Nelson C. Johnson, J.S.C. (Ret.) is “of Counsel” to Hankin Palladino Weintrob Bell & Labov. Judge Johnson will focus his practice on mediation and arbitration of commercial litigation, general equity matters, and other civil disputes generally filed in the Law and Chancery Divisions, as well as federal court, excluding claims arising out of automobile accidents.
Prior to his appointment to the New Jersey Superior Court in 2006, Judge Johnson practiced law for 31 years in multiple settings, with firms both large and small. His practice entailed mostly civil litigation in the Law Division involving business disputes, land use matters, and equitable proceedings in the Chancery Court. For the entirety of his thirteen years on the bench, Johnson sat in the Law Division, and for eight of those years, he was conflict judge on Chancery matters. Judge Johnson was also designated by the New Jersey Supreme Court as one of only three centralized mass torts judges in the state, allowing him to preside over some of New Jersey’s largest and most complex lawsuits.
Prior to his appointment to the bench, Judge Johnson was an accomplished author. His works included “Boardwalk Empire,” which was later adapted into a successful television series on HBO. During the five years following his departure from the bench, Johnson returned to writing full-time. He wrote three books, two of which are handbooks for lawyers: “Style & Persuasion” published by the N.J. State Bar Association, and “Open Public Records & Open Public Meetings” published by Gann Publishing. The third book is “Darrow’s Nightmare,” published by Rosetta Publishing (affiliated with Simon & Schuster).
