Governor Christie Announces Senior Staff Change

On Jul 13, 2017

Governor Chris Christie announced the appointment of James DiGiulio as Chief Counsel. DiGiulio is an attorney at the Cedar Grove law firm of O’Toole Scrivo, Fernandez Weiner Van Lieu, LLC, and he previously served as a Senior Counsel in the Governor’s Office.

DiGiulio will replace Chief Counsel Gregory Acquaviva, who is assuming his new role as a Superior Court judge, a position to which he was nominated by Governor Christie and approved by the state Senate.

“I want to thank Greg for his dedication and hard work. While I lose his expertise on my senior staff, the public will be well served as he brings his intellect and thoughtfulness to the New Jersey bench,” Governor Christie said. “I also want to thank Jim DiGiulio for returning from private practice to rejoin my staff. He was exemplary as Senior Counsel, and I am fortunate to have him aboard again, this time leading my legal team while we continue to address the many challenging issues this state faces over the next several months.”

While Senior Counsel, DiGiulio spearheaded the effort to obtain State Health Benefits Program savings and led the initiative to pass legislation to provide health insurance coverage for those with substance abuse disorder. DiGiulio developed legal advice for Governor Christie related to legislation and litigation matters involving the Administration’s policies as well as oversaw legislative, regulatory, and litigation matters for various state departments. He also worked closely with the Attorney General’s Office and outside counsel on litigation strategy for complex matters involving the Governor’s Office and the State.

At O’Toole Scrivo, DiGiulio handles commercial litigation matters and is responsible for the administration of numerous firm matters, including hiring, risk management, technology, marketing and communications.

Before joining the Governor’s Office, DiGiulio was an associate at McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter, LLP, of Morristown where he handled all aspects of complex commercial litigation matters from inception through settlement, trial or appeal, in a variety of jurisdictions.  He managed a substantial docket of litigation matters primarily involving commercial disputes, securities litigation, professional liability matters representing attorneys and accountants, and partnership disputes. He was named a New Leader of the Bar by the New Jersey Law Journal in 2014.

DiGiulio is a graduate of Loyola University in Baltimore where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree and is a graduate of Rutgers University School of Law in Camden where he received his Juris Doctor degree with high honors. In 2011, he earned his Master of Laws (LLM) degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

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