Peter G. Verniero is Chair of the Firm's Corporate Internal Investigations and Appellate Practice Groups. Since joining the Firm in September of 2004, he has worked on a number of significant matters. He has, for example, advised numerous entities in matters pending before various state and federal regulatory or law enforcement agencies, including the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of N.J. and the U.S. Department of Justice. He has conducted internal investigations of large, public companies, in addition to advising business entities on document retention policies and on the rules governing discovery of electronically stored information. Prior to joining the Firm, Mr. Verniero served in senior positions within the executive and judicial branches of state government. Appointed by Governor Christine Todd Whitman as her chief counsel, Mr. Verniero served in that capacity from January 1994 to February 1995, when he became the governor's chief of staff. He remained in that position until July 1996, when he became Attorney General of New Jersey. As Attorney General, he personally argued cases before the New Jersey Supreme Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. For example, in E.B. v. Verniero, 119 F.3d 1077 (3d Cir. 1997), he argued successfully in defense of Megan's Law, New Jersey's sexual-offender notification statute. At the time of the court's decision, it was the first federal appellate court ruling in the country upholding a state's version of Megan's Law. Mr. Verniero was appointed to the Supreme Court of New Jersey in 1999. As an associate justice for a five-year period from September 1999 to August 2004, Mr. Verniero authored and signed 124 judicial opinions touching on a wide array of civil and criminal areas, including employment, corporate, and constitutional law. For instance, he authored the Court's opinion in In re PSE & G Shareholder Litigation, 173 N.J. 258 (2002), which articulated and applied a modified business judgment rule in upholding the dismissal of shareholder-derivative litigation. That opinion has been cited by numerous courts, including the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, the Court of Appeals for the State of California, and the Supreme Court of Minnesota. Other judicial opinions authored by Mr. Verniero have been cited by courts at different levels in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Hampshire, Alabama, and Hawaii. In April 2010, Gann Law Books announced that Mr. Verniero will annotate and provide commentary to the Rules Governing the Courts of the State of New Jersey, a widely used reference guide for the legal profession. Mr. Verniero's essays on legal and public policy issues also are widely published and have appeared in such publications as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Star-Ledger of Newark, The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Investor's Business Daily, the New Jersey Law Journal, and the Metropolitan Corporate Counsel. He is the recipient of numerous honors and awards, including, most recently in 2004, the Gatekeeper Award in recognition of his "leadership in restoring public confidence in the law," given by Common Good, a national bipartisan legal reform organization. As a former state Attorney General, Mr. Verniero is a member of the Society of Attorneys General Emeriti and frequently attends meetings of the National Association of Attorneys General. At one national meeting, for example, he sat on a panel of current and former judges, offering insights on effective appellate advocacy