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Partner
560 Main Street
Chatham, NJ 07928-2119
Tel: (973) 635-3366 x217
Fax: (973) 635-0855
Email: jcwhipple@awfa-law.com
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John C. Whipple
John C. Whipple is a seasoned and well-regarded trial attorney, admitted to practice law in 1982. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL), which is composed of the best of the trial bars from the United States and Canada and one of the premier legal associations in North America. Fellowship is highly exclusive, and it is only after careful investigation that invitations are extended to those experienced trial lawyers proven to have mastered the art of advocacy and whose careers are marked by the highest standards of ethical conduct, professionalism, civility, and collegiality.
John has been Certified by the New Jersey Supreme Court as a Criminal Trial Attorney since 1988. Over his career he has developed his skill and reputation in the State and Federal Courts. Clients are referred to him not only by attorneys who do not practice criminal law, but also by professional colleagues with extensive criminal experience.
John has tried numerous criminal jury trials in the Federal and State Courts, as well as a number of civil jury trials. In April 2006, he completed an eight month trial in the U.S. District Court, Trenton, New Jersey, the longest criminal environmental trial in the history of the Environmental Crimes Section of the Department of Justice. John's client, the Environmental Manager of a New Jersey company, was acquitted on all three counts he faced, including a massive conspiracy charge alleging violations of the Clean Water and Clean Air Acts and defrauding the United States, false statements to the EPA and obstruction of justice, and charges of a specific false statement to the EPA/NJDEP and a violation of the Clean Air Act.
John has also tried five Federal RICO cases, one of which was the largest police corruption case ever prosecuted in New Jersey, State or Federal. Due to his aggressive and skillful defense against the allegation that the entire municipal police department was a criminal "enterprise," the jury acquitted all four defendants of the racketeering charges.
Because of John's trial skills and reputation those skills have earned him, he is often able to negotiate and achieve significant pretrial resolutions of matters. Recently, he negotiated a probation sentence for a medical doctor charged with first and second degree drug charges for growing marijuana on his farm, as well as a probation sentence for a dentist in a significant Medicaid fraud prosecution. He also negotiated misdemeanor plea agreements in Federal Court in two separate major felony prosecutions that resulted in probation sentences. Other representative matters for which Mr. Whipple effectuated significant pretrial resolutions include: the owner of a large construction company had a felony labor payoff indictment dismissed and was placed on probation after pleading to a single misdemeanor count; and a medical practice office manager pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor count of aiding in the possession of drugs and was placed on probation after having been originally charged with conspiracy to distribute mass quantities of pain pills and money laundering with her employer.
John also has significant experience regarding attorney ethics representation, an expertise he developed over the course of a four-year term on the District X Ethics Committee serving Morris and Sussex Counties. While a member of the Committee, he investigated and prosecuted attorney ethics violations, presided over hearings, and argued before the Disciplinary Review Board. Following his term, attorneys needing legal advice and representation on ethics matters have sought out his services.
John's accomplishments have been recognized in Corporate Counsel Magazine, New Jersey Monthly Magazine, and New York Magazine. For several years, he has also been recognized in the Best Lawyers in America and Top Lawyers in New Jersey in the practice of Criminal Defense. Following a comprehensive rating process, he was named by his peers to the top 100 New Jersey Super Lawyers in two separate years. John has been continuously recognized since 2005 as a New Jersey Super Lawyer in the specialty of white collar criminal defense. His legal abilities and ethics have been rated "AV" by Martindale-Hubbell, the well-known attorney rating index. He is also listed in Chambers USA.
After several years as a Trustee of the Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers of New Jersey, Mr. Whipple was elected President and led the organization in 2008 and 2009. In 2003, he was elected a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. John also received the 2009 Professionalism Award by the N.J. State Bar Foundation.
John began his legal career in 1982 as an Assistant Prosecutor in Monmouth County, New Jersey. As a newly admitted attorney, he learned the "nuts and bolts" of trial work for a period of three years. In 1985, he became a Federal Public Defender for the District of New Jersey, where he continued to develop his trial and criminal defense expertise in complex matters including securities, bank and mail fraud, narcotics offenses, political corruption, RICO offenses and Federal Sentencing Guidelines. In addition, the Defender office was structured such that representation began upon arrest and continued to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary. Thus, John developed a keen sense for litigation of criminal cases on appeal as well. He has argued before the Third Circuit Court of Appeals and New Jersey's Appellate Division on several occasions.
Clients that John has represented are licensed professionals including attorneys, doctors, accountants, engineers and investment advisors; as well as corporate officers, elected officials, appointed State, County and Municipal officials, including two Superior Court Judges; labor officials, law firms, medical groups, construction companies, State agencies, County prosecutor offices, municipal entities; law enforcement officers of all rank including federal agents, County prosecutor detectives, County sheriffs, corrections officers and Municipal officers; and police unions and their elected officers.
John received his J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law in 1982 and his B.A. from Villanova University in 1978. He has lectured extensively on criminal and civil trial practice, administrative and criminal investigations/prosecutions of law enforcement officers and State/Federal Grand Jury investigations. He has also appeared on Court TV and the MSNBC documentary "Cops Caught on Tape".
BAR ADMISSIONS
- New Jersey (1982)
- U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey (1982)
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (1988)
- U.S. Supreme Court (1995)
AFFILIATIONS
- American Bar Association - Criminal Justice Section
- Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers
- Fellow, American Bar Foundation
- New Jersey State Bar Association
- Morris County Bar Association
- Association of the Federal Bar of New Jersey . Trustee (2011 - Present)
- Member, Criminal Justice Act Panel, District of New Jersey . Selection Committee Member
- National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers of New Jersey . President (2008-09), Co-Chair, Lawyers Assistance Committee
- District X Ethics Committee (1996-2000)
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