Top Rated Criminal Defense Attorney in Atlantic City, NJ

James J. Leonard Jr. is a New Jersey attorney who has built a national reputation for himself by representing people accused of crimes in difficult and high-profile cases. Through his practice at Leonard Law Group, L.L.C., Mr. Leonard represents clients throughout New Jersey in criminal defense, family law and immigration matters.

While working toward his law degree from Villanova University School of Law, Mr. Leonard interned with the district attorneys’ office for the city of Philadelphia, where he helped successfully prosecute dozens of cases against adult and juvenile defendants. Following law school, he switched to criminal defense, practicing as an associate at a prominent New Jersey firm.

Mr. Leonard started his own practice in 2002 and quickly became one of the most prominent defense attorneys in New Jersey. Among the clients he has successfully defended over the years have been music and television entertainers, celebrities and people accused of notorious crimes.

Some of these cases have brought national media attention to Mr. Leonard. In one famous case, Mr. Leonard represented a murder suspect who was labeled a serial killer by the media. The case received a great deal of attention, resulting in Mr. Leonard being profiled on popular television programs including “Good Morning America,” “48 Hours” and “America’s Most Wanted,” as well as in the New York Times. With Mr. Leonard’s strong defense, the client was released from jail and charges have never been filed in the case. 

Such was his reputation in the state that two different couples retained Mr. Leonard’s services to handle contract negotiations concerning appearances on the popular program “The Real Housewives of New Jersey.”

In 2009, Mr. Leonard founded the lifestyle magazine The Boardwalk Journal, for which he served as publisher and chief executive officer.