I have learned that the key to being a successful litigator is there is no “key.” I cannot approach each case by rote, or by some formula that may have worked in the past. It is only when I devote my time and energy to a specific client that I can “win” the case for them, as winning is defined by them.
Ms. Lucey is a trial attorney who focuses her practice on employment, higher education and professional negligence matters. She represents private and public entities, including institutions of higher learning, in employment discrimination and retaliation actions, professional negligence cases, Title IX claims, and business disputes. She also lectures and consults on employment and human resources law and provides guidance related to the practical implications of various state and federal laws affecting employers.
Honors & Awards
- Fellow, American Bar Foundation
- Selected for inclusion by the New Jersey Law Journal on its 2020 list of the "Top Women in the Law," the publication's listing of attorneys in private, in-house and government practice who have “influenced the law and legal profession in exceptional ways"
- Recipient of the Professional Lawyer of the Year Award from the New Jersey Women Lawyers Association and the New Jersey Commission on Professionalism in the Law (2019)
- Selected for inclusion by NJBIZ as a “Leader in Law” in the publication’s Vanguard Series of professional profiles (2018)
- Selected for inclusion by the New Jersey Law Journal on its 2016 list of "New Leaders of the Bar," the publication's annual listing of outstanding attorneys under the age of 40 and practicing in New Jersey
- Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Rated AV® Preeminent (a trademark of Internet Brands, Inc.) (2019 – present)
- Listed in Super Lawyers - New Jersey Rising Stars (a Thomson Reuters business) in the Business Litigation practice area (2011 – 2018)
- Recipient of the Young Lawyer of the Year Award from the Middlesex County Bar Association (2012)
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.
Representative Matters
- Defense trial counsel for large public entity in New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (NJLAD) and Consciences Employee Protection Act (CEPA) case tried to verdict in New Jersey Superior Court. Obtained favorable rulings at trial to reduce the scope of compensatory damages, eliminate punitive damages, and position the matter for appeal regarding a large body of prejudicial evidence which was ultimately excluded prior to verdict.
- Obtained summary judgment as lead counsel in New Jersey CEPA action in favor of large public entity where alleged damages exceeded $1 million
- Negotiated highly favorable settlement as lead counsel in NJLAD and CEPA case where alleged damages exceeded $5 million
- Obtained voluntary dismissal of complaint by client’s prior employer in application for an Order to Show Cause seeking temporary restraints in connection with non-compete and non-solicitation agreement
- Significant trial participation in three legal and professional malpractice cases tried to verdict in New Jersey state and federal courts
- Extensive responsibility for day-to-day management of a $900 million federal multi-party litigation involving the collapse of 7 World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Specific roles included conducting all aspects of fact and expert discovery, analyzing multiple complex legal issues, engaging in dispositive motion practice and managing client relations
- Achieved favorable settlement for mid-market industrial company in New Jersey federal action concerning breach of contract and warranty claims
- Drafted significant portions of successful Opposition to Petition for Writ of Certiorari to the Supreme Court of the United States on behalf of financial advisory firm
Uniquely NJ
- President, New Jersey Women Lawyers Association: former President-Elect; former Vice President; former Co-Chief Financial Officer; former Co-Chief Operating Officer; former Co-Secretary; former Co-Chair, Judicial Outreach and Programming Committees
- Member, New Jersey State Bar Association; Immediate Past Chair, Federal Practice and Procedure Section; Member, General Council; Member, Higher Education Committee
- Secretary and Executive Board Member, YWCA Northern New Jersey
- Trustee, Association of the Federal Bar of New Jersey; Past Chair, Young Lawyers Division
- Board of Directors, Historical Society of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
- Member, Association for Corporate Growth - New Jersey; Co-Chair, Advancing Leadership Influence
- Member, Trial Attorneys of New Jersey
- Former Lead Barrister, The John C. Lifland American Inn of Court
More Activities & Experience
- Ms. Lucey currently serves on the Steering Committee for the firm's Women's Leadership Forum
