East Brunswick, NJ

Michael J. Pappa

Since 2007, Attorney Michael J. Pappa has been honored as a New Jersey Super Lawyer in criminal defense by New Jersey Monthly Magazine, putting him in a small and select group of criminal attorneys. In 2011, he was made a member of the Nation Trial Lawyers Top 100 Trial Lawyers by meeting the standards of excellence for selection. Mr. Pappa began his career in 1978 as Assistant Monmouth County Prosecutor, starting in the juvenile division and working his way up the ranks handling all types of cases, including several murder prosecutions and other major crimes. In 1982, Mr. Pappa entered private practice with the firm. His first noteworthy criminal case involved the successful defense of an ex-state trooper charged with murder. Since then, he has been representing clients charged with white-collar offenses, property crimes, violent crimes, drug offenses, and sex offenses. He has handled many high-profile cases in both state and federal court. He is a member of a select list of criminal lawyers in the Legal Protection Plan for police officers. He recently participated as an instructor in courtroom testimony for members of the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office. Mr. Pappa’s experience in criminal defense also extends to juvenile matters with the specialized knowledge needed to understand and deal with the nuances of the juvenile justice system. Over the years, Mr. Pappa’s trial experience has provided him with the basis to successfully represent clients in personal injury and sexual harassment cases. His personal injury verdicts include a million-dollar plus award in a motorcycle accident case. Mr. Pappa also has an active municipal court practice locally and throughout the State defending clients charged with DWI, driving offenses, assaults, drug offenses and domestic violence. He successfully defended a Municipal Judge charged with driving while intoxicated and refusal to submit a breath test by winning an acquittal for both offenses.

Jonathan A. Ellis

Jonathan has taken a personal approach to lawyering that is styled around client interaction, efficiency and the utmost attention to detail. Jonathan is motivated by protecting the rights of others and strives to maximize results. He passionately represents personal injury, real estate, criminal expungement, and contractual matter clients. Prior to joining Ellis Law, Jonathan clerked with the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, working closely with the Appeals Department.

Scott D. Grossman

Scott Grossman graduated from the University of Maryland in 1989. Prior to launching Grossman Law Firm, LLC, Scott spent numerous years working in various personal injury law firms across the state, passionately representing his clients. His approach to lawyering includes personally getting to know his clients and their family. Scott is currently associated with the American Association for Justice, Brain Injury Association of New Jersey and the New Jersey State Bar Association. Scott is also a long standing member of the New Jersey Association for Justice (NJAJ) where he also served on the Board of Governors of NJAJ.

Bill Vaslas

Bill Vaslas is a trial lawyer with an extraordinary record of success defending physicians and healthcare institutions. Specializing in all phases of complex medical malpractice defense litigation and long-term care litigation, from inception through trial, Mr. Vaslas has been representing physicians in nearly every medical specialty in the courts of New York and New Jersey for more than 30 years. An effective communicator, Mr. Vaslas possesses a thorough understanding of medicine and the ability to distill complex medical issues down to their core. Throughout his career, he has been successfully defending physicians and healthcare institutions against high-exposure multimillion-dollar claims. Testament to his reputation for excellence, Mr. Vaslas was selected by multiple defense firms to serve as lead trial counsel in litigation involving medical malpractice and pharmaceutical liability. He has also successfully represented physicians in disciplinary proceedings before the New York State Department of Health Office of Professional Medical Conduct (OPMC). In addition, Mr. Vaslas has defended a wide range of matters in the areas of general liability, products liability, toxic tort and commercial litigation. Mr. Vaslas’ expertise has been recognized by his peers as well as the judiciary, physicians, healthcare institutions and insurance carriers. He has been asked to speak before judges and court administrators who preside over and manage medical malpractice cases in New York State. In addition, Medical Liability Mutual Insurance Company has selected him to participate in presentations to physicians regarding medical malpractice risk reduction and the impact of litigation. A frequent CLE speaker, Mr. Vaslas has lectured to his peers in the area of medical defense litigation. He has discussed pretrial litigation from the defendant’s perspective and has spoken before the New York State Trial Lawyers on “Unique Aspects of a Medical Malpractice Trial” and "Medical Malpractice Litigation". In 2019, Mr. Vaslas presented at the New York State Bar Association Seminar on Medical Malpractice Litigation. He also presented at the New York State Bar Association Webinar "Anatomy for Lawyers", focusing on the heart and circulatory system. Mr. Vaslas has also been asked to share his insights and experience with a broad range of healthcare providers, including physicians, nurses, hospital administrators and risk managers. He provides in-service presentations to nursing home and long-term care employees from the perspective of a litigator and trial attorney in an effort to optimize care and effectively reduce risk.

Mark F. Casazza

Attorney Mark F. Casazza is Managing Partner of the law firm. In 2011 and 2012, Attorney Mark F. Casazza was named a Rising Star in New Jersey Monthly Magazine, placing him in a select group of New Jersey lawyers under the age of 40. Rising Stars are nominated for the honor by Super Lawyers Magazine, the top 2.5% of lawyers in New Jersey. In addition, Mr. Casazza has also been named as one of the Top 40 under 40 by the National Trial Lawyers Association, recognizing him as one the top 40 trial lawyers in New Jersey under the age of 40. Mr. Casazza began his career with the firm in 1997 as a law clerk, wherein he assisted the firm in all areas of litigation, research and trial preparation. After his admission to the New Jersey bar in 1998, Mr. Casazza has been involved in all areas of both civil and criminal litigation in the State and Federal Courts of New Jersey. He not only represents plaintiffs who have sustained serious personal injuries, he also represents employees who have been victims of sexual harassment, have been the subject of discrimination, and those that have been unlawfully retaliated against and/or wrongfully terminated from their jobs. Mr. Casazza continues to represent criminal defendants in both the Superior and Municipal Courts. He has argued criminal appeals before the New Jersey State Supreme Court. He is also a former lecturer of the Hazlet Township Auxiliary Police on principles of constitutional law, unlawful search and seizure. Mr. Casazza is also licensed to practice law in New York, and has represented criminal defendants in New York Supreme Court, as well as civil plaintiff’s in the Federal District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Raffi T. Khorozian

Raffi T. Khorozian is the Sole Proprietor of a family-owned and operated law practice established in 2012. He has been protecting the rights of injured individuals throughout New Jersey since 1993, specializing in workers’ compensation, car accidents, and personal injury cases. He was a Partner at Aslanian & Khorozian, LLC from 1992 to 2012. The firm offers a reduced rate of 25% of net recovery.

Dan T. Matrafajlo, Esq. is the Managing Member and Lead Partner at Beninato & Matrafajlo, Attorneys at Law, LLC. With a career defined by precedent-setting victories, Mr. Matrafajlo has helped shape New Jersey personal injury law through notable Appellate Division decisions, including Hardison v. King, 381 N.J. Super. 129, and Frenklakh v. Lojek (2007 WL 470640). His litigation successes have been featured in the New Jersey Law Journal, and his reputation for delivering results has earned him consistent recognition. For five consecutive years, Super Lawyers has named Mr. Matrafajlo to its prestigious Rising Stars list-an honor reserved for only a small percentage of attorneys who demonstrate excellence in practice. At Beninato & Matrafajlo, clients know they are represented by an attorney whose track record reflects not only legal skill, but also dedication to achieving justice.