Attorneys

Cherry Hill and Southern New Jersey Lawyer

Business—Commercial Real Estate—Estate Planning—Collections—Probate

Brian Donnelly is a life-long South Jersey resident. He graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park in 1999 and Rutgers School of Law, Camden in 2002. While at Rutgers, he was a participant in the James R. Hunter Advanced Moot Court Competition, and was a research assistant to Distinguished Professor of Law, N.E.H. Hull. He is currently matriculating a Master of Laws in Taxation from Temple University’s Beasley School of Law.

After receiving his Juris Doctor from Rutgers, Mr. Donnelly was selected for a one-year clerkship by the Honorable James E. Rafferty, Presiding Judge General Equity for Gloucester, Salem and Cumberland Counties. In most vicinages, only one judge is assigned to the General Equity Part and it is considered a prestigious assignment, as General Equity Judges handle non-jury cases such as those involving trade secrets, labor matters, foreclosures, and other disputes in which court relief, often in the form of restraining orders, is sought on an emergency basis. Some of the cases that Mr. Donnelly reviewed in his capacity as a General Equity clerk included:

Mortgage foreclosures; Quiet title actions (to determine true ownership of real property);

Partitions of property;

Enforcement of contractual obligations;

Receiverships for business entities;

Partnership and corporate litigation;

Specific enforcement of contracts; and

Labor strike injunctions.

In addition to his duties as an equity clerk, Mr. Donnelly also assisted the Judge with all probate matters before the Court, including:

Litigation over contested wills;

Incapacity hearings (to declare a person unable to manage his/her own affairs);

Appointment of guardians in medical emergency circumstances; and

Authorization and supervision of life support procedures.

Following his clerkship, Mr. Donnelly worked for three years as a Litigation Associate for a firm in Moorestown, NJ, specializing in bankruptcy and creditors rights. Mr. Donnelly represented the interests of secured and unsecured creditors by protecting assets in Chapter 11, 7 and 13 bankruptcies. His responsibilities included review and objections to plans and disclosure statements, motions for relief from automatic stay of the Bankruptcy Code, and overall protection of his client's assets within the bankruptcy court from inception to conclusion of a debtor’s case. He frequently argued and appeared before multiple federal judges two to three times per week. Mr. Donnelly was also responsible for litigating the firm’s entire state court commercial collections litigation and replevin (repossession) practice.

Mr. Donnelly most recently worked as an Associate for a boutique firm in Princeton, New Jersey, focused on counseling investment firms specializing in alternative investments including hedge funds, private equities, physical commodities, futures and other forms of derivative investments. While with the firm, Mr. Donnelly reviewed, drafted, and negotiated numerous corporate and commercial documents including resolutions, operating and partnership agreements, purchase agreements, commercial leases, employee agreements, benefit plans, and compliance manuals. He also assisted clients with initial and ongoing regulatory requirements with the SEC, NASD, CFTC, National Futures Association (the NFA), and state “blue sky” regulations including completion of regulatory forms 10K, 10-Q, 8-K, 13F, 13G, ADV, Form 40 and Form D.

Mr. Donnelly is a 13-year veteran of the armed forces. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps for eight years as a non-commissioned officer before being commissioned as a Judge Advocate General in the U.S. Army Reserves. He has served in that capacity for five years and currently holds the rank of Captain. Our office is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and the firm is available for evening and weekend appointments. To schedule a free initial consultation, simply call 866.907.6368 or complete this simple online contact form.