Dughi, Hewit & Domalewski, P.C. is pleased to announce that the Supreme Court of New Jersey has appointed Brandon D. Minde to the Board on Attorney Certification Criminal Certification Committee. Brandon, a certified criminal trial attorney and past-Chair of the Criminal Law Section of the NJ State Bar Association, will serve a three-year term, ending on December 31, 2024. The firm congratulates Brandon on his appointment and is very proud of the important work he will be doing for the Criminal Certification Committee, which plays a vital role in protecting the public and raising the level of competence of attorneys in this State.
Dughi, Hewit & Domalewski, P.C. is pleased to announce that it has added three attorneys to its growing medical malpractice and matrimonial departments, including Pamela C. Castillo as a partner.
Pam is a very well-respected attorney bringing 15 years of experience in handling all aspects of medical malpractice defense litigation. She has advocated for a broad spectrum of health professionals, including physicians, advanced practice nurses, and midwives, in varied and complex medical negligence cases, throughout her career.
In addition to Pam, the firm has added two associates, Alexa Luzzi and Cara Anan.
Alexa has joined the firm following the completion of her judicial clerkship for The Honorable Marc C. LeMieux, P.J.Cr. in the Criminal Division, Monmouth County. Alexa will focus primarily on the representation of physicians and other healthcare providers in civil litigation and medical malpractice cases.
Cara has joined the firm following the completion of her judicial clerkship for The Honorable Richard W. English, P.J.F.P., in Monmouth County, New Jersey. Cara will focus her practice in matrimonial and family law.
Dughi, Hewit & Domalewski, P.C. is excited to add these three talented lawyers, which will allow us to continue providing our health care and matrimonial clients with the highest level of legal representation.
Dughi, Hewit & Domalewski, P.C. is proud to announce that Brandon D. Minde, a trial partner and past-Chair of the NJSBA Criminal Law Section, will be a speaker on Ethics for Criminal Trial Attorneys at the NJICLE live webcast of the 15th Annual Criminal Law Institute on Saturday, November 13, 2021.
The 15th Annual Criminal Law Institute features some of the state’s most respected judges and attorneys who will address today’s cutting-edge topics in areas including issues and concerns in getting back to court, the latest on marijuana law, and the credibility of law enforcement witnesses. Minde will speak at the annual ethics segment honing in on ethical issues specific to criminal law practitioners.
Mr. Minde is the head of Dughi, Hewit & Domalewski’s criminal law department, is a former Essex County Assistant Prosecutor, and is certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Criminal Trial Attorney.
You’ve been arrested and charged with a crime in New Jersey. It’s scary. Thoughts race through your head: How do I avoid jail? How do I avoid a criminal record? How do I keep this from affecting my job? What do I do if I’m not guilty? Being charged with a crime is something no one wants to go through, but if it happens, you need an experienced New Jersey criminal defense lawyer to fight for you from the start. If you are charged with a crime in New Jersey, one option you must always explore is whether you are eligible for pretrial intervention, or “PTI.”
If you have been charged with a crime in New Jersey and are a first-time or non-violent offender, then PTI can offer the ability to avoid jail time and avoid having a criminal conviction on your record. If you are admitted into the PTI program and successfully complete it, then you will not have a criminal record, but admission into PTI is neither automatic nor easy. Luckily, the experienced New Jersey criminal defense attorneys at Dughi, Hewit & Domalewski are former prosecutors who know what it takes to get our clients into PTI. In order to qualify, the following must be true: no prior admissions in PTI or the Veterans Diversion Program; no prior conditional dismissals or discharges in municipal court; and no prior admissions in a similar type of diversionary program in another state or federal court
Step one for obtaining PTI in New Jersey is writing an effective application, which the experienced criminal defense attorneys and former prosecutors at Dughi, Hewit & Domalewski know how to do. We take our time to interview you and find out the complete story surrounding the case and your entire background. Only then, once we know who our client is and where our client is coming from, can we tell the right story – your story – that will give our client the best shot at getting accepted into PTI.
