Nilaja Ford

Nilaja Ford is the founding and managing partner of Ford Brown Law in Woodbury, New Jersey, where she passionately represents clients in all facets of family law. Her practice encompasses divorce, child custody and support, spousal support, equitable distribution, domestic violence and relocation matters. Clients appreciate her combination of legal competence and genuine empathy; she meets each family with compassion and a clear-eyed focus on practical solutions that protect her clients’ rights and well-being.

Ms. Ford’s journey to becoming a lawyer was not typical. She earned her law degree in 2019 from Rutgers Law School in Newark through the night program while working full-time as a human resources manager at Rutgers University. Managing both roles taught her how to balance competing demands, a skill she now uses to help clients. After graduating, she used her 14 years of human resources experience to earn a judicial clerkship in the Criminal Division of the Superior Court of New Jersey in Essex County. She served under the Honorable Harold Fullilove Jr., J.S.C.

Following her clerkship, Ms. Ford served as a special deputy attorney general and acting assistant prosecutor, working first in the Bail Reform Unit and later in the Special Victims Unit, where she handled domestic violence and juvenile matters. Determined to create a practice defined by personal investment in her clients, she launched her own firm. Today, as co-founder of Ford Brown Law, she continues to build on that vision.

An enthusiastic mentor and servant leader, Ms. Ford was named treasurer of the IOLTA Fund of the New Jersey State Bar Association in 2025. Her accolades include the inaugural Paulette Brown Young Lawyer Award from the Garden State Bar Association, selection as one of the 2022 “Top 40 Under 40 Nation’s Best Advocates” by the National Bar Association, and recognition as a 2021 “New Leader of the Bar” by the New Jersey Legal Journal. She has twice received the NBA President’s Award for her volunteer leadership and was featured in Essence Magazine for her experience as a Black woman in law.

Ms. Ford holds numerous leadership roles; president of the Association of Black Women Lawyers of New Jersey, past region III director of the National Bar Association (Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware), editorial board member of The Family Advocate magazine (ABA Family Law Section), 2021–22 Fellow of the ABA Family Law Section, co-chair of the Garden State Bar Association’s Family Law Section and board member of the Hyacinth AIDS Foundation. Through every endeavor, she remains committed to uplifting others and advancing equitable access to justice.