selected for multiple awards for his Appellate Advocacy work. During law school, Mr. Toscano interned for the Supreme Court of New Jersey, where he drafted judicial memoranda for submission to multiple New Jersey Supreme Court Justices.

Mr. Toscano has appeared in Municipal, State, and Federal courts during his representation of clients in a variety of matters. He had regularly appeared in the New Jersey Superior Court as a Student Attorney, where he defended indigent clients charged with a wide range of criminal offenses.

Mr. Toscano served as Law Clerk to the Honorable John Zunic, J.S.C., where he handled Domestic Violence matters throughout Essex County. Mr. Toscano’s term as Law Clerk began on the first day the Honorable John Zunic, J.S.C., was assigned to the Domestic Violence Unit. Judge Zunic was named Lead Domestic Violence judge within only a few months of being assigned to the Unit due to the efficiency of his Chambers.

Mr. Toscano previously worked as an Associate Attorney at McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter, LLP. He practiced in the firm’s Construction, Surety & Fidelity group, which is nationally recognized as one of the top law firm practice groups in the country. During his time at MDMC, Mr. Toscano worked on numerous construction, surety, and bankruptcy matters, many involving disputes of hundreds of millions of dollars.

Areas of Practice:

Serious Personal Injury
Criminal Defense
Civil Rights
Law Enforcement Defense
Municipal Court Matters
Appellate Advocacy

Bar Admissions:

New Jersey, 2019
U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey, 2020
U.S. Court of Appeals, 3^rd Circuit, 2022

Education:

Seton Hall University School of Law, Newark, New Jersey
J.D., 2019
University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware
B.A., 2016
Major: Criminal Justice

Past Employment Positions:

Associate, McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter, LLP
2020-2021
Law Clerk, New Jersey Superior Court, Honorable John Zunic, J.S.C.
2019-2020
Student Attorney, Seton Hall University School of Law, Center for Social Justice, Criminal Justice Clinic
2018
Summer Associate, McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter, LLP
2018
Judicial Intern, Supreme Court of New Jersey, Honorable Justice Walter Timpone
2018
Judicial Intern, U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey, Honorable Madeline Cox-Arleo
2017

Michael A. Petrolle, J.S.C. Retired

Michael A. Petrolle is a Judge, Superior Court of New Jersey, retired after 27 years of trial court tenured and recall service. Having presided over myriad cases in the Criminal and Family Divisions of the Superior Court, Essex Vicinage, Judge Petrolle conducted hundreds of criminal jury and bench trials as well as numerous juvenile trials and civil jury and bench trials.

During his tenure on the court, Judge Petrolle has taught criminal law orientation classes to judges as well as other classes to probation officers and various judicial administrative personnel and has presented instruction to visiting judges from China, Japan and South Korea .and visiting police officers from Italy and Sweden.

Before his appointment to the Superior Court in 1995, the judge was engaged in the general practice of law over the period of more than 24 years – most recently as senior partner in his former law firm, McCormack, Petrolle & Matthews, P.C. which then had offices in Roseland, New Jersey,

Earlier in his career, the judge served as an Assistant Essex County Prosecutor – first part-time while also conducting a private practice in the law firm, Altman & Petrolle, Esqs., and then full time in 1970, upon cessation of his private practice, when the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office converted to a full time office – eventually as Senior Trial Assistant in charge of several courts and ultimately as Director of the Special Prosecutions Section.

From 1990 through 1995, the judge, also having been a funeral director licensed in New Jersey in 1969, and previously having been attorney for various funeral businesses, served as President of the New Jersey State Board of Mortuary Science.

Recognized, in 2017, by the Essex County Bar Association with its Lifetime Achievement Award; and in 2001, by Seton Hall University Law School’s Peter W. Rodino, Jr. Law Society with its Distinguished Service Award, Judge Petrolle has genuinely earned over more than five decades an impeccable reputation as an outstanding professional with a record first as a savvy trial attorney who achieved excellent results for his clients and later as a fine trial judge who assured all who appeared before him due process with fairness and justice.