- Former judicial intern to The Honorable Ronald J. Hedges, United States Magistrate Judge
Presentations & Speaking Engagements
- Sponsor: Association for Corporate Growth New Jersey Chapter, January 19, 2021
- Sponsor: New Jersey Women Lawyers Association, December 1, 2020
- Sponsor: New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, November 23, 2020
- Sponsor: New Jersey Institute of Continuing Legal Education, November 17, 2020
- Moderator and Speaker, Title IX – The New RegulationsSponsor: New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, November 16, 2020
- Sponsor: Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith & Davis LLP, NJ Hospital Association, NJ Healthcare Financial Management Association, Medical Society of NJ, and NJ Dental Association, June 24, 2020
- Sponsor: New Jersey Builders Association, June 23, 2020
- Sponsor: Clear Law Institute, May 22, 2020
- Moderator, Employment Law and the Federal CourtSponsor: New Jersey State Bar Association 2020 Annual Meeting and Convention, May 14, 2020
- Panelist, COVID Issues in the Building IndustrySponsor: New Jersey Builders Association, April 21, 2020
- Sponsor: The Knowledge Group, March 3, 2020
- Moderator and Speaker, The Nuts and Bolts of Federal Practice: Everything You Need To Know To Handle Federal Matters With ConfidenceSponsor: New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, November 4, 2019
- Sponsor: Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey, October 16, 2019
- Sponsor: New Jersey State Bar Association Federal Practice and Procedure Section, October 15, 2019
- Sponsor: New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, July 18, 2019
- Sponsor: The Gavel, January 21-23, 2019
- Presenter, Human Resource Law From Start to FinishSponsor: National Business Institute, November 28, 2018
- Sponsor: Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith & Davis LLP, August 14, 2018
- Presenter, Human Resource Law from A to ZSponsor: National Business Institute, July 17-18, 2018
- Organizer and Moderator, Title IX: Hot TopicsSponsor: New Jersey State Bar Association, May 17, 2018
- Moderator, A Woman’s Place Is In the CourtroomSponsor: U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey & The Association of the Federal Bar of New Jersey, May 3, 2018
- Sponsor: Association of Corporate Counsel New Jersey, September 15, 2017
- Speaker, Legal Ethics of EmailSponsor: NBI Seminars, December 14, 2016
- Speaker, Demonstratives vs. Admissible EvidenceSponsor: Middlesex County Bar Association Young Lawyers 101 Civil Practice Basics Seminar, November 2011
- Presenter, Annual Summer Associates ProgramSponsor: New Jersey State Bar Association, June 2011
- Speaker, Electronic EvidenceSponsor: The John C. Lifland American Inn of Court, 2008
Publications & Alerts
- Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith & Davis LLP Client Alert, December 21, 2020
- New Jersey Law Journal, August 26, 2020
- Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith & Davis LLP Client Alert, May 5, 2020
- Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith & Davis LLP Client Alert, April 23, 2020
- Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith & Davis LLP Client Alert, April 15, 2020
- Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith & Davis LLP Client Alert, March 30, 2020
- Author, COVID-19 Employment Law Update: Paid Sick and Family Leave vs. Unemployment Insurance BenefitsGreenbaum, Rowe, Smith & Davis LLP Client Alert, March 20, 2020
- Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith & Davis LLP Client Alert, August 21, 2019
- Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith & Davis LLP Client Alert, February 21, 2019
- New Jersey Law Journal, February 4, 2019
- Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith & Davis LLP Client Alert, October 2018
- Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith & Davis LLP Client Alert, August 2018
- Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith & Davis LLP Client AIert, May 2018
- Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith & Davis LLP Client Alert, April 2018
- Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith & Davis LLP Client Alert, April 2018
- Author, Deconstructing History: Fenemore vs. The United StatesNunc Pro Tunc, publication of The Historical Society of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, 2004
Departments
Practice Groups
Education
Seton Hall University School of Law, J.D., 2003
Wake Forest University, B.S., 2000
Bar Admissions
- New Jersey, 2003
- New York, 2006
- U.S. Supreme Court, 2008
- U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey, 2003
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, 2006
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit, 2005
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.