Paul E. Minnefor

Paul is a member of the Governmental Investigations/White Collar Crime and Litigation Practice areas. His practice is devoted to white collar criminal defense, the defense of governmental investigations and regulatory enforcement actions, and a broad array of complex litigation matters.  He has extensive experience with investigations and regulatory enforcement actions founded upon allegations of securities fraud and registration violations.

Prior to joining Giordano, Halleran & Ciesla, Paul served as a Deputy Attorney General in the Securities Fraud Prosecution Section of the Office of the Attorney General.  As a Deputy Attorney General, he enforced the New Jersey Securities Law in close consultation with the Chief of the New Jersey Bureau of Securities, litigating cases against a host of defendants, including a Ponzi scheme and the institutional issuers of billions of dollars of residential mortgage backed securities.  Before his public service, Paul was of counsel at a New York City litigation boutique firm, representing a former specialist for the New York Stock Exchange in a highly complex, multi-defendant criminal matter in the Southern District of New York, as well as in a regulatory enforcement proceeding before the Securities and Exchange Commission.  He also spent several years as a member of the Business and Commercial Litigation Group at one of New Jersey’s largest law firms, focusing on insurance coverage matters.

Practice Areas

• Government Investigations & White Collar Crime
• Litigation
• Insurance Law

Professional Activities

• Co-Vice Chair, Securities Law Committee, New Jersey State Bar Association
• Member of the New Jersey State Bar Association, Securities Litigation and Regulatory Enforcement Committee
• Member of the C. Willard Heckel Inn of Court
• Member of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association Compliance and Legal Society
• Member, Monmouth Bar Association
• Member, New York County Lawyers' Association
• Former Faculty Member of the Attorney General Advocacy Institute

Other Professional and Personal Information

• Member of the Board of Trustees at Morris Catholic High School, Denville, New Jersey.  Chair of the Development Committee
• Co-Founder of the Non-Profit Crusader Gridiron Club, organizing an annual golf outing since 2004

Admissions

• New Jersey
• New York
• Federal District Court, District of of New Jersey
• Federal District Court, Southern District of New York
• Federal District Court, Eastern District of New York

Education

• Boston College, J.D. (1999)
• Williams College, B.A. (1993)

Honors & Awards

• Voted a 2019 Monmouth County Top Lawyer,* Monmouth Health & Life, November 2019
• Voted a 2018 Monmouth County Top Lawyer,* Monmouth Health & Life, November 2018
• Recipient of the 2006 Sister Joan of Arc Award from Morris Catholic High School in recognition of longstanding contributions to alma mater

*  Award Methodology Description

Representative Matters

• Represented an insurance carrier in an international arbitration initiated by a policyholder seeking $90 million of coverage under an excess policy for personal injury claims related to the use of a prescription drug.
• Represented a mortgage bank in a case founded upon allegations of predatory lending.
• Successfully represented a New York Stock Exchange specialist with respect to both a federal criminal indictment and an SEC regulatory enforcement proceeding, helping convince the U.S. Attorney's Office to halt its prosecution.
• Successfully represented the New Jersey Bureau of Securities in a regulatory enforcement action against an Allendale, New Jersey-based biotech company, obtaining a favorable settlement.
• Successfully represented the New Jersey Bureau of Securities in a regulatory enforcement action against a Marlton, New Jersey-based Ponzi Scheme, obtaining a $36 million judgment via a summary judgment motion.
• Successfully represented the New Jersey Bureau of Securities in a regulatory enforcement against a Jersey City, New Jersey-based purported hedge fund, obtaining a $55 million judgment via a summary judgment motion.

News

• Judges Dismiss Objections Against Camp Osborn Rebuilding Plan
• Paul E. Minnefor Joins Giordano, Halleran & Ciesla, P.C. as Shareholder