before an audience of state solicitors and appellate chiefs. He similarly has lectured on effective appellate advocacy at meetings of various county bar associations in New Jersey. Mr. Verniero began his career as a Law Clerk to the Honorable Robert L. Clifford, New Jersey Supreme Court. He also was an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the County College of Morris, where he taught business law. Affiliations Chair, Governor's Judicial Advisory Panel Vice Chair, New Jersey Supreme Court Civil Practice Committee Former Chair, New Jersey Supreme Court Professional Responsibility Rules Committee Former Chair, New Jersey Ad Hoc Committee on Continuing Legal Education Member, Board of Trustees, Legal Services of New Jersey Fellow, American Bar Foundation Member, Society of Attorneys General Emeriti Member, American Bar Association Member, New Jersey State Bar Association Member, Hunterdon County Bar Association Member, Board of Visitors, Drew University Member, Board of Trustees, Hunterdon Healthcare System Member, Editorial Board, New Jersey Law Journal Honor and Awards Phi Beta Kappa, 1981 Peter W. Rodino, Jr. Law Society, 1994 Distinguished Service Award Defender of Justice Equal Protection Recognition Plaque, 1997 Most Distinguished Citizen, presented by Clinton Twp. Mayor and Council, 1999 Alumni Achievement Award, Drew University, 1999 Montville Twp. High School Hall of Fame, Charter Member, 2001 Leaders and Legends Award, Newark YMCA, 2008 Authored Articles 2/1/2012, Peter G. Verniero - Op-ed - With drug courts, N.J. could be tough and smart on crime 12/11/2011, Peter G. Verniero - Op-ed - Time for top court to broadcast proceedings for all to see 8/24/2011, Peter G. Verniero - Op-ed - Anne Patterson Positioned to Excel on N.J. State Supreme Court 11/30/2009, Peter G. Verniero - Curbing Federal Pre-emption: What It Means for State Regulation 7/26/2009, Peter G. Verniero - Op-Ed - Don't Jump to Conclusions 6/12/2009, Peter G. Verniero - editorial - New era for school funding 6/8/2009, Peter G. Verniero - editorial - From the courtrooms to the classrooms 5/27/2009, Peter G. Verniero - Op-Ed - A little respect for the court, please 5/3/2009, Peter G. Verniero and James M. Hirschhorn - Op-Ed Contributors - Torture memos and the Bush administration: Time to move on 4/9/2009, Peter G. Verniero and Deborah Jacobs - Op-Ed Contributors 'Sexting' Hardly Constitutes Child Endangerment 3/1/2009, Peter G. Verniero and Gary W. Herschman - Editorial - Supporting Hospitals: Saving Lives and The Economy, Too 1/25/2009, Peter G. Verniero - Op-Ed Contributor - The Sunday Star-Ledger - Leave Judgments to History 11/21/2008, Peter G. Verniero - Op-Ed Contributor - Hoping for a Dawn of a New Bipartisanship 10/1/2008, Peter G. Verniero and Bruce I. Goldstein - Roundtable: Part II - Corporate Internal Investigations: Later Stages 9/21/2008, Peter G. Verniero - Op-Ed Contributer- The Sunday Star Ledger - To Maintain its Integrity, The Court Must Own Up 9/1/2008, Peter G. Verniero and Bruce I. Goldstein - Roundtable: Part I - Corporate Internal Investigations: Early Stages 7/9/2008, Peter G. Verniero - Hard Fight to a Decision in Gun Control Debate, and Nobody Was Shot 6/9/2008, Peter G. Verniero - Op-Ed Contributer - The Star-Ledger - Roberts Court Defying Labels 5/12/2008, Peter G. Verniero - Delivering Pro Bono Services in New Jersey: What, Why and How? 4/20/2008, Peter G. Verniero - Op-Ed Contributor - The Star-Ledger - It's Folly to Label Judges 3/2/2008, Peter G. Verniero - Op-Ed Contributor - The Star-Ledger - U.S. Supreme Court