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Dennis A. Estis is a partner of the firm in its Litigation Department, chair of the Construction Practice Group and a member of the Planned Real Estate Practice Group. For more than 30 years, Mr. Estis has concentrated his practice in the area of complex litigation, particularly relating to construction, condominiums, general business disputes, alternate dispute resolution (ADR), and real estate. He is admitted to practice in New Jersey (1972), New York (1983), the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals (1983), and the U.S. Supreme Court (1993). Listed in the 2006-2007 edition of The Best Lawyers on America under Construction Law, Mr. Estis has served as counsel to numerous developers, condominiums and cooperatives, several New Jersey municipalities, one of the major sewerage authorities in the state, a major contractor and a private school. He served as lead counsel for more than 100 developers involved in numerous law suits related to fire retardant treated (FRT) plywood. He spearheaded efforts to obtain greater funding for replacement of FRT plywood. He served as lead public entity counsel in the largest landfill case ever conducted in Middlesex County, New Jersey. Mr. Estis, a graduate of The Johns Hopkins University (JHU) (1969) where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree, earned his law degree from New York University (NYU) School of Law (1972) where he was a Root-Tilden and John Ben Snow Scholar. Mr. Estis clerked for the late Samuel Allcorn, Judge of the Appellate Division of the New Jersey Superior Court. He joined the firm in 1973. Mr. Estis holds or has held numerous leadership positions in various bar associations. He is co-chair of the Construction Committee of the Dispute Resolution Section of the American Bar Association (ABA), and is a past chair of the Construction Committee of the ABA’s Section of Litigation. He was a member of the Ethical Standards for Mediation Task Force of the ABA’s Section of Litigation and serves as a member of the ABA’s Forum on the Construction Industry (Forum). Mr. Estis has served the New Jersey State Bar Association (NJSBA) as chair of its Equity Jurisprudence Committee, as a member of its Nominating Committee, a member of the Construction and Public Contracts Section and a member of the General Council for more than 10 years. He is a past president of the Middlesex County Bar Association and a former member of the Middlesex County Bar Foundation Board of Trustees. Mr. Estis is a Fellow of the National Conference of Bar Presidents. He is a member of the College of Community Association Lawyers and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Institute of Local Government Attorneys. He is on the American Arbitration Association’s (AAA) Panel of Arbitrators and is a member of the AAA National Roster of Neutrals. He is a Charter Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America and has been chosen for The International Who’s Who of Construction Lawyers 2007. Mr. Estis has lectured extensively on numerous topics involving construction and condominium law, ADR, and trial practice, having served in 1997 on the faculty of the 18th Annual Community Association Law Seminar conducted in Washington, D.C., in 2002 on the faculty of the 23rd Annual Institute conducted in Washington, D.C. and San Diego, California, by the Community Associations Institute, in April 2005 as part of the Forum’s Annual Meeting in New Orleans, and in April 2007, as part of the ABA Dispute Resolution Section’s annual meeting. He is co-author of the 2007 edition of Condominium and Community Association Law, published by Gann Law Books; co-author of Defending the Developer, Chapter 8 of Condominium and Homeowner Litigation, published by John Wiley & Sons (1987); and author of the New Jersey chapter of CPI LienLaw Online (Construction Publications, Inc. 2007). Mr. Estis is a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Community Association Law. In addition, Mr. Estis has served as attorney for the Boroughs of Fanwood, Roselle Park and Keansburg and the Raritan Valley Sewage Authority at various times since 1982. Mr. Estis is currently president of The Discovery Orchestra. He served as Chair of the Democratic Party of Union County, New Jersey. In addition, Mr. Estis has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the NYU Law School Alumni Association, was president of its New Jersey Chapter, and is a past chair of the JHU New Jersey Alumni Chapter. Mr. Estis has also served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Jewish Federation of Central New Jersey. | 