Education:

Seton Hall University School of Law, J.D., 1967
American Academy McAllister Institute, Certificate, 1969
National Institute of Trial Advocacy, University of Colorado, Certificate, 1972
University of Pennsylvania, A.B., 1964
Suffield Academy, Suffield Connecticut, 1960

Professional History:

1967 – Admitted to Practice of Law before Courts of the State of New Jersey
1967 – Admitted to Practice of Law before United States District Court, District of New Jersey
1967 – 1968 – Served as judicial law secretary (law clerk) to six Essex County District Court Judges
1968 – Commenced general practice of law by founding with M. Richard Altman, Esq. the law firm, Altman & Petrolle, Esqs.
1969 – Began part time service as an Assistant Essex County Prosecutor simultaneously with general private practice
1970 – Began full time service as an Assistant County Essex County Prosecutor upon conversion of the Office of the Essex County Prosecutor to a full time office – preparing and trying to jury verdict scores of criminal cases ranging from narcotics and assault, beyond sexual assault and arson, to homicide, organized crime and white collar crime
1971 – Became Senior Assistant Essex County Prosecutor responsible for supervision of junior assistant prosecutors and investigators servicing several criminal courts in the preparation and trial of many and various criminal cases
1972 – Became contemporaneously Director of the Essex County Prosecutor’s Special Prosecutions Section directly handling and overseeing the processes of cases of special public interest from initiation and investigation (including grand jury presentation), through preparation, to prosecution at trial
1973 – Resumed and grew, until appointment to the Superior Court, in 1995, his general private law practice to a staff of ten professionals and paraprofessionals – responsible for conduct, from initial client interview to final disposition, of civil, criminal, matrimonial and administrative litigation and complex business transactions as well as counsel and representation of a publicly held corporation and various municipalities
1986 – 1995 –Served as labor counsel to Township of Irvington and 1994 – 1995 – served as labor counsel to City of East Orange – in public sector administration and negotiation of collective bargaining and other employee agreements, as well as representation in contract grievance, unfair labor practice, interest arbitration ad related proceedings
1995 – Nominated and confirmed as Judge, Superior Court of New Jersey
2001 – Executive Judge designated by the Essex Vicinage Assignment Judge to mentor and guide less experienced Judges
2011 – Intensive Supervision Program Judge designated by the Chief Justice to serve on a panel of Judges to consider whether or not to grant early release from prison onto probation of certain New Jersey State prisoners who seek to conform to specific criteria in order to participate in re-entry into society guided and overseen by specially trained and qualified probation officers
2012 – Recalled immediately upon retirement as Judge, Superior Court of New Jersey
From time to time, participated in seminar panels for the New Jersey Judicial College and New Jersey State Bar Association
1990 – 1995 – President of the New Jersey State Board of Mortuary Science – conducted public hearings upon charges of violation of New Jersey statutes and/ or regulations governing the practice of mortuary science and conducted meetings of the Board upon regulatory, policy and other administrative matters

Donato D’Angelo, Jr., ESQ.

EDUCATION
Cleveland State University, Cleveland-Marshall College of Law
Cleveland, Ohio
Juris Doctor, cum laude
December 2012
GPA: 3.30/4.0
Honors: CALI Awards for the Highest Grade in Advanced Brief Writing, Advanced Legal Research, Medical Malpractice and Law Practice Management
First Year Intrascholastic Moot Court Award
Karin Mika Award for Outstanding Service by a Moot Court Associate
Activities: Evans A. Evans Constitutional Law Moot Court Competition

Seton Hall University, College of Education and Human Services
South Orange, New Jersey
Master of Arts in Human Resources Training and Development
December 2006
Honors: Certificate in Leadership and Management
GPA: 3.90/4.0

Norwich University, The Military College of Vermont
Northfield, Vermont
Bachelor of Arts in History and International Studies, summa cum laude
May 1999
GPA: 3.64/4.0
Honors: Distinguished Military Graduate
Activities: Corps of Cadets

BAR ADMISSIONS
New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, United States District Court for the Southern District of New York

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Law Office of Donato D’Angelo, Jr., P.C.
Morristown, New Jersey
Criminal Defense Attorney
December 2022 – Present

Represent clients in all phases of criminal proceedings in state and federal courts including arraignment, pretrial motions, pleas negotiations, trial and sentencing.
Defend clients against a wide variety of felony charges such as burglary, robbery, gun possession, aggravated assault, terroristic threats, narcotics offenses and homicide.
Interview clients and correspond with them regularly regarding defense strategy and status of case.

