Michael J. Deem Esq. - Toms River, NJ

Overview

Michael J. Deem, Esq. was first admitted to the State Bar of New Jersey in 1999 after four years of undergraduate and three years of post-graduate study at Touro Law School in Huntington, New York. (B.A. 1993; Juris Doctor, 1998). While at Law School, Mr. Deem received distinction in Tort Law and Contracts. Shortly after graduation, Mr. Deem gained admission to practice in New Jersey, as well as within the following jurisdictions: U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey (1999) and the Unites States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Since 2012, he has been Certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as Civil Trial Attorney and Certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy as a Civil Trial Lawyer. As of May 2024, Mr. Deem is the only attorney in Ocean County who is Certified by both the Supreme Court of New Jersey as Civil Trial Attorney and Certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy as a Civil Trial Lawyer. Mr. Deem is a Rule 1:40 Qualified Mediator as well as a Civil Arbitrator and Contract Arbitrator for the Superior Court's Mandatory, Non-Binding Arbitration Program.

Mr. Deem is a member of the Ocean County Bar Association, the New Jersey Association for Justice, and the American Association for Justice. Since March 2014, Mr. Deem has been recognized by New Jersey Super Lawyers magazine as one of New Jersey's Top plaintiff's Personal Injury lawyers. Only the Top 5% of New Jersey Lawyers are selected as Super Lawyers. This selection process is conducted by an independent Firm that determines which lawyers in New Jersey have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. He has lectured for the New Jersey State Bar Association and the New Jersey Association for Justice on topics including Wrongful Death, Jury Voir Dire, Expedited Trials, Exposing Deceptive Defense Medicine, Cross Examining Doctors, Medical Ethics, and the Collateral Source Rule.

Mr. Deem began his career as a Law Clerk to the Hon. Martin Kravarik, J.S.C. (Middlesex County) where he handled a variety of civil matters including personal injury, LAD, insurance coverage issues, and commercial litigation. In fact, he wrote the option for the trail court in the case of National Union Fire Ins. Co. of Pitt. v. Transportation Ins. Co, which was later affirmed by the Appellate Division in its published opinion at 336 N.J. Super 437 (App. Div. 2001). After his Clerkship, Mr. Deem spent the earlier part of his legal career defending insurance companies and self-insured businesses against consumer allegations of injury because of the negligent acts or omissions of others. Defending insurance companies also included researching and litigating insurance coverage issues, claims for indemnification, and claims for contribution.

In 2005, Michael chose to pursue a more gratifying professional career, so he began representing individuals who have suffered injury as a result of the negligence of others. He has since broadened his trial practice beyond personal injury litigation to include commercial transactions and litigation, consumer protection litigation, insurance coverage litigation, and estate litigation. Now Mr. Deem is making good use of his insurance-defense knowledge and trial experience. In fact, following a multi-million-dollar personal injury verdict, the trial judge stated on the record that, "on cross examination, Mr. Deem was Joshua and the defense expert were the wall because he came tumbling down. Frankly, I've never seen an expert wilt that badly during testimony."

From the first time Mr. Deem meets a client, he starts preparing for battle against his adversary by searching outside the box for unique trial strategies that his adversary will never see coming. "I invest a great deal of time keeping up with the current changes in the law. I continually educate myself with new trial techniques, legal research, and internet research which has proven to be fruitful grounds to expose my adversary's weaknesses." In addition, Mr. Deem is an accomplished transactional attorney who has negotiated several multi-million dollar deals on behalf of Roy Jones Jr. Promotions.