Thomas Smith Howard

Tom is the founding partner of the firm. He is recognized as a pre-eminent lawyer with over 30 years experience in the practice of civil litigation. Many lawyers regularly refer challenging cases to him in recognition of his ability and skill.

Tom has an enviable record of outstanding successes in nursing home neglect cases as well as business litigation and contested probate matters. Although he concentrates in those areas, he also has extensive experience in handling malpractice cases, copyright and other intellectual property disputes, and admiralty work. He represents clients in jury trials as well as mediations and arbitrations. At all times, he aggressively pursues his clients’ goals, always mindful of the client’s interests and needs.   His consistent purpose is to help our clients obtain justice and appropriate compensation of their losses.

He is rated “AV” by Martindale-Hubbell, has been selected as a “Super Lawyer” by his peers, and is certified as a Civil Trial Attorney by the Supreme Court of New Jersey. He is a proud member of the American Association for Justice and its New Jersey affiliate and is a long-standing member of the AAJ’s Nursing Home Litigation Group.

We focus our law practice in northern New Jersey on nursing home abuse and neglect, medical malpractice, will and estate contests and business disputes. We will meet with you, advise you on your legal issues, and take the legal action you need. Helping you is our business, finding justice for you is our purpose, and obtaining a substantial financial recovery for you is our job -- we have held wrongdoers accountable for over 30 years.

Our approach to complex litigated matters, such as nursing home abuse and nursing home neglect, is comprehensive. We regularly handle cases that involve investigation, expert consultation, and family counseling to address mistreatment in an assisted living facility, nursing home, or rehabilitation facility. Our team represents families of loved ones who have suffered elder abuse or neglect, including bedsores, falls, medication errors, elopement, infection, dehydration malnutrition, physical or sexual assault, financial exploitation, and wrongful death.  We are knowledgeable of the issues that such cases involve, and our professional staff has the experience and skill necessary to help you obtain justice for the harm suffered by your loved one. We will work hard to secure the maximum financial recovery to compensate for your loved one and your family for nursing home abuse and neglect.

Our 30+ year trusts and estates practice focuses exclusively on probate disputes, will contests, and estate litigation. For times when harmony cannot prevail, we are experienced estate litigators. We represent executors and families in will contests, probate disputes, accountings, inheritance disputes, and claims of undue influence or duress. We are there to help our clients understand and anticipate the risk and consequences of these proceedings.

Our business litigation practice helps clients navigate through trials, appeals, motions, injunctions, arbitrations, and mediations. Our expertise includes contract law, breach of fiduciary duty and shareholder disputes, as well as intellectual property issues such as trademark and copyright issues.  We recognize that the resolution of business disputes without the expense and time of litigation is frequently preferable for everyone involved, but when such a result is not possible or desired, a good business litigation attorney can be invaluable in helping you protect your rights and your company’s commercial interests.

Our firm is led by attorney Tom Howard. Tom is certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a civil trial attorney and has a track record of success with notable jury verdicts, judgments, and settlements. Steven Vanderlinden is the senior litigation associate.