United States Army Reserve, Command and General Staff College
Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey
Lieutenant Colonel
May 1999 – Present

Commanded a 16-soldier anti-armor platoon in Afghanistan with equipment valued in excess of $4 million.
Developed training plans and assisted in the tactical operation of a 650-soldier infantry battalion in Iraq.

Coughlin Midlige & Garland LLP
Morristown, New Jersey
Associate
September 2020 – December 2022

Represented domestic and international insurers in a wide array of insurance coverage disputes arising under commercial general liability, commercial auto liability, directors and officers, and excess and umbrella policies.
Regularly advised insurers pursuing additional insured coverage or defending claims by putative additional insureds in connection with underlying personal injury litigation.
Drafted pleadings, discovery requests and responses, memoranda, motions and supporting documents for submission to court including summary judgment motions, motions to dismiss, mediation statements and settlement agreements.
Counseled and represented small business owners and private individuals in contract disputes, commercial real estate, landlord-tenant, property tax appeal, and labor and employment matters.

Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, Adult Trial Section
Newark, New Jersey
Assistant Prosecutor
September 2016 – September 2020

First-chaired 6 jury trials and 2 bench trials to verdict in felony cases involving gun possession, resisting arrest, theft, burglary, tampering with evidence, eluding and narcotics offenses.
Managed a caseload of 150-200 indictments at any given time and engaged in all phases of criminal investigation and prosecution including arraignments, motions, pleadings and trials.
Briefed memoranda and argued motions on an array of issues before various New Jersey State Superior Court judges.
Conducted over 50 pretrial hearings on behalf of the government on a range of charges including credit card fraud, theft by deception, forgery, identity theft, aggravated assault, armed robbery, vehicular homicide and murder.
Prepared and coordinated hundreds of law enforcement officers, lay witnesses, expert witnesses and victims for testimony at grand jury proceedings, evidentiary hearings and trials.
Reviewed physical, testimonial and electronic evidence to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of cases.
Negotiated over 100 complex guilty pleas in narcotics trafficking cases involving multiple defendants.
Demonstrated knowledge and capability in the areas of the New Jersey Open Public Records Act regarding requests for access to government records and the common law right of access.
Maintained strong professional relationships with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies including the U.S. Attorney’s Office, ICE, New Jersey State Police, Essex County Sheriff’s Office and Newark Police Department.

Superior Court of New Jersey, Law Division, Criminal Part
Newark, New Jersey
Law Clerk to the Honorable Ramona A. Santiago, J.S.C. (ret.)
August 2015 – August 2016

Prepared bench memoranda and summations of presentence investigation reports regarding entry into Drug Court.
Drafted opinions on municipal appeal matters involving simple assault, harassment and local ordinance violations.

Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, Appellate Unit
Jersey City, New Jersey
Law Intern
June 2015 – August 2015

Prepared appellate briefs opposing direct appeals, municipal appeals and petitions for post-conviction relief.
Conducted legal research and analysis on matters including child abuse, aggravated sexual assault and murder.

United States District Court, Northern District of Ohio
Youngstown, Ohio
Judicial Extern to the Honorable Benita Y. Pearson, U.S.D.J.
September 2011 – December 2011

Performed legal research on criminal matters including a federal prisoner’s petition for a writ of habeas corpus.
Observed arraignments, evidentiary hearings, conferences in chambers, oral arguments and jury trials.

Reminger Co., LPA
Cleveland, Ohio
Law Clerk
September 2011 – December 2011

Drafted complaints, briefs, memoranda and discovery responses on cases involving insurance and real estate law.
Prepared client advisory letters on matters concerning antitrust, employee benefits, defamation and libel.

