Genova Burns Bolsters Core Practice Groups with Four New Additions

Genova Burns LLC, a premiere law firm with offices around the Tri-State area, begins the fourth quarter by bringing on four new associates to bolster their core practice areas.  Chairman & Managing Partner Angelo J. Genova, Esq., enjoys cultivating and grooming new talent.  While lawyering is his true passion, Genova prides himself on the success of his Associates and his Firm.  “Watching our Associates grow as lawyers under our roof is an incredibly rewarding experience,” says Genova.  “Their successes becoming our successes.”

Thomas Bellifemine, who will be splitting his time between NYC and NJ, specializes in Employment Litigation. Mr. Bellifemine represents employers in federal and state court, arbitral forums, and before administrative agencies.  He is a graduate of the Fordham School of Law and lives in NYC.   He has experience litigating a wide range of employment matters including, claims of employment discrimination, harassment, and retaliation.

Mr. Bellifemine’s extensive experience involves investigating employment matters and litigating cases from inception through trial or settlement. This includes, but is not limited to, drafting pleadings; drafting discovery and dispositive motions; arguing motions; taking and defending depositions; attending court conferences in both federal and state courts; and handling mediations and other settlement negotiations, including drafting settlement agreements.

Mr. Bellifemine received his Juris Doctor degree, from Seton Hall University School of Law and his Bachelor of Arts degree, cum laude, from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. 

David Cerqueira has come home to Newark as an Associate in the Bankruptcy and Labor Practice Groups.  Having recently passed the Bar on his first attempt, David’s experience comprises of his Clerkships in the Family Division, where he assisted in the management of matrimonial post-judgment docket, which included drafting weekly motion summaries, order to show cause, and legal research and the United States Bankruptcy Court for District of New Jersey where he assisted in drafting legal memorandums, motion summaries and adversary proceedings in Chapter 7, 11, and Chapter 13 bankruptcies.  David also worked as a Spring 2019 Law Clerk at Genova Burns where he was exposed to the Real Estate and Land Use practice areas. 

Cerqueira, a two-year Captain of the East Side High School Soccer Team, has known about Genova Burns for most of his life.  “I was excited for the opportunity to work collaboratively with the areas’ premier legal experts who have achieved incredible success but never lost the common touch,” says Cequiera.  

New Associate Sadayah Q. DuRant-Brown is focusing her skills in the area of Labor Law and Cannabis.  She brings experience in the public sector where she handled legal matters ranging from In Rem Tax Sale Foreclosures, Sale of Vacant and Abandoned Properties, to management of OPRA responses.  Ms. DuRant-Brown also assisted in interpreting and monitoring compliance with New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization Act.

Ms. DuRant-Brown lives in Mercer County and enjoys the Firm’s flexible approach to WFH and office time.  “Throughout my legal career, Genova Burns LLC has consistently been highly regarded as one of the top law firms in the State and an overall great place to work, so I jumped at the opportunity to join the team,” says Durant-Brown.

Ms. DuRant-Brown received her Juris Doctor degree from Rutgers Law School where she was an Associate Editor for the Race & Law Review Journal and Pro Bono Scholar Award Recipient for over 100 hours of service. 

Ryan E. Kotler is an Associate joining the Firm's robust Commercial Litigation Practice Group.  Prior to joining the Genova Burns, Mr. Kotler's experience was serving  as a judicial law clerk in the Superior Court of New Jersey – Appellate Division, where he performed legal research, analyzed applicable legal theories, and drafted bench memoranda and official judicial decisions concerning appeals in civil, criminal, family, and administrative matters. Mr. Kotler also assisted the court in preparing for oral arguments and processing emergent motions.

Mr. Kotler also served as a Summer Law Clerk in the N.J. Office of the Attorney General in 2018, where he drafted briefs and motions relating to tort litigation in defense of the State. Mr. Kotler is also a member of the Screen Actor’s Guild and has acted as a principal in various motion pictures, television shows, television and radio commercials, and video games.

Genova Burns is proud of its reputation for the ability to offer a range of unsurpassed legal services in many practices areas and industries. It is truly a full-service firm on the cutting edge of market trends and opportunities with burgeoning practices like cannabis – including federal and state regulation and compliance matters – as well as extensive experience in labor law, real estate, transportation and logistics law, among others. The key differentiator is the Firm’s ability to operate as a large firm; however, remain nimble enough to serve clients with an unrivaled personal approach and a “we can get it done” culture for which it is recognized.  The Firms congratulates all of its attorneys.