Nomination Process Too Polarized 10/31/2007, Peter G. Verniero - Op-Ed Contributor - The Wall Street Journal - "Supreme Court TV" 9/26/2007, Peter G. Verniero - The Star-Ledger - Op-Ed Contributor - Over years, drug court has proven its worth 8/26/2007, Peter G. Verniero - The New York Times - Op-Ed Contributor - "Don't Give Up on Newark" 8/10/2007, Peter G. Verniero - The Washington Times - Op-Ed Contributor - "Fishing on Capitol Hill" 7/5/2007, Peter G. Verniero - The Star-Ledger - Op-Ed Contributor - "Alito emerges as key voice on free speech" 6/7/2007, Peter G. Verniero - Free Judiciary for a Free Society 1/14/2007, Peter G. Verniero - The New York Times- Op-Ed Contributor/"Appealed to Death" 12/15/2006, Peter G. Verniero - Getting the government to right a wrong 11/6/2006, Peter G. Verniero - Justices' Politics Fade on Bench 8/27/2006, Peter G. Verniero - A win for corporations facing prosecution 7/20/2006, Peter G. Verniero - Justices show they can't be typecast as legislators 6/29/2006, Peter G. Verniero - Prosecuting irresponsible media is not the remedy 4/25/2006, Peter G. Verniero - Judge-bashing threatens courts and democracy 3/2/2006, Peter G. Verniero - Philadelphia Inquirer - N.J. Court's Legacy Rests in Judgments 11/3/2005, Peter G. Verniero - A mistake to judge Alito by a label - It's better to look at personal traits than a paper trail 10/26/2005, Peter G. Verniero - New Jersey Search-and-Seizure Law: A Recent Perspective 10/3/2005, Peter G. Verniero - THE STAR-LEDGER - Op-Ed - The Supreme Court, in living color 9/7/2005, Peter G. Verniero - The court: Better a branch than a twig 8/1/2005, Peter G. Verniero - The Erosion of Attorney-Client Privilege 8/1/2005, Peter G. Verniero - Sarbanes-Oxley Three Years On: An Evolving Compliance Structure 8/1/2005, Peter G. Verniero - The Effects Of The Andersen Decision In Today's Market 6/27/2005, Peter G. Verniero - THE STAR-LEDGER Op-Ed - Legal limits to a sue-for-anything culture 6/23/2005, Peter G. Verniero - THE STAR-LEDGER Op-Ed - Shunning activism, court brings certainty to eminent domain 4/10/2005, Peter G. Verniero - If Terri Schiavo had lived in New Jersey 2/3/2005, Peter G. Verniero - Combating Fraud, But At What Price? 1/23/2005, Peter G. Verniero - Letting Judges Be The Judge 1/1/2005, R. Max Crane and Peter G. Verniero - Attorney-Client Privilege Under Assault 12/1/2004, Peter G. Verniero - Bringing Multiple Talents To Corporate Investigations 8/21/1996, Peter G. Verniero - Ellis Island, N.J. Related Press Releases 2/6/2012, Sills Cummis & Gross Congratulates Peter G. Verniero on Being Named a 2012 BTI Client Service All-Star 4/21/2011, Peter G. Verniero Returns to Supreme Court Arguing Abbott v. Burke 3/21/2011, Sills Cummis & Gross Announces Its 2011 New Jersey Super Lawyers 8/9/2010, Sills Cummis & Gross Attorneys Continue to be Honored in The Best Lawyers in America® 2011 4/15/2010, Verniero to Author Gann Rule Book 3/22/2010, Sills Cummis & Gross Announces Its 2010 New Jersey Super Lawyers 11/25/2009, Sills Cummis & Gross P.C.'s Peter G. Verniero Appointed as Transition Sub-Committee Chair of the Office of the Governor 8/5/2009, Sills Cummis & Gross P.C. Retains Prestige in 2010 Best Lawyers ® 7/30/2009, Sills Cummis & Gross P.C.'s Peter G. Verniero Appointed as Chair of NJ Supreme Court's Professional Responsibility Rules Committee 3/26/2009, Sills Cummis & Gross P.C. Announces Its 2009 New Jersey Super Lawyers 10/28/2008, Highest Accolades from Best Lawyers ® for Sills Cummis & Gross P.C. 5/15/2008, Sill Cummis & Gross P.C. Releases Third Edition of