Jonas K. Seigel
Managing Partner
Jonas K. Seigel
Fax 201-444-7717

About

Jonas K. Seigel grew up in his father’s personal injury law office – today he shares a partner’s desk with his father and hero. However, the road from learning the value of a dollar while working after school and weekends at his father’s law firm to managing the firm was a long one, and almost never happened.

It was the week before his last semester of law school when Jonas packed up his Jeep and drove from Michigan to New Orleans to volunteer his last vacation days with Habitat for Humanity to help rebuild the Lower 9th Ward after Hurricane Katrina destroyed most of the city. The week turned in to weeks and then into months. Jonas postponed his graduation from law school because, “New Orleans simply needed more laborers than New Jersey needed lawyers.” After some serious soul-searching, Jonas returned to Michigan the next year to complete his last semester and soon after rejoined his father’s firm, this time as a lawyer.

During his first year as a trial attorney, Jonas met a woman and her children in his waiting room grieving over the loss of her husband. Her husband was riding his motorcycle and collided with a car. She had met with all of the biggest personal injury firms in New Jersey, but none would take the case because the police and insurance company had attributed fault of the accident to her husband. Jonas took the case because he thought it was odd that her husband, a seasoned motorcyclist, would have rear-ended a car in a 25 mph speed zone. Jonas went door-to-door in the neighborhood where the accident took place. He was able to obtain video surveillance of the accident which showed that the motorist caused the accident by attempting an illegal U-turn. Jonas also obtained a receipt from an industrial supply store for a part connecting the negligent motorist to a task instructed by his employer and linking his actions to the employer’s insurance. Mr. Seigel settled the case during trial for a seven-figure amount. More importantly, Jonas was able to explain to the family that their loved one was not negligent and not responsible for his own death.

Determined to be the best trial attorney he could be, Jonas went back to law school to study the art and science of trials and graduated with a Masters in Trial Advocacy from Temple University’s James E. Beasley School of Law – ranked as having the best trial advocacy program in the nation at the time – where he was later asked to return as an Adjunct Professor.

Armed with the knowledge and training very few attorneys in New Jersey have, Jonas began not only litigating cases, but also lecturing to attorneys throughout the state and country as well as overseas on trial advocacy and ethics. To date, Jonas has lectured dozens of times for the American Bar Association, New Jersey State Bar Association, New Jersey Association for Justice, National Trial Lawyers, Institute for Continued Legal Education, National Business Institute, Rutgers Law School and most recently St. Petersburg State University in Russia to name a few. He has also authored a book focused on consumer rights and several articles ranging from medical malpractice to New Jersey’s Wrongful Death Act.

The dedication Jonas made to both the profession and fellow attorneys did not go unnoticed. Jonas quickly moved up the ranks to leadership positions in nearly every organization he joined. He Chaired the Bergen and Passaic County Young Lawyers Sections of their County Bar Associations and later served as a Trustee of both. He did the same for the New Jersey State Bar Association, National Trial Lawyers, and New Jersey Association for Justice. Starting as a member of each organization and eventually leading the young lawyer sections and later becoming a Trustee, Executive Committee Member, and a Member of the Board of Governors. Jonas was also selected by the Supreme Court of New Jersey for membership and service on the District Fee Arbitration Committee (IIB – Bergen County) to help adjudicate grievances between lawyers and their clients.

With the hard work, service, and results came the recognition and awards. Over the years, Jonas has been selected as Young Lawyer of the Year by the New Jersey State Bar Association*, recognized by Super Lawyers*, listed as a lifetime member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum*, and honored by countless organizations and publications for his work in, and outside, the courtroom.

Today, Jonas spends less time in the courtroom and more time managing the firm, specifically the client experience. “Without exceptional customer service and constant communication, Seigel Law would simply be known for their results and experience. But we are so much more than results and experience. Our clients appreciate the fact that I am always available to speak or meet with them whenever they want, period.”

Along with managing the practice, Jonas also spends his time administering the Seigel Law Charity Fund – a charitable foundation focused on the needy of Bergen, Passaic, and Hudson County. Seigel Law’s commitment continues to gain recognition not only in the form of humanitarian awards, but also news networks, journalists, and Judges. Recently a Federal Judge recommended Mr. Seigel as the sole attorney in New Jersey to handle the Independent Victim Compensation Program of the Archdiocese of Newark and the Dioceses of Camden, Metuchen, Trenton, and Paterson. Along with The Law Offices of Kenneth Feinberg, Mr. Seigel has served hundreds of sexual abuse survivors in New Jersey without charging a fee.

Today, Jonas is proud to boast not the number of awards or multi-million dollar recoveries obtained, but the number of lives he has touched. He is thrilled to manage the first law firm in New Jersey to commit to Pledge 1% www.pledge1percent.org and is always looking for a new charity to support. “It’s the 2020s, injured clients want more than a billboard or tv commercial attorney – today’s injured clients want a lawyer whose core values, work ethic, and commitment to the community align with their own. Someone they could be proud of.”