Dworken & Bernstein, Co., LPA
Painesville, Ohio
Summer Associate
May 2011 – August 2011

Researched and wrote memoranda in the areas of labor and employment, ethics, family and real estate law.
Discussed strategies with attorneys regarding active and potential class actions involving nursing home negligence.

Cleveland Municipal Court, Magistrate’s Department
Cleveland, Ohio
Law Clerk
June 2010 – December 2010

Performed legal research and drafted recommendations on wage garnishment and debt collection matters.
Negotiated mediation settlements in small claims cases involving landlord-tenant and contract disputes.

Cuyahoga County Public Defender’s Office, Felony and Juvenile Divisions
Cleveland, Ohio
Law Clerk
January 2010 – December 2010

Coordinated client and witness interviews, performed legal research and assisted attorneys with court filings.
Observed pretrial conferences, plea negotiations, jury selection, case management conferences and trials.

New Jersey State Police, Troop B Headquarters
Totowa, New Jersey
State Trooper
August 2005 – July 2009

Graduated first in class at New Jersey State Police Academy; recipient of Superintendent’s Award for meritorious service.
Recognized by patrol supervisor for high productivity in traffic enforcement and criminal arrests.

PUBLICATIONS

“Primary Challenges: How Excess Insurers Can Protect Against Improper Payments and Policy Erosion,” Claims Litigation Management Magazine, June 2022.
“New Jersey Insurance Fair Conduct Act Establishes Private Right of Action for UM/UIM Claimants,” Coughlin Midlige & Garland LLP’s Insurance Law Alert, February 2022.

MEMBERSHIPS

New Jersey State Bar Association (Criminal Law Section, Military Law and Veterans’ Affairs Section)
Essex County Bar Association
Morris County Bar Association

ASSOCIATIONS, SKILLS & INTERESTS

Volunteer Judge, New Jersey High School Mock Trial Competition
Level 2 proficiency in Italian and Spanish
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America

Anthony R. Mautone - In Memoriam (1943-2021)

Anthony R. Mautone was a graduate of Villanova University and Seton Hall University School of Law. He was a practicing attorney in this State since 1969. He was employed by the office of Essex County Prosecutor from 1968 to 1978. He was Chief of the Homicide Division from 1972 to 1978. As such, he successfully tried most of Essex County’s major murder cases against many formidable adversaries. From 1976 to 1978 he also served as the First Assistant Prosecutor of Essex County.

Mr. Mautone served on the Supreme Court Criminal Practice Committee which is largely comprised of Judges from various Counties throughout the State. He lectured at Seton Hall University School of Law.

From 1978 Mr. Mautone was engaged predominantly in insurance defense trial work, although he handled criminal cases of significant and public interest. He was selected to be an arbitrator by the Assignment Judges of Essex and Hudson Counties.

In September 1978 Mr. Mautone formed a partnership with the late Frank P. Minichino (Minichino & Mautone from 1978 to 1996), predominantly engaged in insurance defense trial work. The firm then became known as Mautone & Horan, P.A. until December 1, 2015 when he became Of Counsel to The Toscano Law Firm, LLC.

Mr. Mautone represented both plaintiffs and defendants in complex civil cases from 1978 to December 2015. In addition to his cases and trials as a Prosecutor he tried many criminal cases of local and national significance as a defense attorney.

Mr. Mautone served as a District Court appointed part-time United States Magistrate Judge. This position enabled continued practice of law in the State courts and civil practice in the Federal courts because the magistrate responsibilities involve the disposition of Federal criminal and quasi-criminal cases.

