Attorney Profile

Gerald H. Clark has been certified by the New Jersey Supreme Court as a Civil Trial Attorney and he is a Member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum. His practice concentrates on complex litigation, class actions and personal injury with an emphasis on traumatic brain injury and construction accident cases. Gerald has also served as a lead attorney on a number of mass tort and class action lawsuits including the largest groundwater contamination case in the State of New Jersey. He played a key role in bringing about the settlement of an unprecedented consumer fraud class action lawsuit against Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, a settlement which is valued at between $1 billion and $3 billion to consumers.

Gerald serves as lead counsel on numerous catastrophic loss and wrongful death cases on behalf of trauma victims and their families. He is Chairman of the firm's Traumatic Brain Injury Practice Group. Mr. Clark regularly represents severely disabled accident and injury clients in many cases including workplace accidents involving defective industrial machines, construction accidents arising from safety violations and automobile and aviation accidents. He also prosecutes numerous cases on behalf of victims of corporate fraud including in the construction, marketing and sale of products and real estate.

In July, 2006, Mr. Clark was listed in the New Jersey Law Journal's "40 Under 40" feature which acknowledges 40 New Jersey lawyers under 40 years of age who have distinguished themselves in the practice of law. For his work representing personal injury, products liability and accident victims, Mr. Clark was named a "Rising Stars Super Lawyer" in 2006, 2007 and 2008 by the New Jersey Monthly magazine. Mr. Clark is a Certified Civil Trial Attorney by the New Jersey Supreme Court.

Among other notable New Jersey jury verdicts and settlements of Attorney Clark include:

• $805,000 jury verdict for burn injuries caused by the fraudulent sale and installation of kitchen appliances;
• $525,000 jury verdict for severe fracture injuries sustained by carpenter on construction site that violated OSHA worker safety regulations;
• $120,000 jury verdict for neck and back injuries in New Jersey auto accident caused by a driver who ran a red light;
• $1.2 million insurance settlement for New Jersey auto accident death caused by a cell phone driver;
• $337,500 insurance settlement for worker laceration injuries caused by defective tempered glass which spontaneously shattered;
• $300,000 insurance settlement for injuries sustained as the result of the negligent storage of the pesticides in a wine bottle which violated safety regulations;
• $150,000 insurance settlement for New Jersey construction site accident;
• $500,000 court award against underage drunk driver and tavern that served him alcohol and caused serious car collision;
• $625,000 insurance settlement for union laborer who sustained a fractured ankle as a result of a fall from scaffolding on construction site;
• $350,000 insurance settlement for a union mason who sustained herniated disc injuries on dangerous construction site;
• $825,000 insurance settlement during trial for multiple trauma injuries as a result of 25 foot fall on construction site that failed to comply with OSHA labor safety laws;
• $750,000 insurance settlement for back injuries as the result of an airplane crash;
• $2.725 million insurance settlement for pelvic fracture injuries sustained in car accident;
• $500,000 insurance settlement for severe finger laceration injuries sustained by carpenter who was directed to use an unguarded table saw that violated OSHA worker safety regulations;
• $575,000 negligent security insurance settlement for customer attacked at fast food restaurant;
• $1.1 million insurance settlement for a severely developmentally disabled girl who suffered severe abuse and neglect personal injuries and death at the hands of her care givers;
• $375,000 trial settlement for laborer who suffered fractured foot on construction work site due to contractor OSHA safety violations.

Areas of Practice

• Class Actions
• Complex Litigation
• Personal Injury
• Animal Bites -- Plaintiff
• Assault & Battery -- Plaintiff
• Aviation Accidents -- Plaintiff
• Bad Faith
• Chemicals & Cosmetics
• Consumer Protection
• Defamation & Privacy -- Plaintiff
• Food & Agricultural Products
• Hazardous Waste
• Machinery & Tools
• Medical Products & Devices
• Motor Vehicle Accidents -- Plaintiff
• Motor Vehicle Defects
• Pesticides
• Pharmaceutical Products
• Premises Liability -- Plaintiff
• Property Damage -- Plaintiff
• Recreational Products
• Slip and Fall -- Plaintiff
• Wrongful Death -- Plaintiff

Litigation Percentage

• 98% of Practice Devoted to Litigation

Certification/Specialties

• New Jersey Superior Court Appointed Civil Arbitrator
• Certified Civil Trial Attorney

Bar Admissions

• New Jersey, 1997
• New York, 1998
• U.S. District Court District of New Jersey, 1997
• U.S. District Court Eastern District of New York, 1998
• U.S. District Court Southern District of New York, 1998
• U.S. Court of Appeals 3rd Circuit, 1998
• U.S. Supreme Court, 2003

Education

• Fordham University School of Law, New York, New York, 1997
  J.D.
  
  
• Villanova University, Villanova, Pennsylvania, 1994
  B.A.
  Honors: Dean's List
  Major: Political Science
  
  

Published Works

• Why Towns Shouldn't Fear Ocean Injury Suits, 146 New Jersey Law Journal 142, October, 1996
• Return to the Future: The Effect of Zicherman v. Korean Air Lines on Recoverable Damages in a Warsaw Convention Case. The Defense Perspective, American Bar Association Aviation Litigation Committee Seminar, Washington, D.C., September, 1996
• Municipal Tort Immunity, New Jersey Law Journal

Classes/Seminars Taught

• Seminar Panelist, Case Management of Mass Tort Cases, ALI/ABA Section of Environment, Energy and Resources, St. Louis, Missouri, 2001
• The Defense Perspective, American Bar Association Aviation Litigation Committee Seminar, Washington, D.C., September 6, 1996

Honors and Awards

• New Jersey Law Journal's "40 Under 40", 2006
• "Rising Stars Super Lawyer" by New Jersey Monthly Magazine, 2006 - 2008
• Named by the New Jersey Supreme Court as a Certified Civil Trial Attorney

Professional Associations and Memberships

• New Jersey State Bar Association
  
  
• Monmouth County Bar Association
  
  
• American Inns of Court Foundation
  
  
• Jersey Shore Council, Boy Scouts of America
  Executive Board Member
  
  
• Federal Bar Association
  
  
• American Association for Justice
  
  
• Million Dollar Advocates Forum
  Member
  
  
• Trial Attorneys of New Jersey
  
  
• AAJ Construction Site Accident Litigation Group
  
  

Past Employment Positions

• United States Senate Minority Leader, Robert Dole, Congressional Intern, 1992
• Hon. Alfred J. Lechner, U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, Judicial Extern, 1994
• Manhattan Firm of Biedermann, Hoenig, Massamillo & Ruff, P.C., Law Clerk
• Hon. John D'Amico, New Jersey Superior Court, Law Division, Law Clerk, 1997 - 1998
• Morgan, Melhuish, Monaghan, Arvidson, Abrutyn and Lisowski, Associate Attorney, 1998 - 2000

Languages

• Spanish
• Portuguese