Michael J. Epstein was born in Paterson, New Jersey, in 1970. He was admitted to the New Jersey bar in 1996, and the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, New York bar, and United States District Court for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York in 1997. Mr. Epstein received his B.A., summa cum laude, from Hamilton College in 1993, Phi Beta Kappa, and his J.D., cum laude, from Harvard University in 1996. After graduating from law school, he served as a law clerk to The Honorable Marie L. Garibaldi, New Jersey Supreme Court, from 1996-1997, and to The Honorable Alfred M. Wolin, United States District Court of New Jersey, from 1997-1998.
Mr. Epstein is a member of the following organizations: Bergen County Bar Association (Immediate Past President, 2017-18, President, 2016-17, President-elect, 2015-2016, First Vice President, 2014-15, Second Vice President, 2013-14, Treasurer, 2012-13, Trustee, 2005-11, Co-Chair of Civil Practice Committee, 2003-present, Bench Bar Committee 2003-present), The New Jersey Association of Justice (Board of Governors, 2012-present, Co-Chair, Amicus Committee, 2013-present,Civil Practice Committee, 2011-present) and the Association of County Bar Presidents (President, 2016-18). He was the author of the monthly Civil Practice Update for the Bergen County Bar Association.
His areas of practice include: Personal Injury, Medical Malpractice, Nursing Home Negligence, Legal Malpractice, Employment Law, Civil Litigation, and Commercial Litigation.
Mr. Epstein was named to the Super Lawyers Rising Star list for the years 2006-2008 and has been named to the Super Lawyers List published by Thomson Reuters every year since 2009 and has been named to The Top 100 List for Super Lawyers since 2014.
Certified Legal Specialties
• Certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Civil Trial Attorney
Published Works
• Monthly Civil Practice Update, Bergen County Bar Association
• Co-author, “A Solution Without a Problem,” New Jersey Law Journal, May 12, 2014
Representative Cases
• Murphy v. Implicito, 392, 2007, N.J. Super. 245 App. Div.
• Pollack v. Quick Quality Rests., Inc., 452 N.J. Super. 174 (App. Div. 2017), LEXIS 149
• Krzykalski v. Tindall, 2018, Supreme Court, 229 N.J. 622, appeared as amicus for NJAJ
• O’Donnell v. NJ Turnpike Authority, Supreme Court, appeared as amicus for NJAJ
• J.H. v. R&M Tagliareni, LLC – New Jersey Supreme Court, appeared as amicus for NJAJ
Classes/Seminars
• Moderator, Direct and Cross-examination of Defense and Plaintiff Doctors, Bergen County Bar Association, February 2007
• Speaker, Bounds of Bias Cross-examination, ATLA Boardwalk, 2008
• Moderator, Minding Medicare’s Interests, Liens and Set-asides in Liability Cases, Bergen County Bar Association, January 2011
• Moderator, Erisa, Medicare, and Medicaid Liens, Bergen County Bar Association, October 2011
• Speaker, An Update On Civil Practice Issues, NJAJ Civil Trial Practice, December 2012
• Program Co-Chair and Moderator, NJAJ Trial Academy: All About Motions, November 2013
• Speaker, Motions for Mistrials, NJAJ Trial Academy, November 2013
• Presenter, End Distracted Driving, Paramus High School, October 2013
• Program Co-Chair and Moderator, Evidence Issues Before and During Trial, NJAJ College of Trial Advocacy, November 2014
• Speaker, Rules, Uses, and Limits of Documentary Evidence on Cross-Examination, NJAJ College of Trial Advocacy, November 2014
• Speaker, Liens at Trial: Boarded, Molded, or Stipulated, NJAJ Auto Program, November 2014
• Speaker, Hospital Immunity: Kuchera v. Jersey Shore Family Health Center, NJAJ Boardwalk Convention, May 2015
• Speaker, Litigation Holds, NJCAA Annual Conference 2015
• Program Co-Chair, Finding the Goods on Bad Experts, NJAJ Meadowlands, November 2015
• Program Co-moderator, The Philosophy of Tort Law Liability, NJAJ Boardwalk Convention, April 2017
• Speaker, Effective Use of the Offer of Judgment – Bad Faith, Medical Malpractice Seminar, NJAJ Boardwalk Convention, April 2017
• Speaker, Common Evidentiary Issues in Medical Malpractice Cases, Medical Malpractice Seminar, NJAJ Meadowlands, 2017
• Changes to “But For” Proximate Cause Charge, Medical Malpractice Seminar, NJAJ Boardwalk Convention, May 2018
• Speaker, Prepping the Client, Plaintiff Perspective, Deposition Seminar, NJICLE, February 2019
• Speaker, The de bene esse Deposition, Plaintiff Perspective, Deposition Seminar, NJICLE, February 2019
• Moderator, Achieving Great Results In A Twitter World: Shorter Is Better, NJAJ Boardwalk May 2019
• Moderator, 2019 Tort Law Conference, NJ ICLE, October 2019
• Speaker, Five Significant Tort Cases of 2019, 2019 Tort Law Conference, NJ ICLE, October 2019
Honors And Awards
• 2021 Best Lawyers Recognition
• Included in Bergen magazine’s 2020 list of Top Lawyers
• Named to the Top 100 New Jersey Super Lawyers list published by Thomson Reuters, 2014 – Present
• Named to the New Jersey Super Lawyers list published by Thomson Reuters, 2009 – Present
• Named to the Super Lawyers Rising Star list published by Thomson Reuters
• The National Trial Lawyers: Top 100, Member, Civil Plaintiff Trial Lawyers in New Jersey
• Best Lawyers, Best Law Firms, U.S. News, 2020
• Million Dollar Advocates Forum
• Ten Leaders for New Jersey Civil Trial & Personal Injury Law
• Bergen Magazine, Top Lawyers, Civil Trial
• American Board of Trial Advocates, 2019 – Present
• National Association of Distinguished Counsel, Nation’s Top One Percent, 2019 – Present
Past Employment Positions
• The Honorable Marie L. Garibaldi, New Jersey Supreme Court, Law Clerk, 1996 to 1997
• The Honorable Alfred M. Wolin, U.S. District Court of New Jersey, Law Clerk, 1997 to 1998
• Davis Polk & Wardwell, Associate, 1998 to 1999
Professional Associations And Memberships
• Bergen County Bar Association, Member, 2000
• Bergen County Bar Association, Co-Chair, Civil Practice Committee, 2003
• Bergen County Bar Association, Trustee, 2005 to 2011
• Bergen County Bar Association, Secretary, 2011 to 2012
• Bergen County Bar Association, Treasurer, 2012 to 2013
• Bergen County Bar Association, Second Vice President, 2013 to 2014
• Bergen County Bar Association, First Vice President, 2014 to 2015
• Bergen County Bar Association, President-elect, 2015 to 2016
• Bergen County Bar Association, President, 2016 to 2017
• Bergen County Bar Association, Past President, 2017 to 2018
• Bergen County Bar Association, Member, Bench-Bar Committee, 2004
• Bergen County Bar Association, Member, Judicial Appointments Committee, 2019 to Present
• New Jersey Association for Justice (NJAJ), Board of Governors, 2012 to Present
• New Jersey Association for Justice (NJAJ), Co-Chair, Amicus Committee, 2013 to Present
• New Jersey Association for Justice (NJAJ), Member, Civil Practice Committee, 2011 to Present
• New Jersey Association for Justice (NJAJ), Member
• New Jersey Supreme Court Committee on Model Civil Jury Charges, Member, 2014 to Present
• New Jersey State Bar Association, Member
• Association of County Bar Presidents, President, 2016 to 2018
