My work is driven by a deeply rooted passion for law and justice. In my mind, it’s imperative that I demonstrate to each client my capacity and willingness to understand their core concerns and “human” needs. This process takes time, and may uncover issues that extend beyond the legal matter at hand, but in the end it becomes a vital component of a successful strategy.
Mr. Brown concentrates his practice in white collar criminal defense, international human rights issues, internal investigations and complex commercial litigation. He has defended clients in state and federal courts and before administrative tribunals. He is a leading figure in the developing area of law related to the regulation and enforcement of business requirements for human rights compliance.
Mr. Brown has extensive experience as a trial lawyer and has handled a wide variety of criminal and civil matters representing individuals, corporations and government entities. He most recently represented U.S. Senator Robert Menendez as Defense Co-Counsel against criminal allegations of public corruption and bribery brought by the U.S. government, in a highly publicized trial which ended in a hung jury and subsequent mistrial. Shortly thereafter, all charges against Senator Menendez were dismissed by the Department of Justice.
Mr. Brown has also appeared in a number of other high profile proceedings, including the nine-month trial involving former U.S. Secretary of Labor Raymond J. Donovan and the successful eight-year defense of senior executives of a major multinational corporation charged with environmental violations. Mr. Brown has appeared in courts in twelve states and has conducted investigations in the U.S. and in Kenya, El Salvador, the Cayman Islands, Switzerland, the Bahamas, Colombia and Sierra Leone. His international experience includes qualifying as Counsel before the International Criminal Court in The Hague and serving as Co-Lead Defense Counsel at the Special Court for Sierra Leone.
Mr. Brown counsels foreign and domestic multinationals on a broad range of corporate risk management, governance, and transactional issues, including those at the intersection of human rights and business concerns. He advises on compliance obligations, supply chain management issues, and the potential reputational risks and “bottom line” impacts facing corporations whose operational practices become entangled in human rights violations, both domestically and on the international stage.
Honors & Awards
- Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America
- Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers
- Fellow, American Board of Criminal Lawyers
- Fellow, American Bar Foundation
- Receipt of a 2018 Professional Lawyer of the Year Award from the Federal Bar of New Jersey and the New Jersey Commission on Professionalism in the Law, in recognition of his exemplary character, competence and professional behavior.
- Recipient of the 2018 (inaugural) Francis X. Dee Award from the American College of Trial Lawyers, in recognition of outstanding trial and advocacy skills and exceptional professional conduct
- Recipient of the 2018 Gerald B. O'Connor Award from the New Jersey Association for Justice, in recognition of his skills as a trial lawyer and his professionalism within the legal community
- 2014 recipient of Litigation Counsel of America’s Peter Perlman Service Award
- 2013 recipient of the Jewish National Fund Tree of Life Award
- 2011 recipient of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund Award of Excellence
- 2009 recipient of the NJN Foundation NJN Legacy Award
- 2007 recipient of the NAACP Freedom Fund Award
- 2005 recipient of the National Council of Women of the USA Distinguished International Award
- 2005 recipient of the New Jersey Office of the Public Defender Champion Defender Award
- 1998 recipient of the Garden State Bar Association Van Y. Clinton Award
- 1998 recipient of the Macon B. Allen Black Bar Association Recognition Award
- Selected by The Best Lawyers in America© (a trademark of Woodward/White, Inc.) as 2013 Woodbridge "Lawyer of the Year" in the Criminal Defense: Non-White-Collar practice area
- Listed in The Best Lawyers in America© (a trademark of Woodward/White, Inc.) in the Corporate Governance and Compliance Law, Criminal Defense: Non-White-Collar, and Criminal Defense: White-Collar practice areas (1989 – present)
- Listed in New Jersey Super Lawyers (a Thompson Reuters business) in the Criminal Defense:White Collar practice area (2007 – present)
- Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rated AV® Preeminent (a trademark of Internet Brands, Inc.) (1983 – present)
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
- Host of the Emmy Award winning New Jersey Network public television program "Due Process”
- Member, Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers of New Jersey; past President
- Member, New Jersey State Bar Association, Criminal Law Section; member, Task Force on Judicial Independence
More Activities & Experience
- Mr. Brown currently serves on the firm's Diversity Committee
- Member, American Bar Association; Appointed member, Center for Human Rights; member, Sections of Criminal Justice and International Law
- Member, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers; former Board member and Parliamentarian
- Chosen to moderate a special Congressional Briefing hosted by the Senate Human Rights Caucus. Click here for additional information.
