Riker Danzig touts talented, diverse incoming class of associates

Riker Danzig announced it has hired seven fall associates, saying they add extraordinary talent and diversity to the Morristown-based firm.

Six of the seven members of the new class served judicial clerkships in the New Jersey Supreme Court or the Law, Chancery or Appellate divisions.

Hailing from three area law schools, Seton Hall University School of Law, Rutgers Law School – Newark and Fordham University School of Law, as well as Georgetown University Law Center and the University of Pennsylvania Law School, the seven new attorneys will work in the firm’s commercial litigation, securities litigation, products liability, insurance, bankruptcy, white collar criminal defense, governmental affairs and intellectual property areas.

The new associates:

  • Sean Camperson;
  • Jordan Fox;
  • Karimah Munem;
  • Kori Pruett;
  • Cheska Tolentino;
  • Gregory Toma;
  • Jose Ward.

Edwin Chociey Jr., hiring partner for Riker Danzig, said the class brings exceptional talent and drive to the firm.

“With more than 50% women among the new associates, 40% identifying as diverse and another who served in the military, we are especially proud that our new class represents the rich diversity of our community,” he said.

Here’s a look at the associates:

Sean Camperson: Will serve in the Securities Litigation, Arbitration, Regulation and Investigations Group.

Camperson received his J.D. from Fordham University School of Law in 2022, where he served as president of the Fordham Law Veterans Association in 2021 and was a member of the International Law Journal. He received his undergraduate degree from Lehigh University in 2011.

Camperson served in the Army from 2012-19, including as platoon leader and senior operations officer on U.S. bases and in Afghanistan, receiving the Bronze Star and rising to the rank of captain.

Jordan Fox: Will serve in the firm’s Products Liability, Toxic Tort and Mass Tort Group.

Fox received her J.D., cum laude, in 2021 from Seton Hall University School of Law, where she was an associate editor of the Seton Hall Law Review and the Hon. Harold A. Ackerman Judicial Fellow. During the spring of 2020, Fox served as a legal intern for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of New Jersey, and was an honor intern for the Federal Bureau of Investigation from 2017 to 2019.

She received her B.A., summa cum laude, from Gettysburg College in 2018, where she was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and was included on the Dean’s List. Following law school, Fox served as a law clerk to the Hon. Lee A. Solomon, associate justice, Supreme Court of New Jersey.

Karimah Munem: She is a returning associate in the firm’s White Collar Criminal Defense and Investigations Group and the Governmental Affairs Group.

Munem first started her career at Riker Danzig as a summer associate in 2019. Following law school, she joined the firm as an associate in the Insurance Group, and then went on to serve as a law clerk to the Hon. Robert J. Gilson, New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division. Munem received her law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 2020, where she was the articles editor of the Journal of International Law. She received her B.A., summa cum laude, from Rutgers University, Douglass College in 2015.

Kori Pruett: Will serve as an associate in the firm’s Commercial Litigation Group. Pruett received her J.D. in 2021 from Georgetown University Law Center.

She received a Master of Science in 2012, and her B.A. in 2010 from Florida State University. Following law school, Pruett served as a law clerk to the Hon. Robert Lougy, Superior Court of New Jersey, Mercer Vicinage. While in law school, she clerked in Washington, D.C., at the Department of Justice in the National Security Division, Foreign Agents Registration Act Unit and the Office of Tribal Justice. She also clerked at the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.

Cheska Tolentino: Will serve as an associate in the firm’s Insurance and Reinsurance Group.

Tolentino received her J.D., cum laude, from Seton Hall University School of Law in 2021. While there, she was a senior editor of the Seton Hall Law Review, and president of the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association. She received her Master of Public Administration in 2015 from Columbia University, School of International and Public Affairs. She received her B.A. in 2009 from Oberlin College. Following law school, Tolentino served as a law clerk to the Hon. Mary Gibbons Whipple, Appellate Division, New Jersey Superior Court.

She is a member of the Filipino American Lawyers of New York and the Asian Pacific American Lawyers Association of New Jersey.

Gregory Toma: Will serve as an associate in the firm’s Bankruptcy & Corporate Restructuring and Intellectual Property groups.

Toma received his law degree from Fordham University School of Law in 2021, where he was a member of the Fordham Law Review. He received his B.A., magna cum laude, from Rutgers University in 2018, where he was included on the Dean’s List. Following law school, Toma served as a law clerk to the Hon. Vincent Le Blon, New Jersey Superior Court, Chancery Division, the Hon. Lisa M. Vignuolo and the Hon. Thomas Daniel McCloskey.

Jose Ward: Will serve as an associate in the firm’s Insurance and Reinsurance Group, handling complex coverage and defense matters.

Before joining the firm, Ward received his J.D., cum laude, from Rutgers Law School – Newark in 2021. While at Rutgers, Ward was the senior articles editor of the Rutgers University Law Review and was a member of the Minority Student Program and the Association of Latin American Law Students. He also interned with several jurists, including then-Justice Barry T. Albin of the New Jersey Supreme Court, and the legal department of a Fortune 500 company.

Following law school, Ward served as a law clerk to the Hon. Garry S. Rothstadt of the New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division. Before pursuing a career in law, Ward developed the surety bond department of a national insurance agency for nearly a decade.