My years of experience on the bench and in private practice have demonstrated the importance of fully understanding personalities and how relevant facts and applicable law impacts the ability to help resolve business and family law disputes.
Judge Kessler focuses his practice on resolving commercial and family law disputes through mediation and arbitration as an alternative to traditional litigation. His experience as a judge of the equity court enables him to deal with business disputes encompassing a broad range of matters, including those related to contracts, real property, construction, employment, unfair competition, intellectual property, corporate and LLC issues, and consumer fraud. In the area of family law, Judge Kessler's experience encompasses issues related to alimony, child support, custody, equitable distribution, relocation, domestic violence and reimbursement of counsel fees. His ability to guide parties and their counsel towards achieving a reasonable resolution of their issues can help them save both time and money. Judge Kessler is also available to provide discovery master services and consultation on case management, development of discovery, trial strategy and review of briefs.
In 2019, Judge Kessler retired from the New Jersey Judiciary following ten years in the New Jersey Superior Court, Essex County Vicinage. During this time, he conducted numerous trials and heard a wide variety of matters in both the Chancery and Family Divisions. In addition, he was frequently asked to lecture before bar and judicial groups on a wide variety of topics related to his areas of expertise, and was also called upon to address new judges and the New Jersey Judicial College on issues related to promoting fairness in the courtroom.
Prior to his time on the bench, Judge Kessler spent 35 years in private practice, concentrating on complex litigation and business counseling. He represented clients in matters involving breach and enforcement of contracts, construction, business dissolution, enforcement of restrictive covenants, securities fraud, antitrust disputes, corporate theft and business fraud cases. He also represented individuals in complex divorce cases.
Honors & Awards
- Fellow, American Bar Foundation
- Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rated AV® Preeminent (a trademark of Internet Brands, Inc.) (1988 – present)
- Member, Phi Beta Kappa Society
- Root-Tilden Scholar, NYU School of Law
A description of the standard or methodology on which the accolades are based can be found HERE. No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.
Uniquely NJ
- Member, New Jersey State Bar Association: Family Law Section; Dispute Resolution Section; Business and Commercial Litigation Committee; Equity Jurisprudence Committee
- Vice Chair, New Jersey Supreme Court Committee on Complementary Dispute Resolution
- Member, New Jersey Supreme Court Committee on Women in the Courts; co-Chair, subcommittee on judicial education
- Member, Essex County Bar Association
- Former member, New Jersey Supreme Court Family Practice Committee; former co-Chair, subcommittee on domestic violence and non-dissolution matters
- Former Chairman and member, New Jersey Board of Bar Examiners
- Former member, Board of Trustees, Boys and Girls Clubs of Newark
More Activities & Experience
- Member, American Bar Association, Dispute Resolution Section
- Served as corporate counsel to Chilton Memorial Hospital in Pompton Plains, NJ for over 25 years
Presentations & Speaking Engagements
- Panelist, 2020 Family Law SymposiumSponsor: New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, January 25, 2020
- Panelist, Forensic and Litigation SymposiumSponsor: Withum, December 6, 2019
- Speaker, Hot Tips in Family LawSponsor: New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, November 11, 2019
- Sponsor: New Jersey State Bar Association Business Law Section, November 4, 2019
- Sponsor: New Jersey State Bar Association, May 16, 2019
- Panelist, Dealing with LLC Disputes 2019Sponsor: New Jersey State Bar Association, May 16, 2019
- Presenter, Is Justice Blind?Sponsor: New Jersey Judicial College, November 19, 2018
- Panelist, Avoiding and Dealing with LLC DisputesSponsor: New Jersey State Bar Association, May 17, 2018
- Panelist, Valuing Closely Held BusinessesSponsor: New Jersey State Bar Association, May 17, 2018
- Panelist, Hot Tips in Family LawSponsor: New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, November 10, 2017
- Panelist, Family Law Matters Involving LGBT LitigantsSponsor: New Jersey State Bar Association, May 18, 2017
- Panelist, Valuing Closely Held BusinessesSponsor: New Jersey State Bar Association, May 18, 2017
- Presenter, Orders to Show Cause and Temporary RestraintsSponsor: New Jersey Judicial College, April 5, 2017