E-Discovery Book 10/23/2007, Peter G. Verniero Chairing New Jersey Ad Hoc Committee on Continuing Legal Education 4/12/2007, Peter G. Verniero to Chair New Jersey Ad Hoc Committee on Continuing Legal Education 11/1/2006, 26 Sills Cummis Attorneys Selected for Inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2007 Relevant News 3/28/2011, Peter Verniero Joins State in Litigation over Education Funding Levels 3/22/2011, Peter G. Verniero - Court Wants Answers on NJ Nuke Plant Safety 3/22/2011, Peter G. Verniero - New Jersey's Poorest Students Hurt by Christie's Funding Cuts, Judge Says 1/23/2011, Peter G. Verniero - Christie Nominees to Supreme Court Include First Asian-American Justice 8/26/2010, Peter G. Verniero - Kearns is picked for prosecutor 2/1/2010, Peter G. Verniero - MCLE Regulations Friendly to Law Firms and Departments Running In-House Programs 1/29/2010, Peter G. Verniero - Supreme Court Gets a Rare Rebuke, in Front of a Nation 11/24/2009, Peter G. Verniero - Karrow, Ferguson, Verniero given roles in transition to next governor, Chris Christie 10/12/2009, Peter G. Verniero - N.J. Court Unveils MCLE Plan: 24 Hours Every Two Years 10/1/2009, Peter G. Verniero - N.J.'s top court broadens ban to include exit interviews at polls 8/23/2009, Peter G. Verniero - Thirteen/WNET and NJN's Inside Trenton Television Program 8/23/2009, Peter G. Verniero - NJN's Due Process Television Program 7/20/2009, Peter G. Verniero - Former Prosecutor Kim Guadagno Named as Christie's Running Mate 5/31/2009, Peter G. Verniero - Losing funding ruling, Abbott school advocates vow to stay the course 5/29/2009, Peter G. Verniero - N.J. High Court Backs Corzine's School Aid Plan 5/29/2009, Peter G. Verniero - Reactions to the Supreme Court Decision 5/28/2009, Peter G. Verniero - New Jersey Supreme Court Upholds State School Funding 5/27/2009, Peter G. Verniero - New Jersey Sues Ticket Brokers Over Springsteen Sales 5/15/2009, Peter G. Verniero - Corzine Press Conference 3/30/2009, Peter G. Verniero - After the high court: Verniero's New Life not so Average 1/25/2009, Peter G. Verniero NJN's Due Process Television Program 12/1/2008, Peter G. Verniero - New Jersey Ad Hoc Committee on Continuing Legal Education 8/10/2008, Peter G. Verniero - Governor's Executive Privilege Tested 8/1/2008, Peter G. Verniero - Key Answers To Your E-Discovery Questions 7/23/2008, Peter G. Verniero - Justices lay out guidelines for open-records lawsuits 5/9/2008, Peter G. Verniero - Former Officials Discuss Ties Between Governor, Top Court 4/28/2008, Peter G. Verniero - Jersey's Legal Stars to Talk Governors and High Courts 4/28/2008, Peter G. Verniero - Where the Practice of Law is Headed 4/1/2008, Peter G. Verniero - Developer wins round in fight over off-site work 11/4/2007, Peter G. Verniero - Court Looks to Send Lawyers Back to the Classroom 11/1/2007, Peter G. Verniero - Internal Investigations: Current Issues, Practical Guidance 9/12/2007, Peter G. Verniero - WNBC Television Interview 6/18/2007, Peter G. Verniero - Zazzali Leaves Office in a Final Blaze of Rulings 6/15/2007, Peter G. Verniero - Schools' duty to guard kids doesn't end at last period 6/1/2007, Peter G. Verniero - Attorney General is Called Corzine's Pick for Top Judge 6/1/2007, Peter G. Verniero - Workers' suit vs. Wal-Mart gets new life 4/27/2007, Peter G. Verniero - Companies May Dodge Bullet in Options Probes 3/13/2007, Peter G. Verniero - Dump Sarb-Ox? 2/19/2007, Peter G. Verniero - Divisions Deep Over Death Penalty 11/1/2006, Peter G. Verniero - Your Company, Deputized 7/18/2006, Peter G. Verniero - Investigations: Start Strong, or Finish Weak 6/16/2006, Peter G. Verniero - "Top court allows evidence obtained via illegal entry" 6/9/2006, Peter G. Verniero - Do You Support Eminent Domain 5/2/2006, "Courthouse Law Day Event Features Verniero..." 