When Jonas is not serving his clients or the less fortunate, he can be found coaching his boys’ youth basketball, soccer, and baseball teams throughout Northern New Jersey or sitting on a beach chair at the Jersey Shore next to his wife.

*No aspect of the advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court.*

Education

  • LL.M.in Trial Advocacy, Temple University Beasley School of Law, Philadelphia, 2011
  • J.D., Thomas M. Cooley Law School, Lansing, Michigan, 2007
  • B.A., Goucher College, Baltimore, Maryland, 2000
  • Don Bosco Preparatory, Ramsey, New Jersey, 1996

Bar Admissions

  • New Jersey, 2008
  • U.S. District Court District of New Jersey, 2008

Areas of Practice

  • 100% Personal Injury & Medical Malpractice – Plaintiff

Pro Bono Activities

  • Seigel Law Charity Fund, Founder
  • Paterson Habitat for Humanity, Advisory Board
  • Wills for Heroes
  • Backpacks To School
  • Order of the Lamp
  • Valerie Fund
  • Boys & Girls Club of Lodi/ Hackensack
  • Boys & Girls Club of Passaic
  • Bergen WIB: Clean Slate Project
  • Paterson Blue Devils Youth Soccer Team
  • Paterson R & G Youth Basketball Team
  • Community Food Bank of New Jersey
  • Eva’s Village
  • New Jersey Tree Foundation

Professional Associations and Memberships

  • American Bar Association, Advisory Panel
  • American Association for Justice
  • New Jersey State Bar Association, Civil Trial Bar Section Executive Committee
  • New Jersey State Bar Association, Membership/PR Committee
  • New Jersey State Bar Association, Young Lawyers Division, Past Executive Committee Officer
  • New Jersey Association for Justice, Board of Governors
  • Bergen County Bar Association, Trustee
  • Bergen County Bar Foundation, Trustee
  • Passaic County Bar Association, Trustee
  • Passaic County Bar Foundation, Trustee
  • Hudson County Bar Association
  • The Justice Morris Pashman American Inn of Court
  • The Justice Robert L. Clifford American Inn of Court

Honors and Awards

  • Young Lawyer of the Year, New Jersey State Bar Association 2014
  • New Jersey Super Lawyers: Rising Star, 2011-2014
  • Top Young Attorneys in New Jersey, New Jersey Monthly Magazine, 2011-2014
  • National Trial Lawyers, Top 100 Trial Lawyers, 2013
  • National Trial Lawyers, Top 40 Under 40, 2013
  • Lifetime Member, Million Dollar Advocates Forum, 2013
  • The American Society of Legal Advocates, Top 40 Litigation Lawyer under 40
  • Lifetime Member, Multi-million Dollar Advocates Forum, 2013
  • Latino American Who’s Who, 2012
  • Editor’s Choice Award for: Consumer Advocate, 2012
  • “Community Service Award”, New Jersey State Bar Association, 2009
  • Who’s Who in American Law, 2010, 2014
  • Paul Patti Humanitarian of The Year Award, Boys & Girls Club of Lodi/Hackensack, 2010
  • “Professional Achievement Award”, New Jersey State Bar Association, 2013
  • Superior Courts of New Jersey, Office of Attorney Ethics, District Fee Arbitration Committee member

*No aspect of the advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court.*

Classes/Seminars

  • Program Coordinator / Lecturer, First Annual Young Lawyers Conference, New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education and New Jersey State Bar Association
  • Lecturer, Networking for Career Success, Young Lawyers Division and Law Office Management Committee of the New Jersey State Bar Association
  • Lecturer, Hot Tips for Hot Solos (Civil), Solo and Small Firm Practice, New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education and New Jersey State Bar Association
  • Lecturer, The Business of Law: Marketing for Young Lawyers, Bergen County Bar Association
  • Lecturer, The Business of Law: Marketing for Young Lawyers, Passaic County Bar Association
  • Moderator, Lawscapes: New Jersey Auto Insurance

Published Works

  • Co Author “Consumer’s Advocate”, 2012
  • Dictum Vol. 37, No.1: “Understanding New Jersey Auto Insurance Policies”
  • Dictum Vol. 37, No.2: “Medical Malpractice: When Health Providers Make Mistakes”
  • Dictum Vol. 37, No.3: “The Nuts and Bolts of New Jersey’s Wrongful Death Act”

Notable Cases

  • $2.025 million dollar recovery in Bergen County on behalf of family of motorcyclist killed in crash
  • $875,000 recovery in Bergen County from truck accident
  • $565,000 recovery in Bergen County from truck accident.