- In conjunction with his role as co-founder of the International Justice Project, was interviewed by the South African Broadcasting Corporation on the legal and political implications of Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir’s recent travel to South Africa for the African Union (AU) Summit. Click here to view the video.
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Mr. Brown, a devoted advocate for human rights, was a student activist and an important participant in the 1968 occupation of Columbia University. He is a contributor to the recently published volume "A Time to Stir," a collection of essays written by participants. A documentary film is also in production. Mr. Brown's media interviews related to this project include an interview with Tony Guida for the City University of New York (CUNY-TV) program Tony Guida’s NY as well as his participation in a Columbia University School of Journalism panel discussion.
Academic Appointments
- Has taught International Criminal Law in the Seton Hall/American University Program at Cairo, Egypt and at Seton Hall University’s School of Diplomacy and International Relations
- Visiting Professor and Research Scholar, Seton Hall University School of Law; has taught International Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure and Professional Responsibility
Presentations & Speaking Engagements
- Presenter, Marijuana Business Law in New JerseySponsor: National Business Institute, December 13, 2018
- Presenter, Marijuana Business Law in New JerseySponsor: National Business Institute, December 10, 2018
- Sponsor: New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, November 16, 2018
- Panelist, NAACP Cannabis Legalization ForumSponsor: Oranges & Maplewood, NJ Unit of the NAACP, October 27, 2018
- Speaker, Modern Slavery In Our LivesSponsor: New Jersey Coalition Against Human Trafficking, International Justice Project, Slave-Free Community Project, September 20, 2018
- Panelist, After Selma: Newark, Camden and BeyondSponsor: U.S. District Court for the District of NJ Historical Society, September 13, 2018
- Sponsor: Association of the Federal Bar of New Jersey’s Young Lawyers Division, July 18, 2018
- Panelist, White Collar Crime Townhall: Lessons Learned from Handling High Profile White Collar Crime CasesSponsor: American Bar Association, April 5, 2018
- Moderator and Speaker, Violence Against Women on College Campuses – A 2018 UpdateSponsor: New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, March 13, 2018
- Panelist, White Collar CrimeSponsor: State Bar of Georgia ICLE, February 1, 2018
- Presenter, 2017 Environmental Law ForumSponsor: New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, June 23 - 25, 2017
- Sponsor: New Jersey State Bar Association, May 17-19, 2017
- Sponsor: New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, April 19, 2017
- Lecturer and Moderator, Violence Against Women on College CampusesSponsor: NJICLE, March 7, 2017
- Sponsor: New York City Bar Association, October 27, 2016
- Moderator, Judicial Independence 2016Sponsor: New Jersey State Bar Association Annual Meeting, May 2016
- Speaker, Business and Human Rights: A New Practice Area for Main Street and the C-Suite - Opportunities at the Intersection of Human Rights Law and Business PracticesSponsor: New Jersey State Bar Association Annual Meeting, May 2016
- Speaker, Personal Courage in the Practice of LawSponsor: New Jersey State Bar Association Annual Meeting, May 2016
- Sponsor: New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, April 27, 2016
- Sponsor: The Association of the Federal Bar of New Jersey, March 10, 2016
- Panelist, 2015 Women’s Bench Bar ConferenceSponsor: NJSBA Women in the Profession Section; International Justice Project; Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith & Davis LLP; Monmouth University Leon Hess School of Business, November 10, 2015
- Sponsor: The Senate Human Rights Caucus and The Washington Working Group on the International Criminal Court, June 23, 2015
- Sponsor: New Jersey State Bar Association Diversity Committee, June 22, 2015
- Lessons Learned from DarfurSponsor: Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice, International Justice Project, International Coalition for the Responsibility to Protect, the African Affairs Committee of the New York City Bar Association, May 26, 2015
