Dennis M. Cavanaugh
DENNIS M. CAVANAUGH served as a Judge of the United States District Court, District of New Jersey since 2000 and as a United States Magistrate Judge from January of 1993 to 2000. Judge Cavanaugh has had the opportunity to manage thousands of cases and conferences, assist in settlement and preside over trials of every type of civil and criminal matter that arises before the Federal Court.
Judge Cavanaugh began his career as a law clerk for Judge Francis Hayden of the New Jersey Superior Court before spending three years as an Assistant Deputy Public Defender in the New Jersey Public Advocate's Office from 1973 to 1977. In 1977, he entered private practice until his appointment as a Federal Magistrate Judge in 1993. Prior to his appointment, he was a Certified Civil Trial Attorney. His entire legal career consisted of the management and eventual trial, if necessary, of civil and to a lesser extent criminal matters. He was appointed U.S. District Judge by President Clinton in September 2000, where he served until he retired in January 2014. During his tenure on the bench, he authored numerous published and non-published opinions pertaining to patent litigation and other matters involving intellectual property, securities law, bankruptcy appeals, the law against discrimination, regulatory matters and environmental disputes.
Judge Cavanaugh was also an adjunct faculty member at Seton Hall School of Law for twenty years, teaching Advanced Civil Trial Practice, The Trial of a Civil Case and Negotiations. He also volunteered his time as a guest lecturer and panelist on numerous occasions on various topics including federal practice, trial and settlement techniques, class actions, civility and ethics in the law and nationally on the proper utilization of Magistrate Judges within our District Courts.
As co-chair of McElroy Deutsch’s Mediation and ADR Practice Group, Judge Cavanaugh capitalizes on his vast legal experience in personal injury litigation, commercial litigation, environmental law, the law against discrimination, intellectual property, ERISA issues, and collective bargaining disputes, to serve the legal community as an experienced Mediator, skilled Arbitrator, and Discovery Master. Judge Cavanaugh is also available to confer and strategize on matters pending before the State and Federal Courts.
- Recipient of 2014 William J. Brennan, Jr., Award from the Association of the Federal Bar of New Jersey. A description of the standard or methodology on which the accolade is based can be found HERE (No aspect of the advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court).
- Seton Hall Law School Alumni Association recognized Judge Cavanaugh as its 2001 Distinguished Graduate.
Military
- Honorably discharged with rank of Captain; The United States Army Reserve in 1978.
DENNIS M. CAVANAUGH served as a Judge of the United States District Court, District of New Jersey since 2000 and as a United States Magistrate Judge from January of 1993 to 2000. Judge Cavanaugh has had the opportunity to manage thousands of cases and conferences, assist in settlement and preside over trials of every type of civil and criminal matter that arises before the Federal Court.
Judge Cavanaugh began his career as a law clerk for Judge Francis Hayden of the New Jersey Superior Court before spending three years as an Assistant Deputy Public Defender in the New Jersey Public Advocate's Office from 1973 to 1977. In 1977, he entered private practice until his appointment as a Federal Magistrate Judge in 1993. Prior to his appointment, he was a Certified Civil Trial Attorney. His entire legal career consisted of the management and eventual trial, if necessary, of civil and to a lesser extent criminal matters. He was appointed U.S. District Judge by President Clinton in September 2000, where he served until he retired in January 2014. During his tenure on the bench, he authored numerous published and non-published opinions pertaining to patent litigation and other matters involving intellectual property, securities law, bankruptcy appeals, the law against discrimination, regulatory matters and environmental disputes.
Judge Cavanaugh was also an adjunct faculty member at Seton Hall School of Law for twenty years, teaching Advanced Civil Trial Practice, The Trial of a Civil Case and Negotiations. He also volunteered his time as a guest lecturer and panelist on numerous occasions on various topics including federal practice, trial and settlement techniques, class actions, civility and ethics in the law and nationally on the proper utilization of Magistrate Judges within our District Courts.
As co-chair of McElroy Deutsch’s Mediation and ADR Practice Group, Judge Cavanaugh capitalizes on his vast legal experience in personal injury litigation, commercial litigation, environmental law, the law against discrimination, intellectual property, ERISA issues, and collective bargaining disputes, to serve the legal community as an experienced Mediator, skilled Arbitrator, and Discovery Master. Judge Cavanaugh is also available to confer and strategize on matters pending before the State and Federal Courts.
- Recipient of 2014 William J. Brennan, Jr., Award from the Association of the Federal Bar of New Jersey. A description of the standard or methodology on which the accolade is based can be found HERE (No aspect of the advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court).
- Seton Hall Law School Alumni Association recognized Judge Cavanaugh as its 2001 Distinguished Graduate.
Military
- Honorably discharged with rank of Captain; The United States Army Reserve in 1978.
