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Conor J. Hennessey
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Conor focuses his practice on real estate brokerage law and complex civil litigation. He advises and defends brokers, salespersons, and brokerage firms in contract, commission, and regulatory disputes. Conor has been involved in significant matters before New Jersey’s highest courts, giving him insight into the issues that shape the real estate brokerage industry across the state.

In addition to his work involving the real estate brokerage industry, Conor routinely litigates commercial matters, contract disputes, consumer fraud act claims, construction claims and significant personal injury cases. He represents both plaintiffs and defendants and brings a strategic, results-driven approach to every matter.

Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstances.

Bar Admissions

  • New Jersey, 2017
  • New York, 2017
  • U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey, 2017

Education

  • Rutgers University School of Law - Newark, J.D., 2016
  • Rutgers University, B.A., 2012

Recognition

  • Listed in Super Lawyers – New Jersey Rising Stars (a Thomson Reuters business) in the Business Litigation practice area (2026)
  • Listed in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch (a trademark of Woodward/White, Inc.) (2026)  

Ones To Watch - Lawyer Logo View the profile of New Jersey Business Litigation Attorney Conor J. Hennessey

Please visit our Award Methodology page for a description of the standard or methodology on which these accolades are based. Attorney Advertising: No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.

Clerkships

  • Former law clerk to The Honorable James R. Paganelli, Superior Court of New Jersey, Essex County (2016-2017)

Representative Matters

  • Representing the State of New Jersey, Department of Military and Veterans’ Affairs in multiple investigations and civil litigation arising from hundreds of COVID-related veteran deaths at state-operated long-term care facilities. This engagement also includes representation in the defense of dozens of employees who contracted COVID, as well as the defense of alleged civil rights violations in connection with the deaths of residents in these facilities, with claims totaling more than $69 million.
  • Represented a New Jersey county in a $6 million contract dispute arising from a pre-development agreement for a proposed central energy facility intended to serve a county jail and adjacent state prison, defending against breach-of-contract and reimbursement claims and pursuing resolution through mediation and settlement negotiations.
  • As a member of the firm’s litigation team, played a significant role in the successful representation of the plaintiff by obtaining a favorable verdict after a bench trial in a litigation involving the New Jersey Oppressed Shareholder Statute.
  • Represented a commercial data and analytics company in a contract and collections dispute arising from a customer’s alleged data-usage overages and related counterclaims, successfully defeating disqualification and dismissal efforts, and securing a favorable settlement following the customer’s acquisition.
  • Successfully obtained a favorable settlement for a client in a dispute concerning the acquisition of an automotive repair business and the related real property, where the opposing party claimed that the oral agreement between the parties was contradicted by their written agreement.

Published Cases

  • In New Jersey REALTORS® v. Township of Berkeley (2024), supported lead counsel in obtaining a precedential New Jersey Appellate Division decision that a requirement in an age-restricted community that an owner be 55 or older violates the federal Fair Housing Act and NJLAD, both of which include an exception to familial status discrimination permitting communities for residents age 55 and older to require that eighty percent of units be occupied by at least one person age 55 or older, but do not include any such exception concerning ownership.
  • In Kennedy v. Weichert Co. (2023), supported lead counsel in the representation of amicus curiae New Jersey REALTORS® before the New Jersey Supreme Court in a landmark worker-classification case in which the court held that the independent contractor agreements between Weichert and its salespersons were dispositive under the New Jersey Real Estate Brokers and Salespersons Act when determining if they are employees or independent contractors. This precedential ruling preserved long-standing industry practices statewide, eliminated significant misclassification exposure for brokers, and provided definitive guidance after five years of litigation.
  • In Sullivan Grantor Retained Income Tr. v. Max Spann Real Estate & Auction Co. (2022), secured a published New Jersey Supreme Court ruling clarifying that the attorney-review requirement does not apply to “without reserve” real estate auctions, providing auctioneers, sellers, and buyers with transactional certainty and eliminating a procedural hurdle that could otherwise disrupt time-sensitive auction sales.

Memberships

  • New Jersey State Bar Association

Personal

  • While attending law school, Conor was an Associate Editor of the Rutgers Business Law Review and served as a legal intern at a New Jersey firm.

Announcements

Seminars & Events

Of Interest