NJ Certified Trial Lawyers, New Jersey Attorneys | Weiseman Hely DiGioia, Certified Trial Lawyers, Mountainside, NJ

OUR HISTORY

nj trial lawyers

Our law firm was founded by Jac Weiseman, who represented individuals in civil justice cases for more than 25 years. He began with the notion that an injured person seeking fair compensation deserves to be represented with dignity by a law firm of proven competence. The law firm has always stressed the need to give personal attention to each individual whom we have the privilege to represent.

Jim Hely was admitted to practice law in New Jersey in 1980, and he immediately started his own law firm. Early in his career, Jim studied and trained as a trial advocate. In 1984, he and another attorney handled an injury case which resulted in the highest jury verdict in New Jersey history as of that time. In 1989, Jim Hely merged his practice with Jac Weiseman.

Don DiGioia became a lawyer in 1976, and in 1981, he started his own practice which was devoted exclusively to the handling of trial work. Don successfully tried many cases from the outset of his career, and he became known throughout New Jersey as a prominent trial lawyer.

Having met by trying cases together, Don DiGioia and Jim Hely realized that they shared similar philosophies about trial advocacy and the zealous representation of individuals in court. In 1998, they merged their practices.

Weiseman Hely DiGioia, P.A. has maintained itself as an efficient and focused law firm. Our firm’s members are highly regarded trial lawyers, and both senior principals enjoy Supreme Court Trial Certification. We have developed the resources to match any adversary. Yet, we are still small enough to maintain the personal, one-on-one attention that every individual deserves. In that regard, our lawyers are ably assisted by very experienced, capable, and friendly support staff.

The firm has been prominently located on Route 22 in central New Jersey for more than two decades. The firm occupies the entire 5,000 square foot space at the firm's building at 1299 Route 22 East, Mountainside, N.J. It is our firm's view that adequate settlements are not obtained unless it is demonstrated that the case has been fully prepared and ready for trial, if necessary. We are guided by the Rules of Professional Conduct and strive to strictly adhere to the highest ethical ideals.

ETHICS

Abraham Lincoln represents the highest ideal of what a lawyer should be. Ethics are at the heart of our civilization, the practice of law, and our law firm. Our firm has always held the highest ethical rating by Martindale-Hubbell, the nationwide company which independently rates law firms and lawyers.

Don DiGioia is a past Chairman of the District Ethics Committee, and upon completion of that service, the New Jersey Supreme Court appointed him as a Special Ethics Master.

Weiseman Hely DiGioia is a proud Adopt-a-Highway sponsor on Route 22. Jim Hely served a dozen years as a Westfield Town Councilman, and was specifically honored by the N.J. Head Injury Association for sponsoring the first bicycle helmet law in New Jersey, later adopted by the entire state. Don DiGioia currently serves on the Union County Mental Health Committee which seeks to coordinate and obtain better services for citizens involved in the justice system who are in need. Also, Don DiGioia was Chairman of the People’s Law School, an Association of Trial Lawyers of America - New Jersey (ATLA-NJ) program in which attorneys provided free legal instruction to interested members of the public. The lawyers of Weiseman Hely DiGioia also volunteered to provide free legal services to families of victims of the World Trade Center attack through the 9/11 Victims’ Compensation Fund. Jim Hely obtained recoveries without fee on behalf of three families who had each lost a loved one.

PROFESSIONALISM

Don DiGioia was given the Union County Bar Association’s highest award, the 2004 Professional Lawyer of the Year, for his long record of ethical practice, service, and trial ability. Jim Hely serves on the Executive Committee of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America– NJ (ATLA-NJ).

JIM HELY is the author of the book, New Jersey Law of Personal Injury (New Jersey Law Journal Books, 2003). Hely grew up in Union County and is a lifelong New Jersey resident.

Hely is a New Jersey Supreme Court Certified Civil Trial Attorney and he has tried more than 100 jury cases. In 1998, his book, Trustworthiness: A Trial Strategy Manual for the Plaintiff's Injury Case in New Jersey, was published by the New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education (NJ ICLE). In addition, he is a frequent lecturer for the Association of Trial Lawyers of America-New Jersey (ATLA-NJ), ICLE, the Union County Bar Association, and the New Jersey Law Journal. He has published several articles on trial practice in Trial Magazine and other journals. He served as a regular guest commentator on Court TV from 1992-2000.

Jim has been involved in some of the most noteworthy cases of the past several decades. In 1984, he and another attorney obtained the largest injury award in the history of New Jersey up to that time ($3.55 million) for a paralysis victim. In 1988, he achieved the first punitive damage award against the Audi 5000. In 1999, a jury awarded $2.0 million in an unsafe product case handled by Jim against Bungee International.

