Gov. Phil Murphy’s longtime Chief Counsel Parimal Garg will depart the administration next month to become a partner at Lowenstein Sandler.
The news was announced Monday.
“Parimal Garg has been by my side for the last eight years, from the early days of my first campaign through nearly seven years in the Governor’s Office,” Murphy said. “I relied heavily on Parimal’s advice and counsel on issues from managing a once-in-a-century pandemic to selecting four Supreme Court Justices, and everything in between. No matter the complexity of the challenge, Parimal always thought through every angle of the issue, identified goals, and formulated strategies for achieving them. I am grateful for Parimal’s many years of service and his unwavering friendship, and I know he will excel in this next chapter of his legal career.”
“When I decided to work for Phil Murphy in 2016, I did it with a belief that regardless of his political odds, he was the right person to put New Jersey back on track,” Garg said. “Over the last eight years, he rose to every challenge, whether that meant repairing New Jersey’s finances, taking decisive action to protect public health, or skillfully navigating different federal administrations to advance New Jersey’s interests. I am forever grateful to Governor Murphy for the opportunity to help lead his team, and for his trust and confidence during my four years as Chief Counsel. I know that the Governor, the First Lady, and the entire Murphy administration will spend the next year cementing a record of achievement that is unparalleled in our state’s history.”
Having served as Chief Counsel since October 2020, Garg is the longest serving chief counsel to the governor in New Jersey history. From January 2018 to October 2020, Garg served as deputy chief counsel to the Governor, after having worked as a senior policy advisor on Murphy’s gubernatorial campaign beginning in the summer of 2016.
Previously, Garg served as a litigation associate at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP in Washington, D.C., and as a law clerk to New Jersey Supreme Court Chief Justice Stuart Rabner. He received his B.A. from Georgetown University, magna cum laude, and his J.D. from Harvard Law School, cum laude.
Chris Porrino, the chair of Lowenstein’s litigation department, previously served as chief counsel to former Gov. Chris Christie (and also the state’s attorney general). He knows first-hand what the experience can bring – and welcomes Garg to the firm.
“Parimal was enormously successful as Gov. Murphy’s chief counsel because of his brilliance, his impeccable integrity, and his work ethic,” he said. “His in-depth government experience further bolsters our firm’s ability to serve our clients in all aspects of litigation and complex bipartisan problem-solving.”
Garg will depart the Governor’s Office in mid-November. An announcement on his successor will be made prior to his departure.
