CHERRY HILL — Judge Joseph C. Visalli (ret.), of Wildwood Crest, who served for 22 years on the New Jersey Superior Court, has joined The Ferrara Law Firm of Cherry Hill. Visalli will join the firm as “of counsel,” and will be available to serve as an arbitrator, mediator, and will handle civil litigation, according to a release.
“I have known Judge Visalli since we worked together when we were kids 50 years ago and we have remained best friends over the years. I cannot think of a better person to have the pleasure to work with,” says Mike Ferrara, founder of the Ferrara Law Firm. “He knows the system; he knows the law; and his ethics are beyond reproach. We are honored to have him join our team.”
Ferrara predicted that firms will be “especially pleased with the results he will be able to achieve mediating and arbitrating cases throughout South Jersey,” the release stated. “He has the ability to quickly comprehend both sides of the issue and knows how to fairly evaluate cases,” added Ferrara.
Appointed by Gov. Thomas Kean in March1986, Visalli spent 22 years in the Superior Court in Cape May County.
He spent two years in family court (1986-88) and three years in criminal court (1988-91) before spending 17 years (1991-2008) as the only judge hearing civil litigation. As such, he presided over hundreds of civil jury trials including several landmark medical malpractice cases as well as cases involving construction; car, bus and train accidents; dangerous products; pharmaceutical cases; architectural and engineering malpractice; and more.
Prior to his Superior Court appointment, Visalli spent six years as a municipal court judge in Wildwood and West Wildwood (1980-86) and North Wildwood (1983-86), while also maintaining a private practice.
Prior to that, he worked in the law firm of Perskie and Callinan in Wildwood.
A native of Philadelphia, Visalli holds a B.S. in business administration from LaSalle University, and a J.D. from Duquesne University School of Law, where he was an editor of the Law Review.
He is a member of the Cape May County Bar Association, the New Jersey State Bar Association and the New Jersey
Association of Professional Mediators. He has served as a speaker for the Institute of Continuing Legal Education (ICLE), and is a past governor of ATLA-NJ, The New Jersey Trial Lawyer’s Association, soon to be known as The New Jersey Association for Justice (NJAJ).
Visalli is a former lieutenant in the United States Army and was assigned to teach other Army officers in Fort Sill, Okla.
He is married to Jane and has two daughters, Lauren, a registered nurse in San Diego, and Janine, a senior at Georgetown University, an Op-ed columnist for this newspaper.
