| TRENTON – Christopher S. Porrino was sworn in today as Acting New Jersey Attorney General. Porrino took the oath of office at a private ceremony held at the Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex in Trenton.
Acting Attorney General Porrino issued the following statement:
“I am deeply honored and humbled to be chosen by Governor Christie to serve as Acting Attorney General. I want to thank the Governor again for this enormous opportunity, and for his confidence and faith in me. I look forward to continuing the many important initiatives our department launched under the outstanding leadership of former Acting Attorney’s General John Hoffman and Robert Lougy, including anti-crime programs, consumer protection initiatives, and efforts to address opiate and heroin abuse, while identifying and meeting the public safety and litigation challenges of tomorrow. Working together with a strong and experienced leadership team, I intend to aggressively pursue all aspects of the Department of Law and Public Safety’s mission, and to uphold the commitment to excellence that has been its hallmark.”
Governor Chris Christie nominated Porrino to be Attorney General on June 16. Porrino will serve as Acting Attorney General until confirmed by the Senate.
Porrino most recently led Lowenstein Sandler's national litigation practice, where he represented businesses and individual clients in criminal, civil and regulatory matters.
From January 2014 through July 2015, Porrino served as Chief Counsel to Governor Christie, where he had broad responsibility overseeing appointments, legislative matters and all state authorities. Porrino worked closely with Governor Christie and members of the Legislature from both sides of the aisle to secure the passage of numerous pieces of critical legislation. Before that, Porrino served as Director of the Division of Law in the Attorney General's Office.
As Director of the Division of Law from February 2012 to January 2014, Porrino oversaw a team of 500 lawyers. During that time, the Division of Law was a major difference-maker on behalf of New Jersey citizens, achieving important outcomes in historic litigation, including the landmark Harvey Cedars “dunes” case which Porrino argued before the state Supreme Court. The Court threw out a $375,000 jury award to the Harvey Cedars couple who argued that their view of the ocean would be diminished by dune construction. Porrino then negotiated a settlement of that case whereby the State obtained the needed property from the couple for $1. This outcome paved the way for the State to further protect its coastline.
Prior to his government service, from 2004 until 2012, Porrino was a partner and vice-chair of Lowenstein Sandler's litigation department, where he focused on criminal and civil trial practice. During his tenure at Lowenstein Sandler, Porrino represented clients in a wide array of matters involving securities, banking, insurance, tax, antitrust, real estate and the environment, among others. He also served as a law clerk to then-Magistrate Judge Freda L. Wolfson, U.S. District Judge for the District of New Jersey.
A resident of Union County, Porrino graduated from Lehigh University and received his law degree from Seton Hall University School of Law. He is admitted to the bars of the State of New Jersey, the State of New York, the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, and the U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit. He lives with his wife and their two children in Union County. #### |
