Dominic J. Aprile
Partner

Email : daprile@bathweg.com

Practice Areas: Attorney Ethics; Judicial Discipline; Legal Malpractice; Real Estate and Complex Business Litigation; Commercial Litigation and Arbitration; Tax Litigation; Lender Liability and Foreclosures; Trials and Appeals in State and Federal Courts

Education: Rutgers University School of Law-Newark, J.D., 1983; New York University School of Law, LL.M. in Taxation, 1987, Middlesex County College, A.A., with highest honors, 1978; Rutgers-Newark College of Arts and Sciences, B.A., with highest honors, 1980

Admitted: 1983, New Jersey and U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey; 1984, U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit; 1997, Connecticut

Memberships: New Jersey State and American Bar Associations; The Association of Trial Lawyers of America; Trial Lawyers of New Jersey; The Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers; Phi Beta Kappa; Pi Sigma Alpha. Member, Rutgers Moot Court Board

Military: U.S. Naval Reserve, 1969-1975; active duty, 1970-1972, Meritorious Unit Commendation and National Defense Medal

Biography: . Mr. Aprile has been associated with Bathgate, Wegener & Wolf, P.C. for sixteen years and has been a partner with the firm for the past fourteen years.  Mr. Aprile practices primarily in the areas of ethics and disciplinary proceedings, legal malpractice matters, complex business litigation, employment litigation, real estate disputes, environmental and property damage insurance litigation, commercial litigation, bankruptcy litigation, lender liability matters and tax litigation.

As a senior litigation partner in the firm, Mr. Aprile has successfully appeared before State and Federal trial and appellate courts in New Jersey , New York and Connecticut .  He has handled multi-million dollar litigation matters for numerous corporate and individual clients, has obtained favorable verdicts in numerous jury and non-jury trials, and has successfully negotiated and obtained settlements in excess of $10 million.  In addition to regularly appearing in State and Federal courts, Mr. Aprile also handles arbitration and mediation matters before the American Arbitration Association, the National Association of Securities Dealers and has appeared before the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal in The Hague , the Netherlands .  Mr. Aprile has also provided legal advice and guidance to business and corporate clients regarding labor and employment issues, insurance and claims management matters, tax matters, protection of proprietary information and other business matters.

Mr. Aprile's ethics and disciplinary practice has encompassed representation of both lawyers and judges at hearings before the Supreme Court of New Jersey as well as various Supreme Court Committees, including District Ethics Committees, the Disciplinary Review Board, the Committee on Character, and the Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct.  Mr. Aprile has advised other attorneys and law firms regarding ethics matters and the interpretation of the Rules of Professional Conduct and the Code of Judicial Conduct.  He has provided opinions and guidance to other lawyers and law firms concerning legal malpractice cases and has rendered advice regarding the intricacies of the practice of law on an interstate basis.  In addition to handling legal malpractice matters, Mr. Aprile also assists other counsel in the preparation, prosecution and defence of such claims.

Mr. Aprile has served as an instructor for The New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education on the topics of Attorney Ethics, Professional Responsibility and Avoiding Legal Malpractice for the Institute's Skills and Methods course for newly-admitted attorneys.  Mr. Aprile has authored several Law Journal and Law Review articles on the subject of legal ethics and attorney disciplinary proceedings, and has testified at hearings conducted by the American Bar Association, Commission on Evaluation of Disciplinary Enforcement.  Mr. Aprile has also been asked by various publications, including the Wall Street Journal, to provide commentary on subjects including legal ethics and lawyer discipline.

Mr. Aprile received an Associate of Arts degree, with highest honors, from Middlesex County College .  He graduated 1st in his class of 1610 students, was a member of the Veterans fraternity, Alpha Sigma Mu, and the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, and he received the Leadership Citation Award.

Mr. Aprile received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Rutgers University, Rutgers - Newark College of Arts and Sciences, with highest honors and with College Honors, graduating 6th in his class.  He was designated a Rutgers Scholar and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society.  Mr. Aprile also received the David R. Friedlander Memorial Award for Most Outstanding Pre-Law Student.

Mr. Aprile received his Juris Doctor law degree from Rutgers University School of Law - Newark , New Jersey , where he was a member of the Moot Court Board and a recipient of the Richard J. Hughes Scholarship and the Judge Francis J. Bloustein Scholarship.  Mr. Aprile also received a Master of Laws degree from New York University School of Law, where he attended the graduate tax program.

Mr. Aprile is a member of the bar in Connecticut and New Jersey and is a member of various professional organizations.  Mr. Aprile acted as counsel or otherwise materially participated in the following reported cases:

Publications:
"An Overview of Attorney Disciplinary Proceedings in New Jersey : Is the System Fair to the Accused?" 18 Seton Hall Law Review 554 (1988); "Defending An Attorney Ethics Matter in N.J.," 123 New Jersey Law Journal 922 (April 13, 1989); "Ethics Defence and a Confidentiality Proposal," 123 New Jersey Law Journal 978 (April 20, 1989).