- Presenter, Valuing Closely Held BusinessesSponsor: New Jersey Judicial College, November 21, 2016
- Presenter, Black Lives Matter: Historical and Legal PerspectivesSponsor: New Jersey Judicial College, November 21, 2016
- Presenter, Promoting Fairness: Diversity/Sexual Harassment/ADA IssuesSponsor: New Jersey Judicial College, September 9, 2016
- Panelist, Valuation Issues in Chancery MattersSponsor: New Jersey State Bar Association, May 19, 2016
- Panelist, Overcoming Legal and Valuation Issues in Chancery, Business and Family ProceedingsSponsor: New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, December 1, 2015
- Presenter, Bias Involving LGBT Litigants and AttorneysSponsor: New Jersey Judicial College, November 23, 2015
- Panelist, May It Please (the Family) Court - A view of Family Law & Issues from the BenchSponsor: New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, September 12, 2015
- Presenter, Promoting Fairness: Diversity/Sexual Harrassment/ADA IssuesSeptember 11, 2015
- Panelist, Family Law Matters Involving LGBT LitigantsSponsor: New Jersey State Bar Association, May 14, 2015
- Presenter, Understanding Micro-AggressionSponsor: New Jersey Judicial College, November 25, 2014
- Speaker, Troubled Children in the Family PartSponsor: New Jersey Judicial College, November 24, 2014
- Panelist, Les Enfants Terrible - Troubled Children in Family PartSponsor: New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, November 5, 2014
- Presenter, Promoting Fairness: Diversity/Sexual Harassment/ADA IssuesSponsor: New Jersey Judicial College, September 12, 2014
- Sponsor: New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, 7.29.14 - 7.30.14
- Panelist, Family Law Bench Bar ConferenceSponsor: New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, May 16, 2014
- Panelist, Matrimonial Early Settlement Panel - TrainingSponsor: New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, April 12, 2014
- Panelist, The Pig Bowl - Interactive Hot Topics in Family LawSponsor: New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, March 29, 2014
- Presenter, Prison TourSponsor: New Jersey Judicial College, March 18, 2014
- Panelist, Matrimonial Early Settlement Panel - TrainingSponsor: New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, February 22, 2014
- Presenter, Recognizing & Addressing LGBT Bias and Its EffectSponsor: New Jersey Judicial College, November 26, 2013
- Presenter, Promoting Fairness: Diversity/Sexual Harassment/ADA IssuesSponsor: New Jersey Judicial College, October 3, 2013
- Panelist, Recognizing and Addressing Gender BiasSponsor: New Jersey State Bar Association, May 16, 2013
- Panelist, Friday Night FlightsSponsor: New Jersey State Bar Association, May 15, 2013
- Panelist, Winning and Losing in RelocationSponsor: New Jersey State Bar Association, May 15, 2013
- Panelist, Understanding Parental Alienation in Custody CasesSponsor: New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, April 6, 2013
- Presenter, How to Avoid Jeopardy Through Mentoring in Family CourtSponsor: New Jersey Judicial College, November 20, 2012
- Presenter, Promoting Fairness: Diversity/Sexual Harrassment/ADA IssuesSponsor: New Jersey Judicial College, September 12, 2012
- Panelist, 2012 Family Law Retreat - Settlement TechniquesSponsor: New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, March 29, 2012
- Presenter, Promoting Fairness: Diversity/Sexual Harrassment/ADA IssuesSponsor: New Jersey Judicial College, September 14, 2011
- Panelist, Family Bench Bar - Best PracticesSponsor: New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, May 20, 2011
- Panelist, Incivility & Gender Bias - Words & PerceptionsSponsor: New Jersey State Bar Association, May 19, 2011
- Panelist, Removal In Family Law CasesSponsor: New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, February 11, 2011
- Panelist, Other Ways to Skin a CatSponsor: New Jersey State Bar Association, November 6, 2010
- Panelist, Divorce and the Special Needs ChildSponsor: New Jersey State Bar Association, May 19, 2010
- Panelist, Interstate & International Custody DisputesSponsor: New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, April 10, 2010
Departments
Practice Groups
Education
New York University School of Law, J.D., 1974
Union College, B.A., 1971
Bar Admissions
- New Jersey, 1974
- U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey, 1974
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit, 1979
Clerkships
- Former law secretary to The Honorable Harold Kolovsky, Presiding Judge, Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division


A description of the standard or methodology on which the accolades are based can be found HERE. No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.