In a major move to bolster the state’s economic climate, the New Jersey Civil Justice Institute (NJCJI) and the New Jersey Business and Industry Association (NJBIA) have officially announced the launch of the New Jersey Litigation Center (NJLC).
Designed as a dedicated legal defense arm for the state’s job creators, the NJLC aims to protect New Jersey businesses from unconstitutional laws, overly broad regulations, unlawful taxation, and government overreach. The launch comes in response to decades of policy decisions that have frequently landed New Jersey near the bottom of national business-friendliness rankings.
“NJBIA is well known for its advocacy work in the legislative and executive branches of government,” said NJBIA President and CEO Michele Siekerka. “But policymaking is a three-legged stool, with the judicial branch playing more of a role in recent years, thereby requiring the need to make the business case in the courtroom, not just the Statehouse.”
Operating as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization and modeled after the successful Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce (WMC) Legal Center, the NJLC will rely on tax-deductible contributions to fund complex legal challenges, secure regulatory certainty, and safeguard free enterprise.
While organizations like NJCJI and NJBIA have historically engaged in judicial advocacy—often appearing as amicus curiae (friends of the court) using pro bono legal assistance—leaders emphasized that the new center allows the business community to take a more proactive stance.
“Now is the time to be more on offense and be at the ready to fund more complicated legal cases where pro bono resources may not be available,” Siekerka noted.
NJCJI President Elissa Frank echoed that sentiment, emphasizing the center’s core mission: “The New Jersey Litigation Center will provide the resources and strategic support necessary to protect New Jersey’s business community from unconstitutional laws, regulatory overreach, and abusive litigation.”
To helm the initiative, the NJLC has assembled a board featuring prominent litigators, corporate counsel, and policy experts from across the state:
- David Kott (Board Chairman) – Partner, McCarter & English
- Ray Cantor – Deputy Chief Government Affairs Officer, NJBIA
- Timothy Corriston – Managing Partner, Connell Foley
- Jeffrey Jacobson – Partner, Faegre Drinker
- Nathan Morris – Senior Litigation Counsel, Johnson & Johnson
- Marcus Rayner – Senior Managing Director of Public Policy, PwC
“What a privilege it is to stand alongside such talented practitioners and business advocates as we set out to work together to advance a fair and balanced legal environment for New Jersey’s job creators,” Board Chairman David Kott said.
