By Judy O’Gorman Alvarez
Achievement and fulfillment in career – and in life – come in many forms. For John P. Paone Jr., Esq., managing and senior partner at the Law Offices of Paone, Zaleski & Murphy, it comes from the firm he has helped build, his family and some recent accolades.
Paone was included in the Best Lawyers 2024 edition and named “Lawyer of the Year” for Family Law in the metropolitan region of New Jersey. This is the third time Paone has been recognized as Lawyer of the Year for Family Law by Best Lawyers.
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. The methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area. Lawyer of the Year is awarded to individuals with the highest overall peer feedback for a specific practice area and geographic region. Only one lawyer is recognized for each specialty and location.
“It’s an honor to be recognized by your peers who practice in this field,” Paone said.
Paone is a Diplomate of the American College of Family Trial Lawyers and a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) with 40 years of experience in the practice of family law. Perhaps the most appreciable skill he believes he has honed is “being able to correctly assess a case,” he said. “And then, following through by being honest with the client about the strengths and weaknesses of the case.”
Going to court solely on a client’s wishes will often lead to “a disastrous outcome,” he said. “So the client is paying you for your knowledge and experience and expertise and being able to honestly assess the matter. Sometimes you have to be strong enough to give the bad news to the client.”
Paone said he fell into family law. After receiving his B.A., with honors, from Rutgers College and his J.D., magna cum laude, from the American University Washington College of Law, where he was articles editor of the Law Review, he started his law career.
“I was working in a firm where the attorney who was doing family law had to take a sabbatical and I was asked to fill in and I loved it. I loved dealing with the people and I love going to court.”
Working with people is what he appreciates most about family law, rather than dealing with corporations or businesses.
Raised by an immigrant father, Paone said his father “respected this profession.” He found the law an “honorable calling” and a “public service. We are helping people.”
Founded in 1986, Paone Zaleski & Murphy is an experienced law firm with offices in Red Bank and Woodbridge. Its New Jersey divorce and family law attorneys handle matters including child custody, visitation, child and spousal support, domestic violence, equitable distribution, post-judgment actions, property settlement matters and more.
As the senior partner, Paone limits his practice to high-asset, high-net-worth and complex divorce, family law and custody matters. He is an AAML approved arbitrator.
He is a past chair of the New Jersey State Bar Association (NJSBA) Family Law Section, a past president of the AAML New Jersey Chapter, and a past president of the Middlesex County Bar Association. Paone has been appointed by the Supreme Court of New Jersey to several committees relating to the practice of divorce and family law. He has served as chair of the Supreme Court Board on Attorney Certification and as a member of the Board on Continuing Legal Education. The NJSBA appointed Paone chair of the Ad Hoc Committee on Continuing Legal Education. He is a past member of the NJSBA Judicial and Prosecutorial Appointments Committee, which evaluates every candidate for judicial appointment or reappointment to the Supreme Court, the Superior Court and county prosecutors. From 2018 to 2019, he served as co-chair of the Monmouth Bar Association Family Law Committee and presently serves as a member of that committee.
The 1996 recipient of the NJSBA Distinguished Legislative Service Award and the 2010 recipient of the ICLE Distinguished Service Award, Paone was in the first class of attorneys to be certified by the Supreme Court as a “Matrimonial Law Attorney.” An Editor Emeritus of the New Jersey Family Lawyer, he is a frequent writer and lecturer on family law issues and has made television appearances on “Court TV” and other programs. In 2002 the NJSBA Family Law Section honored him with its Tischler Award for his contributions to family law practice and the legal profession. In 2015, 2020 and again in 2024, he was recognized as a Family Law “Lawyer of the Year” by Best Lawyers. In 2023 Paone received the David Pavlovsky Award for his service to the bar.
At Paone Zaleski & Murphy, Paone is joined by his son John and daughter Victoria, also certified by the New Jersey Supreme Court as matrimonial law attorneys.
“I look at it as a family firm,” Paone said. “So everybody here, whether they are other attorneys or other staff members, are part of the family. It just so happens that two members of my real family are also here. It is a family environment.”
His children may have followed in his legal footsteps, but Paone attributes that to “what happened at the dinner table every night in Rumson growing up.” He credits his wife, Roseann, “who was a stay-at-home mom and who really did all of the hard work,” he said.
“But if Dad is there bemoaning his job and not really liking what he does,” Paone said, “that probably rubs off. For me, I love what I do.”
During Take Your Daughter to Work Days, Paone brought his daughter Victoria to court. And then did the same with his son.
Whether in conference rooms or in court, Paone said he is invested in trying to ensure his clients have the best possible experience. “It’s very hard because, in family law, nobody really walks away happy,” he said. “But you try to do the very best for them.”
Custodial matters, he said, are the most difficult cases. “We have to try to find a way to make people happy and if you can’t, then those cases get litigated,” he said. “Those are always the most emotional battles. Money can be replaced easily. But when you’re dealing with children, it’s not as easy.”
He said custody cases are often so intense that he has seen judges cry from the bench after they’ve rendered their decision. “I think (those cases are) really are the toughest of everything that we do,” he said.
Paone said it’s important that he, his partners and staff treat everyone with respect, “Not only your own client, but the adversarial party,” he said. “We may have differences of opinion with regard to who’s entitled to what, but you treat everyone with respect and care, knowing that the people are going through a tough time.”
Their success is evident. It’s also not uncommon to get referrals from opposing parties. “We look at that as the highest compliment.”
“I think the best quote about family law clients is that we are representing the very best people who are going through the worst times of their life,” Paone said. “That combination sometimes clouds their judgment and they are relying upon you to help.”
The article originally appeared in the May 9 – 15, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
