James P. A. Cavanaugh

Biography

James Cavanaugh is an experienced litigator having previously established and managed for some years his own general practice law firm, prior to working in antitrust matters in more recent years. That law practice emphasized litigation, including workers’ compensation, employment law, civil rights, and personal injury claims.

In that practice, Mr. Cavanaugh advocated for the establishment of case law precedent in Dr. Joe John Doe v. TRIS Mental Health Services, 298 N.J. Super. 677 (1996) permitting the disabled, for the first time, to proceed anonymously in the New Jersey Superior Courts.

Mr. Cavanaugh’s experience included investigating the facts of a workplace explosion involving a faulty truck rim, coordination of physical evidence, close consultation with a Drexel University engineering expert, and ultimate settlement for injured plaintiff.

Mr. Cavanaugh’s community contributions include pro bono representation of an amicus curiae (friend of the court) the National Association of Social Workers opposing discriminatory policies in the widely followed James Dale v. Boy Scouts of America, 160 N.J. 562 (1999) case [see also 530 U.S. 640 (2000)].

Mr. Cavanaugh was appointed by the Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court to sit on the NJ Supreme Court Task Force on Lesbian & Gay Issues, whose purpose was to examine discrimination in the courts and the legal profession and to adopt recommendations.