Chris Porrino is a former attorney general, the chair of the litigation department at Lowenstein Sandler, one of the top attorneys in the state – and someone forever grateful for the mentorship he received years ago when he clerked for Judge Freda Wolfson.
Wolfson, a former chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, now serves as chair of Lowenstein Sandler’s ADR practice, recently was honored with the prestigious Judge John F. Gerry Award by the Camden County Bar Foundation.
Porrino, who introduced Wolfson at the event, took the opportunity to publicly say, ‘Thank you,’ telling the audience about Wolfson’s incredible journey – and how fortunate he was to be connected to her in the early days of his career.
“So much of Judge Wolfson’s story is improbable, and yet in retrospect, now knowing who she is and what she does, maybe her success was inevitable,” he said.
“Judge Wolfson ascended in this profession the hard way, somehow making it all look easy. She earned scholarships to Douglass College and Rutgers Law School and then, at just 31 years old — six years into private practice — she was selected to join the federal bench as a Magistrate Judge.
“She blazed that trail without a political network, without a family of lawyers and without shortcuts. She brought only the tools that would come to define her career: relentless preparation, unwavering integrity, and the confidence to do the right thing even when doing the right thing was hard or unpopular.”
Porrino said Wolfson set the standard for the judiciary from the start.
“Those who appeared before her learned quickly that she was always the best prepared person in the courtroom,” he said. “Those who worked with her learned that ‘good enough’ was not enough.”
And when the pandemic came, she helped guide the state through cases that came before the court, Porrino said.
The Gerry award is meant to recognize extraordinary humanitarianism and enduring contributions to the fair and effective administration of justice in New Jersey.
Porrino said Wolfson’s greatness goes beyond that. Far beyond that.
He remembers her for her mentorship to all.
“If you ask those of us who have been lucky enough to call Judge Wolfson our judge, the chapter we would all focus on is her mentorship,” he said. “For Judge Wolfson, mentoring was never an afterthought; it was a priority. It was a lifelong investment.”
Porrino recalls how Wolfson made a call for him during the first years of his career – a call that helped him begin his career at Lowenstein.
Porrino, to be clear, did not ask her to do that.
“With that simple but profound gesture, she changed my career and my life,” he said. “I am far from alone. Former clerks, interns, lawyers and AUSAs who practiced before her, can tell their own version of the same story — seemingly small gestures that altered lives in big ways.
“Like Judge Gerry, Judge Wolfson believes that the real measure of a judge’s life is not only the published opinions or the titles held, but the lives touched. The young lawyer buoyed by a judge’s reassurance. The clerk who leaves chambers believing in himself or herself — and then becoming something more.
“In this way, Judge Wolfson’s impact stretches long past her tenure as a judge, carried forward by those she taught, protected and inspired.”
Since 2023, Porrino and Wolfson have worked together at Lowenstein.
“I have been blessed twice, once by serving as your law clerk, and now a second time, as your partner,” he said.
Porrino ended the introduction with a tribute from many.
“Chief, on behalf of your colleagues, your clerks and the many who have stood a little taller because you believed in them,” he said. “Congratulations on receiving the John F. Gerry Award.”