PTI in New Jersey is a one-time offer to keep your record free of a criminal conviction. Because of that, a discussion must always be had if a given case is the right time for you to apply to PTI. It is also important to remember that just because you have a criminal record or the crime charged carries a presumption of incarceration or a mandatory minimum period of parole ineligibility, you still may be eligible for PTI.
The experienced criminal defense attorneys at Dughi, Hewit & Domalewski have successfully gotten our clients into PTI by helping them tell their story through an effective PTI application. If you have been charged with a crime in New Jersey, you need to consult with an experienced criminal defense attorney who can help you understand all your options, including whether you are eligible and if you should apply to PTI. Our criminal defense group consists of experienced former prosecutors who have utilized PTI for their clients in courts throughout New Jersey including Essex County, Union County, Morris County, Passaic County, Hudson County, and Somerset County, Monmouth County, and Ocean County. If you have been charged with a criminal offense and think you might be eligible for PTI, call or email Brandon D. Minde, Chair of the firm’s Criminal Law Practice, for a consultation at (908) 272-0200 or bminde@dughihewit.com.
As he approaches his 50th anniversary as a lawyer and after more than 21 years as Chair of the Matrimonial Department at Dughi, Hewit & Domalewski, P.C., Mario Gurrieri will become Of Counsel to DHD on September 1, 2021. He will continue in active practice as the senior lawyer in the DHD Matrimonial Department, managing his own case load and consulting and advising the other lawyers in the department, and continuing as an important leader within the firm.
Kristin Capalbo New Matrimonial Chair
DHD and Mario are excited to announce that Kristin Capalbo will be Chair of the DHD Matrimonial Department. Kristin, who has limited her practice to the area of matrimonial and family law for her entire career, is an outstanding lawyer and client advocate. She was selected to the list of “Rising Stars” by New Jersey Super Lawyers magazine in both 2017 and 2018. In 2019, 2020 and 2021, Kristin received the Gold Client Champion Award from Lawyers.com and Martindale.com. She is also the recipient of multiple Avvo Client’s Choice Awards. DHD is proud to have her succeed Mario and assume the responsibilities as new Chair of the Matrimonial Department. Mario commented, “I have worked with Kristin for over 13 years. It has been a pleasure to watch her grow into the outstanding lawyer she is and to work with her side-by-side. While she is certainly my peer and equal, I take great pride in playing a role in her development as a lawyer. I know first hand how talented a lawyer Kristin is and that she will be an extraordinary leader of the department.”
In accepting the reins of the Matrimonial Department, Kristin stated, “I thank both the firm and Mario for this opportunity and their support and confidence. Most importantly, I thank Mario for his years of mentorship and support. I look forward to carrying on his legacy of excellence in the practice of law and outstanding client advocacy and service.”
Super Lawyers, part of Thomson Reuters, is a research-driven, peer-influenced rating service of outstanding lawyers who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. Attorneys are selected from more than 70 practice areas and all firm sizes, assuring a credible and relevant annual list.
The annual selections are made using a patented multiphase process that includes:
The objective of Super Lawyers is to create a credible, comprehensive, and diverse listing of exceptional attorneys to be used as a resource for both referring attorneys and consumers seeking legal counsel. The Super Lawyers lists are published nationwide in Super Lawyers Magazines and in leading city and regional magazines and newspapers across the country, as well as the New Jersey Super Lawyers Digital Magazine. Please join us in congratulating our DHD attorneys on their selection.
