Jerry S. D’Aniello

Jerry S. D’Aniello, the managing partner of the firm’s Somerset County office in Bridgewater, devotes his practice exclusively to all aspects of divorce and family law. Jerry is certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Matrimonial Law Attorney and provides his clients with strong, strategic legal advice, and has proven to be a formidable adversary both in and out of the courtroom. Divorce and family law covers the most valuable aspects of your life. Jerry ensures that each of his clients receives the strong legal representation needed to attain favorable results.

Far more disputes are resolved through negotiation than by litigation. Jerry is a seasoned negotiator having successfully negotiated over a thousand agreements in his over 25 years of practicing for his clients and in his role as a mediator. To add to the breadth of his negotiation experience, he has successfully completed the intensive interactive Program on Negotiation at Harvard School of Law.

Jerry is an experienced mediator and arbitrator for all divorce and family law-related matters. He is one of the few trained mediators in New Jersey authorized to mediate cases that include domestic violence FRO. Jerry is a trained arbitrator and has successfully completed the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers’ Arbitration Training Institute. He is also a court-appointed custody mediator and is admitted to the rosters of Mediators for Economic Aspects of Family Law Cases for thirteen New Jersey counties, including Somerset, Hunterdon, Mercer, Morris, and Union.

In addition to traditional client representation in divorce litigation, Jerry is a trained Collaborative Law Attorney. His collaborative practice involves working with clients to resolve legal disputes outside the court, through a written agreement between all parties, as well as full disclosure of information. The goal of which is to achieve what is best for both parties and the family by resolving all issues without contentious court proceedings.

After law school, Jerry served as an Assistant Prosecutor in Somerset County before entering private practice and concentrating on family law matters. His experience in the prosecutor’s office offered him insight in the courtroom that has led him to be an impressive litigator and negotiator who continues to garner favorable results for his clients.

Professional Recognition

Since 2000, he has served as a Matrimonial Early Settlement Panelist for Somerset and Hunterdon Counties. Jerry received Certificates of Appreciation from the Somerset County Superior Court in recognition of his valuable contributions as a Mediator for Economic Aspects of Family Law Cases, for the Custody & Parenting Time Program, and as a facilitator for the Matrimonial Early Settlement Panel. He has served on the New Jersey State Bar Association, Family Law Executive Committee, and is a former Investigator and Prosecuting Attorney, appointed by the Supreme Court of New Jersey, to the District XIII Ethics Committee. Jerry serves on the Executive Matrimonial Law Committee of the New Jersey Association for Justice.

Jerry is a frequent speaker and author on a wide variety of family law topics. His experience made him a great candidate to serve as a Family Law instructor for Fairleigh Dickinson University’s paralegal studies division.

Jerry is a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, the pre-eminent family law association in America. Jerry is a past-President of the New Jersey Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. He is also a member of the International Academy of Family Lawyers (IAFL).  In 2023, the American College of Family Trial Lawyers, an invitation only select group of 100 of the top family trial lawyers nationwide, inducted Jerry as a Diplomate.

Jerry has attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement having received an AV pre-eminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell®, the highest possible rating in both legal ability and ethical standards. The AV pre-eminent rating is the pinnacle of professional excellence earned through a strenuous peer review rating process.