Longtime Congressman Steven R. Rothman has joined the law firm Sills Cummis & Gross, where he will chair the firm’s newly formed Interdisciplinary Defense Industry Group and practice in its existing Government Relations/Public Policy and Litigation practice groups.
Rothman, whose final term ended January 3, was a member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee and the Subcommittee on Defense, where he helped procure funding for missile defense programs and other defense-related projects. At Sills Cummis & Gross, he will spearhead the new defense industry group, which will handle litigation, government relations and corporate matters for aerospace and defense sector clients. Sills attorneys specializing in complex commercial litigation, management-side employment matters, bankruptcy and restructuring, product liability, mergers and acquisitions, financings, and False Claims Act litigation will join Rothman in the group, providing defense industry clients with a full array of legal services.
A Democrat from New Jersey’s Ninth Congressional District, Rothman joins Peter G. Verniero, the Republican former New Jersey Attorney General and former State Supreme Court justice, and Jerry Zaro, the Democratic former state economic czar, who served under Democratic and Republican governors, at the firm. Several former federal prosecutors also practice at Sill Cummis.
“The Sills Cummis & Gross tradition of attracting leaders from the public sector – for the benefit of our clients – continues,” Max Crane, the firm’s managing partner, said in announcing that Rothman joined the firm as a member January 14 and will divide his time between the firm’s Newark and New York City offices. “We have always been committed to attracting the best legal minds, including those with distinguished careers in public service. Steve Rothman is another excellent example of that phenomenon. His knowledge, relationships, pristine reputation and ability to maximize opportunities and solve problems will hugely benefit our clients, both current and future.”
Aside from chairing the defense industry group, Rothman, who also sat on the House’s Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, will represent the firm’s clients from all industry sectors in their dealings with elected and appointed officials from the federal, state, county and local governments. He will also practice as a general commercial litigator. His government relations and litigation work will be on behalf of the firm’s entire client base, which includes businesses from a variety of industries, including pharmaceutical and medical device, health care, life sciences, banking and finance, retail and commercial real estate, manufacturing, technology and telecommunications.
“I have been fortunate to be able to make a difference for individuals and businesses through my work in the public sector,” said Rothman, whose time in Congress spanned three presidencies. “I look forward to continuing that pattern in my work at a powerhouse law firm that is New Jersey’s finest.”
Sills Cummis & Gross Chairman Steven E. Gross said: “We are very pleased that someone with Steve Rothman’s record of accomplishments and leadership chose to practice law at our firm after eight terms in Congress. Our clients will find him to be a valuable resource, and we look forward to working with him for many years to come.”
As a member of Congress, Rothman worked tirelessly on many issues important to New Jersey and the nation as a whole, using his intimate knowledge of the House appropriations process, particularly in defense but also across the board. For example, he spearheaded efforts to secure U.S. financial assistance for Israel’s Iron Dome, as well as U.S.-Israel missile defense programs.Prior to his congressional service, he served two terms as mayor of Englewood, from 1983 to 1989, and was the Bergen County Surrogate Court Judge from 1993 to1996. Rothman received his B.A. from Syracuse University and took his J.D. from Washington University School of Law, St. Louis. He is admitted to practice in New Jersey and New York.