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No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey. A description of the selection process methodology for the awards referenced is available at SuperLawyers.com
St. Patrick’s Day is approaching and with it comes shamrocks, leprechauns, and, for some, DWIs. New Jersey Driving While Intoxicated (DWI or DUI) laws have recently changed, offering first offense (1st offense) opportunities to avoid loss of driver license. If you have a blood alcohol (BAC) level of .08 or .09 or a DWI DUI based on an observation for a first offense, you can keep your drivers license if you have an interlock device installed for a period of three months. If you have a blood alcohol (BAC) level of .10 to .14 for a first offense, you can keep your driver’s license if you have an interlock device installed for a period of seven months to one year. If you have a blood alcohol (BAC) level of .15 or above for a first offense, then you will lose your license for four to six months and then you can keep your driver’s license if you have an interlock device installed for a period of nine months to fifteen months after the initial loss of license. There are more significant penalties for a second offenses DWI DUI or third offenses DWI DUI. All DWI DUI charges include large fines and potential jail time.
The New Jersey criminal defense attorneys at DHD have experience in evaluating your DWI DUI case and can develop a strategy to assist in defending it entirely if you were not intoxicated, or seeking to have it reclassified as a lower tier offense, and negotiating the minimal amount of penalties required. If you are arrested in New Jersey for DWI or DUI, you need to consult with a New Jersey criminal defense attorney in order to understand your rights and to obtain the best possible outcome. Our experienced criminal defense attorneys includes two former Essex County prosecutors who have handled DWI DUI cases in municipalities throughout New Jersey, including Essex County, Union County, Morris County, Passaic County and Somerset County. Please call or email Brandon D. Minde, Chair of the firm’s Criminal Law Practice, for a consultation at (908) 272-0200 or bminde@dughihewit.com.
Dughi, Hewit & Domalewski, P.C. is proud to announce that Brandon D. Minde, a trial partner and Chair of the NJSBA Criminal Law Section, will be the moderator and a speaker on the NJICLE live webcast: The ABC’s of PTI (Pre-Trial Intervention) and ISP (Intensive Supervision Program) on Tuseday, Feb. 23, 2021 at 9:00 am.
This live webcast is a “how to” for attorneys who are looking to get clients accepted into the Pretrial Intervention Program (PTI) prior to trial or the Intensive Supervision Program (ISP) after conviction. PTI provides defendants, generally first-time offenders, with opportunities for alternatives to the traditional criminal justice process of ordinary prosecution. ISP is a program after conviction that is an intermediate form of punishment which permits carefully selected state prison sentenced offenders to serve the remainder of their sentence in the community rather than in prison.
Minde will lead an experienced panel of judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys and program administrators including the ISP Lead Judge for Passaic County and the ISP Program Administrator as they share their knowledge and experiences.
Mr. Minde is the head of Dughi, Hewit & Domalewski’s criminal law department, is a former Essex County Assistant Prosecutor, and is certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Criminal Trial Attorney.
Dughi, Hewit & Domalewski, P.C. is proud to announce that Rachel Schwartz has joined the firm as a partner in the firm’s medical malpractice, hospital liability and nursing home defense department. Ms. Schwartz is a highly-respected civil trial attorney with an outstanding record of courtroom success.
Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Schwartz has had an extensive career as a trial lawyer with Giblin, Combs, Schwartz, Cunningham & Scarpa in Morristown, New Jersey, where she successfully defended doctors, nurses, and other healthcare providers and facilities at trial in New Jersey and handled a wide range of complex matters in the area of medical malpractice and hospital liability defense. She has also successfully represented clients before the Appellate Division.
In addition to her managing her active case load, Ms. Schwartz has frequently lectured on medical negligence issues, risk management, legal trends and other health care related issues for physicians, nurses, residents, hospitals, and lawyers. During her career, she has also been selected to the list of “Super Lawyers” for her work in the area of medical malpractice defense, which is a distinction earned by less than five percent of attorneys in New Jersey.
Dughi, Hewit & Domalewski, P.C. is excited that Ms. Schwartz has chosen to continue her career with the firm. With her addition, the firm has added another outstanding trial lawyer to its deeply talented team of medical malpractice, hospital liability and nursing home defense attorneys which will ensure that the firm can continue to provide the highest level of legal service to its clients.
Ms. Schwartz can be reached at rschwartz@dughihewit.com or (908) 272-0200.
