Three Connell Foley Partners Nominated to Prestigious Fellows of American Bar Foundation

05.25.2016
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Roseland, New Jersey - May 25, 2016 - Connell Foley LLP is proud to announce that three firm partners have been nominated to the Fellows of the American Bar Foundation. Connell Foley managing partner Philip F. McGovern Jr., John D. Cromie, chair of the firm’s Corporate and Business Law Group, and Karen Painter Randall, chair of the Cyber Security and Data Privacy Group and co-chair of the Professional Liability Group, will be officially welcomed to the Fellows at the Spring Dinner being held this evening. 

According to the American Bar Foundation website, “The Fellows is an honorary organization of attorneys, judges, law faculty, and legal scholars whose public and private careers have demonstrated outstanding dedication to the welfare of their communities and to the highest principles of the legal profession. Membership in The Fellows is limited to one percent of lawyers licensed to practice in each jurisdiction. Members are nominated by their peers and elected by the Board of the American Bar Foundation.”

The American Bar Foundation is a nonprofit corporation that serves as a research organization dedicated to the study of law, legal institutions, and legal processes. The Fellows support the research of the Foundation through annual contributions, and sponsor seminars and events of direct relevance to the legal profession.

Mr. McGovern’s legal practice focuses primarily on real estate and corporate transactions, real estate development, land use, complex commercial financing and commercial leasing. He has participated in significant corporate transactions, as well as New Jersey State and other municipal financings totaling more than several billion dollars in value. He has also negotiated leases on behalf of landlords and tenants for commercial structures in excess of 3,000,000 square feet. He serves as national real estate counsel or general corporate counsel to numerous mid-cap companies in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Prior to joining Connell Foley, Mr. McGovern served as a law secretary to the Honorable Alfred M. Wolin, Superior Court of New Jersey. He served a 10-year term as the Secretary to the District VC Ethics Committee, and is currently the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of St. Peter’s Preparatory School and Chairman of the Township of Nutley Planning Board. He also serves on the boards of the Hudson County Chamber of Commerce and the Jersey City Economic Development Corporation. Mr. McGovern received his J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law and his B.A. from St. Michael's College.

Mr. Cromie advises Fortune 500 public companies, privately owned mid?cap enterprises and start-up ventures in the areas of corporate and business transactions, mergers and acquisitions, real estate and banking law. He works with companies across a variety of industries, including construction, manufacturing, specialty chemical and medical, and often serves as general outside counsel to many of these businesses. His corporate experience ranges from advising companies at their earliest stages to their ongoing operations and, when desired or required, the purchase or sale of a business. He also regularly advises on the purchase, sale, leasing and development of commercial real estate.

A member of Connell Foley’s Executive Committee, Mr. Cromie has spent his entire professional career with the firm. Prior to joining the firm, he completed a one-year clerkship with the Honorable Daniel J. O’Hern, Associate Justice, Supreme Court of New Jersey. He holds leadership positions with USLAW Network, Inc. and the Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey (CIANJ), and also served three terms as an elected official while serving as a Borough Councilman in Allendale, Bergen County, New Jersey. Mr. Cromie received his J.D. cum laude from Seton Hall University School of Law and his B.A. from the University of Notre Dame.

Ms. Randall regularly represents clients in complex litigation involving cyber security and data privacy, cyber liability, social media, professional liability, employment law, business litigation and insurance law. She provides counseling, representation and advocacy services to a wide range of professionals and businesses in federal and state courts. A member of the International Association of Privacy Professionals, Ms. Randall advises clients on the data protection and regulatory compliance laws applicable to the enterprise and develops proactive plans to reduce the risk of a data breach. A Certified Civil Trial Attorney, Ms. Randall’s extensive litigation background and experience allow her to provide strong post-breach guidance to clients relevant to statutory notification requirements, class action litigation, regulatory enforcement actions, forensics and crisis management.

Ms. Randall received an ABA presidential appointment to serve on the Standing Committee on Lawyers’ Professional Liability and was appointed by N.J. Supreme Court Chief Justice Rabner to serve on New Jersey’s Board on Civil Trial Certification. Other leadership roles include Regional Chair, Claims and Litigation Management Alliance; Vice Chair, Cyber Security and Data Privacy Group, USLAW Network, Inc.; and Mentor, National Association of Women Lawyers. She received her J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law, and an M.A. and B.A. from the University of South Carolina.

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