- Panelist, Human TraffickingSponsor: New Jersey State Bar Association Annual Meeting, May 2015
- Panelist, Recent Developments Affecting Women in the WorkplaceSponsor: New Jersey State Bar Association Annual Meeting, May 2015
- Panelist, Marketing and Ethics 2015: Maximizing Results While Avoiding LiabilitySponsor: New Jersey State Bar Association Annual Meeting, May 2015
- Featured Speaker, 8th Annual Criminal Law InstituteSponsor: New Jersey Institute of Continuing Legal Education, November 22, 2014
- Sponsor: The Professional Education Group, September 22, 2014
- Panelist, Honing Your Leadership Skills Through Pro Bono ServiceSponsor: New Jersey State Bar Association Annual Meeting, May 15, 2014
- Panelist, Marketing and Ethics 2014: Maximizing Results While Avoiding LiabilitySponsor: New Jersey State Bar Association Annual Meeting, May 15, 2014
- Moderator, International Human Rights & Business Law: What In-House Legal Departments Can’t Afford Not to KnowSponsor: New Jersey Corporate Counsel Association All Day CLE Conference, September 20, 2013
- Moderator/Presenter, Marketing and Ethics: Maximizing Results While Avoiding LiabilitySponsor: New Jersey State Bar Association Annual Meeting, May 2013
- Moderator/Panelist, Court Rules UpdateSponsor: New Jersey State Bar Association Annual Meeting, May 2013
- Moderator, Justice at StakeSponsor: New Jersey State Bar Association Annual Meeting, May 2013
- Presenter, Reclaiming Our Nobel ProfessionSponsor: Seton Hall Law School Rodino Ethics Lecture Series, April 8, 2013
- Panelist, Civil Rights SymposiumSponsor: Middlesex County Bar Association, February 20, 2013
- Sponsor: Franklin Township, NJ, January 21, 2013
- Sponsor: New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, November 30, 2012
- Keynote Speaker, Lawyers Leading the WaySponsor: Newark Boys Chorus School, November 10, 2012
- Speaker, Marketing and Ethics: Maximizing Results While Avoiding LiabilitySponsor: New Jersey State Bar Association Annual Meeting, May 16, 2012
- Speaker, Saving the Innocent: The Last Resort Exoneration ProjectSponsor: New Jersey State Bar Association Annual Meeting, May 16, 2012
- Sponsor: Policy Leadership Division of the U.S. Department of State’s Foreign Service Institute, May 3, 2012
- Sponsor: Best Practices From the DiversityInc Top 50, April 24-25, 2012
- Speaker, The Dark Side of U.S. JusticeSponsor: Seton Hall University School of Law’s Hall Institute Forum on Prosecutorial Misconduct, February 22, 2012
- Sponsor: Due Process, January 8, 2012
Publications & Alerts
- Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith & Davis LLP Client Alert, January 8, 2018
- Law360.com, March 18, 2014
- New Jersey Lawyer magazine, February 2014
- Co-Author, Small/Medium Companies Should Consider a Proactive Approach to Managing Compliance and Ethics RisksMid-Atlantic Real Estate Journal, July/August 2013
- Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith & Davis LLP Client Alert, June 2013
- Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith & Davis LLP Client Alert, April 2013
- DiversityInc.com, May 2012
- DiversityInc.com, January 24, 2012
- Author, Apple (Pie), Cotton Comfort and Hershey's Kisses: S'More on International Human Rights Due DiligenceNew Jersey Corporate Counsel Association Newsletter, August 5, 2011
- Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith & Davis LLP Client Alert, July 2011
- Author, Assisting Business Leaders in Meeting the 'Corporate Responsibility to Respect Human Rights'July 5, 2011
- DiversityInc.com, July 2010
- Institute for War & Peace Reporting's website, IWPR.net, July 16, 2010
- Featured, Bearing WitnessSuper Lawyers New Jersey magazine, April 2009
- Author, When the Government KnocksBiz India, May/June 2007
- Chapter Author, Client Relations in White Collar Crime InvestigationsWhite Collar Law Client Strategies (Aspatore, 2007)
- Co-Author, A Non-Toxic Ounce of Prevention: Notes on Handling Enron-era Environmental InvestigationsNew Jersey Law Journal, December 4, 2006
Departments
Practice Groups
Education
Boalt Hall School of Law, University of California, Berkeley, J.D., 1974
Columbia University, B.A., 1969
Bar Admissions
- New Jersey, 1974
- New York, 1983
- Special Court for Sierra Leone, 2004
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.