James F. Ferguson joined Dughi, Hewit & Domalewski as of Counsel in August 2024.
Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Ferguson served as County Counsel for the County of Atlantic from January 1, 2003 to June 30, 2024. As County Counsel he was the Department Head of the Atlantic County Department of Law supervising a staff of eight attorneys and 20 support staff. Mr. Ferguson oversaw all phases of the County’s legal work which included not only the representation of County Administration and the various County departments, but also representation of Atlantic County’s constitutional officers.
During his service as County Counsel, his work activities focused mainly on the defense of the County’s liability claims under Title 59 and workers’ compensation claims. For a number of years, he also personally handled the department’s labor law work, which included contract negotiation with 20 plus unions and involvement with union grievances, disciplinary matters, and unfair labor practice claims. These matters involved practice before agencies such as the New Jersey Civil Service Commission, the Office of Administrative Law (OAL) and the New Jersey Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC).
In 2014, Mr. Ferguson was instrumental in the formulation of the Atlantic County Insurance Commission (ACIC), consisting of Atlantic County, the Atlantic County Improvement Authority (ACIA), and the Atlantic County Utilities Authority (ACUA). In 2015, the ACIC became a member of the statewide, Counties Excess Liability Joint Insurance Fund (CELJIF) operating under the direction of PERMA. Following its inception, Mr. Ferguson served as the ACIC legal counsel until June 30, 2024. As legal counsel he was responsible for overseeing the handling of the various liability claims; most of which implicate provisions of the New Jersey Tort Claims Act (Title 59). In addition, he was also involved in the procurement of ancillary lines of insurance coverage.
In 2020, at the behest of the Atlantic County Executive, Mr. Ferguson undertook the task of formulating the plan which established the Central Municipal Court of Atlantic County. The court plan was approved by the New Jersey Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) in October 2021 and this regional court, the first of its kind in the State of New Jersey, commenced operation in January 2022 with participation from ten of Atlantic County’s municipalities. The Court, now in its third year of operation, has realized a cost savings for the participating entities.
Prior to his service as County Counsel, Mr. Ferguson worked for the Law Offices of Roger C. Steedle in Absecon, New Jersey where he engaged primarily in civil litigation defense work involving mainly insurance companies and self-insureds in areas of auto/premises liability, products liability, insurance coverage disputes and workers’ compensation. Representative clients included insurance carriers such as New Jersey Manufacturers (NJM), Liberty Mutual, Motor Club of America (MCA), and Underwriters of Lloyds at London and self-insureds such as Westinghouse Elevator and Atlantic City Electric.
Mr. Ferguson also served as Municipal Solicitor for Galloway Township (1999) and was Tax Appeal Counsel for Egg Harbor Township (1996-2002), Galloway Township (1998-1999), and the City of Somers Point (1989-2002). He also served as special litigation counsel for Galloway Township in defense of Title 59 claims.
During his time as Tax Appeal Counsel, he was involved with several noteworthy litigation matters two of which have resulted in published decisions, to wit:
Greate Bay Country Club v. City of Somers Point
1995 Tax Appeal which resulted in a substantial increase in the assessment of the Greate Bay Country Club property. This was one of the first successful appeals by a New Jersey municipality of a golf course property utilizing the income capitalization approach.
Brahin Associates v. City of Somers Point
Successful defense of a correction of errors appeal which resulted in a published decision by the Tax Court (15 N.J. Tax 547 [Tax 1996]) and a Per Curiam affirmance by the Appellate Division of Superior Court (17 N.J. Tax 590, App. Div. 1997).
Mitchell v. City of Somers Point
1993-1994. Successful defense in a suit brought by the former Tax Assessor who claimed that the City’s action in converting a part time Assessor’s position to a full-time position violated the Assessor’s tenure rights. Summary Judgment was granted to the City and the result was sustained on appeal at the Appellate Division in the public decision of Mitchell v. City of Somers Point, 281 N.J. Super. 492 (App. Div. 1994).
Mr. Ferguson also served as Solicitor for the Board of Education of the Atlantic County Vocational Technical School (now known as the Atlantic County Institute of Technology) from October 1995 to October 2002.
Mr. Ferguson is a member of the New Jersey and Atlantic County Bar Associations and was formerly a member of the New Jersey Defense Association (NJDA) where he served in various capacities both as an officer and member of the Association’s Board of Directors including:
- Association Newsletter Editor (1991-1994)
- President (June 1994 – June 1995)
- Chair of the Board (June 1995 – June 1996)
In his free time, he enjoys listening to classical music and devotes time as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Bay-Atlantic Symphony, where he currently serves as the Board Vice President.
