Bill Palatucci is joining McCarter & English as a partner in the firm’s Business Litigation Practice. The move will be announced Wednesday.
Palatucci, who is perhaps best known for his work with former Govs. Chris Christie and Tom Kean, also will be supporting the Newark-based firm’s rapidly expanding Government Affairs Practice.
Palatucci, who was of counsel at Gibbons P.C. for the past seven years, said two key factors helped him make the move: McCarter has a larger footprint, stretching from Boston to Washington, D.C. — and he will get a chance to work with former federal court judge and longtime friend Jose Linares.
“It’s a chance to spread my wings a little bit,” Palatucci told ROI-NJ. “And the chance to work with Judge Linares is really exciting.”
Palatucci said the business litigation group at McCarter is analogous to the corporate practice group he was in at Gibbons.
But Palatucci, who has been the Republican national committeeman for New Jersey for a decade, said he also expects to spend a lot of time in Trenton, working with Guillermo Artiles, who chairs McCarter’s Government Affairs Practice.
“The chance to work with Guillermo is something I’m really looking forward to,” he said.
Artiles shared the sentiment.
“We are fortunate to have Bill join our burgeoning Government Affairs team in Trenton and Washington, and I look forward to developing a deeper friendship and partnership with Bill,” he said.
Joe Boccassini, McCarter’s managing partner, said Palatucci’s experience makes him an ideal addition to the firm.
“His extensive experience with legal and public policy issues that affect both private- and public-sector clients is unparalleled,” Boccassini said in a release. “Our national base of clients will greatly benefit from his knowledge of how major public policy decisions may impact their businesses.”
Palatucci served as general counsel to the Trump Transition Committee and served as general counsel to Christie’s presidential campaign.
At Gibbons, he handled a variety of issues for clients in a wide range of industries, often focusing on the regulatory aspects of transactions, land use matters or state licensing requirements.
Palatucci earned his B.A. from Rutgers University-New Brunswick and his J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law. In 2014, Palatucci was presented with the Seton Hall University School of Law’s Distinguished Graduate Award. In 2014, he and U.S. Sen. Cory Booker were honored with the annual “Good Guy Award” from the Women’s Political Caucus of New Jersey.
In addition to his legal and political experience, Palatucci currently serves as a member of the Seton Hall University School of Law board of visitors, the national advisory board for the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University, and is chair of the University of Phoenix board of trustees for its Jersey City campus
Palatucci also is on the board of trustees of Turning Point Inc., a nonprofit drug and alcohol addiction treatment center that assists more than 3,500 New Jersey residents each year.
