NEW JERSEY ATTORNEY BRIAN J. NEARY
Senior Attorney
Regarded as one of the premier criminal defense lawyers in New Jersey, Brian J. Neary devotes his practice to the rigorous defense of those accused of crimes. He represents people in both state and federal courts on charges ranging from murder and street crimes to fraud and complex white-collar crimes. With offices in Hackensack and Jersey City, he is also an accomplished appellate lawyer and has argued in the New Jersey Supreme Court, the Appellate Division, as well as the Second and Third Circuit Federal Courts of Appeals.
Widely known in the halls of justice and in the press as “the lawyer with the bow-tie,” Mr. Neary is a renowned legal educator and media commentator whose client list includes professional athletes, entertainers, lawyers, doctors, business leaders, law enforcement employees, public officials, friends and neighbors. He is a leading practitioner in driving while intoxicated cases, including vehicular homicide.
Expertise
For more than 25 years he has been selected by his colleagues in the legal community for inclusion in Best Lawyers in America, universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence in the U.S., in three
categories: white collar criminal defense, non-white collar criminal defense, and driving while intoxicated defense. Mr. Neary has been certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy and the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Criminal Trial Attorney.
He has also been named as a member of New Jersey’s Top 100 lawyers in Law and Politics magazine (“Super Lawyers”) every year since the honor’s inception in 2005. (The Best Lawyers lists are issued by Best Lawyers. The Super Lawyers lists are issued by ThomsonReuters. Learn more about the selection methodology for these honors: Best Lawyers – Super Lawyers. No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey. ) Brian has been rated in the top 10 lawyers for the past 5 years including the cover story of the 2020 Super Lawyers magazine.
Honored
Mr. Neary has been honored as a Fellow in three prestigious professional societies: the American College of Trial Lawyers, the American Board of Criminal Lawyers, and the American Bar Association.
Mr. Neary has served as an adjunct professor of law at Rutgers Law School in Newark for over 30 years. He is also a visiting faculty member of Notre Dame Law School’s intensive Advocacy program. He regularly teaches criminal law and trial advocacy to judges and lawyers.
Mr. Neary is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Notre Dame. He received his law degree from New York University School of Law.
Certified Legal Specialties
- Certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Criminal Trial Attorney, 1982 – Present
- Certified Criminal Trial Advocate, National Board of Trial Advocacy, 1983 – Present
Classes/Seminars
- Visiting Faculty – Notre Dame Law School, Notre Dame, Indiana, Trial Advocacy, 2014-2021
- Co-Adjunct Professor of Law – Rutgers School of Law, Newark, New Jersey, 1982 – Present; Legal Writing & Oral Advocacy, 1982-1988; Criminal Trial Presentation, 1988-2014; Intensive Criminal Trial Advocacy (2015-2019)
- Instructor – Administrative Office of the Courts, Municipal Court Seminar, Driving While Intoxicated, 1995-2005
- Instructor – Institute for Continuing Education for the New Jersey State Bar Association, 1990 – Present
Courses include: Driving While Intoxicated, Crimes By Auto, Expert Witnesses, Homicide Litigation, The Annual Criminal Law Institute, Domestic Violence, and numerous trial advocacy seminars - Lecturer – Various Bar Association Courses on Areas of Criminal Law
- Adjunct Professor – Saint Peter’s University, Jersey City, New Jersey, Criminal Justice Ethics, 2006-2009
Honors and Awards
- Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers, 2008 – Present
- Fellow, American Board of Criminal Lawyers, 1996 – Present
- Fellow, American Bar Foundation, 2005 – Present
- Martindale Hubbell’s Bar Registration of Preeminent Lawyers: Criminal Law Section, 1994 – 2021
- Martindale Hubbell’s Legal Ability Rating “AV Preeminent” (highest)
- Founding Member of the National College for DUI Defense, 1995 – Present
- New Jersey sentencing and disposition commission (state bar designee) 2018-Present
- Ethics Committee, New Jersey Supreme Court, Bergen County, 1990-1994; Chairman, 1993-1994
- Criminal Practice Committee, New Jersey Supreme Court, 1988-1992, 2005-2006
- National Directory of Criminal Defense Lawyers (chosen as one of the 500 best criminal lawyers in America), 1990
- Ethics Committee, New Jersey Supreme Court (Hudson County), 2006-2010
- Listed among the Best Lawyers in America, 1991 – Present
- Listed on the Super Lawyers list, 2005-2015
- Listed among New Jersey’s Top 100 Lawyers (selected by Super Lawyers), 2005 – Present
- Distinguished Service Award for Excellence in Continuing Legal Education, New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, 2014
- Distinguished Alumni Award, Hudson Catholic 50th Anniversary Gala, 2015
- Irish Legal 100, As Published in IrishVoice
The Best Lawyers lists are issued by Best Lawyers. The Super Lawyers lists are issued by ThomsonReuters. AV Preeminent is a registered certification mark of Martindale-Hubbell and Internet Brands, Inc. Learn more about the selection methodology for these honors: Best Lawyers – Super Lawyers – Martindale-Hubbell. No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.
Professional Associations and Memberships
- New Jersey State Bar Association, 2019 – Present; Trustee (Hudson County Representative) 2020 – Present; Commission on Racial Equality in the Law (Corel), member 2020 – Present; Task Force on Resumption of Jury Trials, member 2020 – Present
- Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers of New Jersey, 1984 – Present; President, 1997 – 1998
- National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Life Member, 1983 – Present
- New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Life Member, 1990 – Present
- Bergen County, N.J. Bar Association, 1987 – Present
- Hudson County, N.J. Bar Association, 2005 – Present; President (2012-2013); Chairman, Criminal Practice Committee; Co-Chairman, Continuing Education Committee, Criminal lawyer of the year 2016
- Hudson Inn of Court, Jersey City, N.J., Master, 1994-1995; 2003-2009
- Hudson County Representative to State Bar’s Judicial and prosecutorial Appointments Committee, 2014 – 2020
Past Employment Positions
- New York State Executive Advisory Commission on the Administration of Justice, Associate Counsel, 1981-1982
- Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, Hackensack, New Jersey, Assistant Prosecutor, 1977-1981
- Bergen County Narcotics Task Force, Legal Advisor, 1978-1981
- Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office; Sex Crimes and Child Abuse, Hackensack, New Jersey, Chief Prosecutor, 1980-1981
- Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, Jersey City, New Jersey, Assistant Prosecutor, 1976-1977
Contact us at (201) 488-0544.