Lawrence Jones

To go along with former state Supreme Court justices, the transition team of Gov.-elect Phil Murphy has tapped another ex-jurist: Lawrence Jones, who made his mark authoring a series of opinions while sitting in Ocean County's family court.

Jones is serving on the Law and Justice Committee, along with many of the lawyers Murphy has selected.

In a statement, Jones said he's ”extremely honored by this appointment and the opportunity to offer input … during this fresh new chapter in our state's history.”

“It is very obvious to me that the Governor-elect is a highly energetic leader who welcomes inclusiveness and practical and creative ideas in a manner which can greatly benefit the public in countless ways,” Jones added. “In this respect, I hope to offer my perspective as a former trial judge on relevant issues of law and justice that are significant to the public interest.“

The appointment, made public in December, was effective Nov. 29.

Jones retired in January 2017. During his seven years on the Superior Court bench, he wrote 62 opinions, endeavoring to fill gaps in case law or interpret existing family law. Roughly one-third of those opinions were issued in 2016.

He rated well in the Law Journal's most recent Superior Court Judicial Survey, released in 2015, garnering the top overall score among the Ocean vicinage's 17 judges: 9.15 out of 10. His highest score (9.46) was for lack of bias as to race, gender and political party identity; his lowest (8.54), for moving proceedings and making decisions promptly.

Away from the bench, he authored guidelines for family court judges, and has contributed articles to several legal publications, including a recent 10-part series on settlement of litigation for the Law Journal. He was also president of the New Jersey Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges.

Before his Superior Court nomination, by then-Gov. Jon Corzine, Jones was a Toms River solo since 1987 concentrating on family law. He earned his bachelor's degree at New York University in 1984 and his law degree at Hofstra University in 1986.

Jones presently has a private practice in Toms River, where he lives, handling arbitration and mediation.

A phalanx of prominent lawyers have joined the transition team of Murphy, a Democrat succeeding Republican Gov. Chris Christie, in various roles and committees. Among them are retired state Supreme Court Justice Gary Stein and retired Chief Justice James Zazzali, who were retained as ethics counsel to ensure that members of the transition team, along with committees and volunteers, adhere to state ethics laws.