9/1/2005, Peter G. Verniero - Kelo v. New London: What's Next? 7/13/2005, Peter G. Verniero and Kevin J. Moore - SPECIAL REPORT: Kelo Ruling Could Be Used for Favoritism 6/23/2005, Peter G. Verniero and Kevin J. Moore - Supreme Court Says Private Property May Be Seized 12/1/2004, Peter G. Verniero: Bringing Multiple Talents To Corporate Investigations 9/8/2004, Verniero benchmark: Private practice - Youngest justice to retire from top court has taken position at Sills Cummis Relevant Events 10/19/2011, Peter G. Verniero - Hunterdon County Bar Association: Vicinage XIII Seminar - Civility & Professionalism at the Bar 9/24/2011, Peter G. Verniero - NJ Civil Court Rules Update: A Review of RUle Changes & Recent Court Decisions, Gann Continuing Legal Education Foundation 9/24/2011, Peter G. Verniero - NJ Civil Court Rules Update: A Review of Rule Changes & Recent Court Decisions, Gann Continuing Legal Education Foundation 5/19/2011, Peter G. Verniero - On Appeal: Appellate Advocacy 6/2/2010, Jeffrey H. Newman, Jeffrey J. Greenbaum, Peter G. Verniero - Teamwork for Tomorrow: Legal Strategies for Success 5/19/2010, Peter G. Verniero - New Jersey State Bar Association Annual Meeting and Convention 5/13/2010, Peter G. Verniero, Richard H. Epstein, James M. Hirschhorn, Arlene Elgart Mirsky - NYCLE/NJCLE - Walking the Tightrope of Professional Responsibility for Corporate Counsel 5/8/2008, Peter G. Verniero - New Jersey Governors and the State Supreme Court 5/7/2008, Peter G. Verniero - Pro Bono Conference 4/14/2008, Peter G. Verniero - Legislation, Litigation, Reflection and Repeal: The Legislative Abolition of the Death Penalty in New Jersey 3/5/2008, Peter G. Verniero - NAGTRI's Appellate Practice Conference 11/28/2007, Peter G. Verniero - Sixth Annual Review of NJ Law of Arrest, Search & Seizure 9/27/2007, Peter G. Verniero - New Jersey Corporate Counsel Association's Full Day Conference 9/7/2007, Peter G. Verniero - Effective Appellate Advocacy 3/24/2007, Peter G. Verniero - 2006/2007 New Jersey Criminal Case Law Developments 3/15/2007, Peter G. Verniero - New Jersey Hospital Association - Preparing for Government Investigations of Healthcare Facilities and Their Employees 1/24/2007, Peter G. Verniero - Corporate Counsel Institute 3/29/2006, Peter G. Verniero - Managing Attorney-Client Communications in a Time of Eroding Privilege 9/24/2005, Peter G. Verniero - Search & Seizure Law: Update 2005 8/24/2005, Ted Zangari, Peter G. Verniero and Kevin Moore: Northeastern Economic Developers Association/ "Incentives and Eminent Domain: Are Your Economic Development Tools Legal?" 7/12/2005, Ted Zangari - RealShare SPECIAL FOCUS 6/22/2005, Peter G. Verniero - National Association of Attorneys General -State Solicitors and Appellate Chiefs Conference 4/21/2005, Gary W. Herschman and Peter G. Verniero - The Role of Hospital Trustees in Corporate Compliance Programs 4/5/2005, Peter G. Verniero - Life and Law at the New Jersey Supreme Court: A Discussion with Three Former Justices 2/7/2005, Gary W. Herschman and Peter G. Verniero - The Role of Hospital Trustees in Corporate Compliance Programs 1/27/2005, Corporate Governance and Compliance Today and Tomorrow: What Corporate Law Departments Need to Know 11/10/2004, The Legal And Strategic Guide To E-Discovery: Best Practices For Corporate Counsel |