About G. Patrick Pawling
Articles written by G. Patrick Pawling
The Most Dangerous Man in the Courtroom
Just try and pull a fast one on Paul Rowe—chances are he’s already seen itPaul A. Rowe, chairman of Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith & Davis in Woodbridge, has been practicing law since 1962, the year John F. Kennedy wrestled the Cuban missile crisis to a frightening but successful end. As Rowe entered practice, John Glenn orbited the Earth, Johnny Carson took over The Tonight Show and people bought gasoline for 26 cents a gallon. Lithe, thin and so full of energy he seems to have to wrap his arms around himself to keep from jiggling even while sitting, Rowe says he …
Domenick Carmagnola’s Recipe for Success
It’s nothing fancy—just a lifetime’s worth of lessons learned at his family’s restaurantWhen Domenick Carmagnola was in high school at Morris Catholic in Denville, N.J., a fellow student said hi as they passed in the hall. Carmagnola said hello back. Apparently this was an extraordinary event. “What, you can talk?” the student asked. It’s hard to believe now, but Carmagnola was a quiet, shy kid. He does pretty well in the talking department these days. Carmagnola, who practices employment defense law at his Morristown boutique firm, Carmagnola & Ritardi, has been racking …
Voice of Calm
Once a child soldier in Lebanon, Haitham E. Ballout rebuilt his life in the U.S. Now he helps others do the sameIn 1976, Haitham E. Ballout, barely a teenager, carried a Kalashnikov assault rifle into the hills of Lebanon. As a soldier defending his town, he witnessed many things no child should have to see. Now, at age 49, there is a smile in Ballout’s eyes, optimism in his voice and a calmness in his demeanor. These are the rewards of perspective. For Ballout, life is a gift to be unwrapped daily. He has a family, including his wife and their four children; a house on the peninsula south of San …
The Collector
Greg Gifford has spent a lifetime gathering historic bottles and deeply satisfying thank-you lettersIt’s 17 degrees and windy and plaintiff’s attorney Greg Gifford is smiling. He’s about to tunnel 14 feet down into a historic 1830s-era Northern Liberties construction site and look for bottles. This is what he does for fun. Bottles, hand-blown and representative of a period in history, fascinate him. Sometimes when he’s in the city on a legal case, he’ll get a call from a friend in the construction business. “Hey Greg, we might have something for you, get here quick.” And he’ll …
In Bobbi They Trust
Why Roberta Liebenberg is a heroine to her clientsIn 1970, a young teacher—fresh from college, eager to make a difference—walked into a high school classroom in Maryland. Many of her students were children of poor tenant farmers who lacked proficiency in reading and writing skills. Running water and electricity were luxury items. She wanted to help them and people like them. So after a year she made a decision: to leave teaching. Not because she couldn't do the job. But to do more. Roberta Liebenberg grew up in Washington, D.C., …
Ron Rosen’s Universe
After handling stressful marital dispute cases all day, he comes home to his trainsDescend seven steps into the basement of 66-year-old Ron Rosen's home, which is near his West Long Branch office at Chamlin, Rosen, Uliano & Witherington, and you'll discover a town complete with city hall, farms, cows, people, a subway, houses, cars and a hospital, all resting on a multilevel 16-by-18-foot plywood platform, and with trains, the old-fashioned O gauge Lionel models popular from 1945 to 1960, running through it. It took Rosen three years to build his universe and it's been up …
The Jet
Bill Vinsko's uncommon ability to make peace with the sharksAsk Paula Vinsko about her husband, Bill, and she'll take you back to Bishop Hoban High School in Wilkes-Barre. "We were in homeroom together for four years," she says. "I was attracted to his sense of independence. He didn't go with the crowd—he wasn't a drinker or the party guy—but he was still very popular. He was Tony in West Side Story." Still is. Only now he gets paid to keep the sharks at bay. Vinsko is managing principal and founder of Vinsko & Associates, a …
The Unpredictable Quarterback
Joe Hurley keeps his clients in the clear by keeping his opponents guessingJoe Hurley is 65. He's been a criminal defense attorney for 32 years. He knows just about everybody in Delaware, and just about everybody in Delaware knows him. The stories are abundant. There was the time the state police told him there was a contract out on his life, though it was only for $2,500, which he found insulting. Or his insistence that God told him not to represent Thomas Capano in a murder case, prompting Hurley to walk away from one of the highest-profile trials in memory. …
Christian Farmakis Is Busier Than You
Don’t believe us? Keep readingAttorney. Candy machine inventor. Business strategist. Landlord. Embroidery specialist. You name it, and Chris Farmakis has either done it or plans to do it. Life is too short to do otherwise. His father taught him that. When Farmakis was in high school, his dad was let go from Westinghouse after 36 years of hard work. So he told his sons, Chris and Jason: “Don’t ever let a company dictate what you do with your life.” The words stuck. Today, in addition to being a renowned …
Don't Drink the Water
Shari Blecher cleans up contaminated situationsReader advisory: If you’re not secure with yourself and where you are in life, you may not want to read this article. Why? Because it’s about a person who has gone very far very fast—and she’s not done yet. Shari Blecher runs her own eight-lawyer firm, Lieberman & Blecher, which she co-founded seven years ago; she’s one of the top environmental lawyers in the state, specializing in advocating for residents and communities with contaminated groundwater; she and her husband, a …
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