Jim Hely is an Executive Committee member of ATLA-NJ, a Master of the Richard J. Hughes Inns of Court, an Advocate of the American Board of Trial Advocates-North Jersey, and a member of the Union County Bar Association. He was elected as one of the 2005 New Jersey Super Lawyers in New Jersey in the field of Personal Injury: Product Liability, and Mr. Hely was one of only six New Jersey attorneys named in that category.

Hely was elected six times to the Town Council of his hometown of Westfield where he served for 11 years. In that capacity, he sponsored the first bike helmet safety law in New Jersey. He graduated from Westfield High School, Gettysburg College and Rutgers Law School in Camden.

DONALD A. DiGIOIA is Certified by the New Jersey Supreme Court as a Civil and Criminal Trial Attorney. In 1982, Don became the youngest member of the first ever group of lawyers accepted by the Supreme Court as Certified Civil Trial Attorneys. In 1986, Don later added the credential of being a Certified Criminal Trial Attorney. Presently, there are only 54 lawyers in the entire State out of more than 80,000 licensed attorneys who have achieved recognition as both a Certified Civil and Criminal Trial Attorney.

In 2004, Don was selected by his peers in the Union County Bar Association to receive the organization’s highest award, Professional Lawyer of the Year.

Don grew up in Jersey City, and graduated from Hudson Catholic High School, St. Peter's College, and Fordham Law School.

Over the decades Don has devoted his entire practice to trial law. He has successfully handled a wide variety of civil cases throughout the years, and he obtained favorable results for numerous victims of personal injury. Don has been a practicing trial lawyer for more than 27 years, and he is recognized as a Master of the Richard J. Hughes Chapter of the American Inn of Court, an organization which educates and trains lawyers in trial skills. For the 2003-2005 period, Don has
been the President of that Inn, which is the only such organization in Union County. From 1995-1998 Don served on the District XII Ethics Committee for Union County, and from 1997-1998 he was Chairman of District XII. Upon completion of that term, the New Jersey Supreme Court appointed Don to serve as a Special Ethics Master, and he maintains that position on an ad hoc basis at present.

Don lectures on trial techniques at seminars throughout the State and has published writings, including a chapter in the recent volume, New Jersey Trial and Evidence (NJ ICLE,2003). Don has been an adjunct professor of trial law at Seton Hall University School of Law, and he continues to lecture at the law school on trial advocacy topics. He is a member of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America – New Jersey (ATLA-NJ), and has served on the Board of Governors of that organization. An Advocate of the America Board of Trial Attorneys-North Jersey Chapter, Don is also a member of the New Jersey State Bar Association and the Union County Bar Association. Don currently serves upon the Union County Judicial and Prosecutorial Appointment Committee. In recognition of his achievements, Don was elected as one of the 2005 New Jersey Super Lawyers, ranking in the top 100 of all New Jersey attorneys, and he was selected as the 2004 Union County Professional Lawyer of the Year.

CARL LOUIS PEER is Counsel to the Firm of Weiseman Hely DiGioia. He joined the firm as counsel in February 2005. He was admitted to New Jersey bar in 1986. Since then he has successfully handled civil cases in all parts of the Law and Chancery Divisions, as well as the Appellate Division.

Peer also has substantial experience in the area of divorce and Family Law. In 1997 the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children presented him with an Award of Merit in recognition of and in appreciation for his outstanding commitment to the protection of children and his knowledge of the Hague Convention and international child abduction issues.

Carl Peer is a former adjunct professor of business law at Kean University and Union County College. He is the author of an article entitled LimitingMitigation of Damages to Noncompliant Patients, 152 NJLJ 881 published by the New Jersey Law Journal.

Carl grew up in Port Reading, New Jersey. He was educated at St. Mary’s High School in Perth Amboy, New Jersey; Rowan University; New York University; and he graduated cum laude from Seton Hall Law School. He is also a graduate of the Essex Inn of Court and a current member of the Richard J. Hughes American Inn of Courts in Union County, New Jersey.

He is currently on the Board of Directors of The Elizabeth Coalition to House the Homeless, Inc., a former Director of the Westfield Area Chamber of Commerce, and Past President of the Westfield Rotary Club.

JAC B. WEISEMAN (1934-1997) represented plaintiffs in injury cases for more than 25 years. He founded the Weiseman Hely DiGioia law firm and served as a Master of the Richard J. Hughes Chapter of the Inns of Court. He was a member of the Board of Governors of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (NJ), and was in the first class of attorneys who achieved the Certified Civil Trial Attorney designation by the New Jersey Supreme Court.