Education:

Seton Hall University School of Law, Newark, New Jersey
L.L.B., (now J.D.), 1967
Villanova University, Villanova, Pennsylvania
B.S., 1964
Major: Psychology
Benedict’s Preparatory School, 520 High Street, Newark, New Jersey
1960

Professional History:

Admitted to the New Jersey Bar
Admitted to the New York Bar
Admitted to practice in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey and Southern District New York
Admitted to practice before the United States Court of Appeals, Third Circuit
Admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court
1967-1968 – Legal Secretary (Law Clerk) to Judge Joseph G. Lyons – Superior Court – Law Divison (Criminal)
1968 – Investigator – Essex County Prosecutor’s Office
1969 – Assistant Essex County Prosecutor
1970-1971 – Senior Trial Assistant in charge of several courts
1972-1978 – Chief of Homicide Squad – Arson
In charge of homicide from investigatory stages through judicial processes (included Grand Jury) to trial and ultimate disposition.
Responsible for the investigation, presentations, and trial of arson cases in Essex County and for the investigation and disposition of all cases involving traffic fatalities.
1977-1978 – First Assistant Prosecutor
Responsible for the operation of the 275 members (75 lawyers, 125 detectives, 75 clerical) Essex County Prosecutors’ Office.
Mautone has both investigated and tried cases of significance in the areas of fraud, police corruption, organized crime, common law felonies, murder, and every area of the criminal law. In these capacities, have been involved with every police department in Essex County (as well as many others) in a supervisory and advisory role. He has maintained a working relation with many law enforcement agents including the F.B.I., State Police, Division of Criminal Justice, and Division of Gaming Enforcement.
1978-December 2015
General practice of law with Minichino & Mautone (1978 to 1996), and then Mautone & Horan, P.A., (1996 to December 2015), 500 Prospect Avenue, West Orange, New Jersey 07052
Appointed as a District Court part-time United States Magistrate Judge. This position enables the continued practice of law in the State courts and civil practice in the Federal courts because the magistrate responsibilities involve the disposition of Federal and quasi-criminal cases.

Other Areas of Specific Professional Involvement:

For several years conducted monthly moot court sessions as part of the New Jersey State Police Organized Crime Seminar at Sea Girt.
Lectured in all of the Prosecutor conducted seminars since their inception, both within and without the office and for police and law enforcement agencies as well as for other prosecutors.
Lectured periodically at the Essex County Police Academy as a member of its faculty in areas such as arson, homicide investigation, presentation and handling of evidence and methods of testifying, etc.
Represented the Prosecutor’s Office on various occasions before civil and professional groups on a wide range of topics – groups such as law schools – Chiefs of Police meetings – Probation and Correctional Seminars – Municipal Police Department.
Guest lecturer in child abuse, homicide, evidence and criminal law and procedure at Seton Hall University School of Law and served several years as a judge at both the Appellate and trial moot court programs at Seton Hall Law School.
Taught at the Juvenile Justice Clinic at Seton Hall Law School.
Taught as a member of the faculty of the Criminal Investigation Development Program of the State Attorney General’s Office which was coordinated by the Supervisory Section of the Division of Criminal Justice.
Faculty member and lecturer at the Arson and Fire Investigation Development Program of the State Attorney General’s Office which was coordinated by the Supervisory Section of the Division of Criminal Justice.
Testified before Senate committees investigating such areas as organized crime, capital punishment, and penal reform.
Periodically lectured to both the Newark Police Department (on various topics) and the Newark Fire Department Arson Squad on legal aspects of arson.
Lectured the Society of Investigators of Greater Newark (S.I.G.N.) on organization of investigators employed by corporate and private industry.
Lectured at Rutgers’s Law School to members of the Peter W. Rodino Criminal Justice Program (now nationally funded and headquarters at Jersey City State College).
Participant in California District Attorneys Assoc. National Symposium on Homicide.
Represented the Prosecutor’s Office in addressing numerous civic groups, the Kiwanis, Elks, Knights of Columbus, High Twelve Club, National Council of Jewish Women, B’nai Brith, Holy Name Societies, Rosary Societies, senior citizen groups, and various schools and colleges throughout this area.
Lectured (at the request of New Jersey State Police) the Harvard Associates in Police Science on the topic of investigation and presentation of homicide cases.
Participated in the supervision and assignment of personal to the various Municipal Courts and Police Departments throughout the county and serviced in an advisory and supervisory capacity.
Former Member of Supreme Court Criminal Practice Committee.
Arbitrator selected by Assignment Judges of Essex and Hudson Counties.
Mediator appointed by various federal District Court and Magistrate Judges.