Robert Michael Hanlon Jr

Robert Hanlon Jr. is a partner in the firm’s Princeton, New Jersey office. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers* and a member of the National Board of Directors for the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). He enjoys teaching as well as practicing trial advocacy. He has been on the faculty of ABOTA’s weeklong National Trial College at Harvard Law School since its inception in 2010, and he had the honor of serving as the Dean of the College in 2014 and 2016.

*“Fellowship is extended only by invitation, after careful investigation, to those experienced trial lawyers who have mastered the art of advocacy … Membership can never be more than 1 percent of the total lawyer population of any state or province.” 

Robert is an active trial attorney who has tried more than 30 cases to verdict in nine states, including such challenging venues as Los Angeles County, California; Cook County, Illinois; Bronx County, New York; and Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. He is regularly retained by self-insured manufacturers, trucking companies, and excess insurance providers to litigate and try their most serious cases. Robert has the necessary trial experience to address both the emotional and the technical issues inherent in such litigation. He has deposed, presented, and cross-examined hundreds of expert witnesses, and he has served on New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education panels addressing such topics as selecting, vetting, and preparing expert witnesses; the use of accident reconstruction and bio-mechanics experts; and establishing the theme of your case through paper discovery.

Robert concentrates his practice on the defense of product liability, transportation, and catastrophic personal injury litigation. A member of the Product Liability Advisory Council, he represents manufacturers of automobiles and trucks, consumer products, children's toys, and industrial equipment. On behalf of his automotive clients, he has litigated matters involving nearly all aspects of automobile design and he has tried cases involving defect allegations related to roof structures, cruise control systems, transmissions, starter and shift interlocks, seats, brakes, and airbag systems.

Robert is an experienced transportation litigator and a member of the Truck Industry Defense Association. He serves as Regional Coordinating Counsel for a multi-national trucking and logistics company. In that capacity, he oversees and tries the company's catastrophic personal injury cases throughout the eastern United States. He is often called upon to conduct or supervise rapid response investigations of truck crashes. Recognizing the importance of preserving evidence in the aftermath of a crash, Robert authored the firm's detailed protocols for attorneys, investigators, and accident reconstruction experts. He also prepared a comprehensive list of commercial motor vehicle documents with cross-references to, and summaries of, applicable federal regulations. He has assisted his clients with safety training and has presented lectures on topics including FMCSR compliance and the consequence of non-compliance; truck accident investigation; crash scene management; the development and use of expert witness testimony in trucking litigation; conducting investigations and discovery so as to avoid surprises; and potential conflicts of interest created by multi-party trucking disputes.