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Partner
560 Main Street
Chatham, NJ 07928-2119
Tel: (973) 635-3366 x217
Fax: (973) 635-0855
Email: jcwhipple@awfa-law.com
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John C. Whipple
John C. Whipple is a seasoned and
well-regarded trial attorney. Before founding AWFA, Mr. Whipple
managed the Whipple Law Firm, P.C., which John opened on January 1,
1998, after ten years of practice with his previous firm, Whipple, Ross
& Hirsh, P.A and six years of public service.
John has been Certified by the New
Jersey Supreme Court as a Criminal Trial Attorney since 1988.
Over the past 25 years he has developed his skill and reputation
in the state and federal courts. Clients are referred to him not
only by attorneys who do not practice criminal law, but also by
professional colleagues with criminal experience.
John has tried numerous
criminal jury trials in the federal and state courts. In April,
2006, he completed a seven-month trial in the U.S. District Court,
Trenton, New Jersey, the longest criminal environmental trial in the
history of the Environmental Crimes Section of the Department of
Justice. John's client, the Environmental Manager (and licensed
engineer) of a New Jersey company, was acquitted on all three counts he
faced,
including a massive conspiracy charge alleging violations of the Clean
Water Act, the Clean Air Act, defrauding the United States, false
statements to the EPA and obstruction of justice, and charges of a
specific false statement to the EPA/NJDEP and a violation of the Clean
Air Act.
John has also tried five federal
RICO cases, one of which was the largest police corruption case ever
prosecuted in New Jersey, state or federal. Based upon his
aggressive and skillful defense against the allegation that the entire
municipal police department was a criminal “enterprise,” the jury
acquitted all four defendants of the racketeering charges.
Because of John's trial skills and
reputation, he is often able to negotiate and achieve significant
pretrial resolutions of matters. He recently negotiated a probation
sentence for a medical doctor charged
with first and second degree drug charges for growing marijuana on his
farm; he also negotiated misdemeanor plea agreements in federal court
in two separate major felony prosecutions that resulted in probation
sentences. A major construction company
owner had a felony labor payoff indictment dismissed and was placed on
probation after pleading to a single misdemeanor count. A medical
practice office manager pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor count of
aiding in the possession of drugs and was placed on probation after
having been originally charged with conspiracy to distribute mass
quantities of pain pills
and money laundering with her employer.
John’s practice also includes
attorney ethics representation, an expertise he developed after a
four-year term on the District X Ethics Committee serving Morris and
Sussex County. While a member of the Committee, he investigated
and prosecuted attorney ethics violations, presided over hearings and
argued before the Disciplinary Review Board. Shortly
thereafter, attorneys needing legal advice and representation on ethics
matters sought out his services.
John has been recognized in
Corporate Counsel Magazine, New Jersey Monthly Magazine and New York
Magazine. For several years, he has also been recognized in the Best
Lawyers in America and Top Lawyers in New Jersey in the practice of
Criminal Defense. In 2005 and again in 2006, after a comprehensive
rating process, he was named
by his peers to the top 100 New Jersey Super Lawyers. John has been continuously
recognized since 2005 as a New Jersey Super Lawyer in
the specialty of white collar criminal defense. His legal abilities and
ethics have been rated “AV” by Martindale-Hubbell, the well-known
attorney rating index.
After several years as a Trustee
of the Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers of New Jersey, Mr.
Whipple was elected President and led the organization in
2008 and 2009. He also co-chairs the Lawyers’ Assistance
Committee which focuses on representation of criminal defense attorneys
in difficult situations with judges and overzealous prosecutors. In
2003, he was elected a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. John
recently received the 2009 Professionalism Award by the N.J. State Bar
Foundation.
John began his legal career in
1982 as an Assistant Prosecutor in Monmouth County, New Jersey.
As a newly admitted attorney, he learned the “nuts and bolts” of trial
work for a period of three years. In 1985, he joined the
Office of the Federal Public Defender for the District of New Jersey
where he continued to develop his trial and criminal defense expertise
in complex matters including securities, bank and mail
fraud, narcotics offenses, political corruption, RICO offenses and
Federal Sentencing Guidelines. In addition, the Defender
office was structured such that representation began upon arrest and
continued to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary. Thus, John
developed a keen sense of litigation of criminal cases on appeal as
well. He has argued before the Third Circuit Court of Appeals and New
Jersey's Appellate Division on several occasions.
Clients whom John has represented
include licensed professionals including attorneys, doctors,
accountants, engineers and investment advisors; corporate officers,
elected officials, appointed state, county and municipal officials,
including two Superior Court Judges, labor officials, law firms,
medical groups, construction companies, state agencies, county
prosecutor offices, municipal entities; law enforcement officers of all
rank including
federal agents, county prosecutor detectives, county sheriffs,
corrections officers and municipal officers; and police unions and
their elected officers.
John received his J.D. from Seton
Hall University School of Law in 1982 and his B.A. from Villanova
University in 1978.
He has lectured on criminal and
civil trial practice, administrative and criminal
investigations/prosecutions of law enforcement officers and
state/federal grand jury investigations. He has
also appeared on
Court TV and the MSNBC documentary “Cops Caught on Tape”.
CIVIC ACTIVITIES
John has routinely volunteered in
his local community; for example, he has coached youth sports through
the municipal recreation department and CYO and YMCA basketball. In
addition, he has participated in a variety of holiday charitable events
including travel to Appalachia with a local high school to assist those
in need. In addition, he is a Director of the Lawrence A. and Virginia
Whipple Memorial Scholarship Fund at Seton Hall University School of
Law.
BAR ADMISSIONS
- New Jersey (1982)
- U.S. District Court for the District of New
Jersey (1982)
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
(1988)
- U.S. Supreme Court (1995)
AFFILIATIONS
- Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers of New
Jersey - President (2008-09), co-chair, Lawyers Assistance Committee
- American Bar Association
- New Jersey State Bar Association
- Morris County Bar Association
- Association of the Federal Bar of New Jersey
- National Association of Criminal Defense
Lawyers
- Trial Attorneys of New Jersey
- Member, Criminal Justice Act Panel, District of
New Jersey
- District X Ethics Committee (1996-2000)
- Fellow, American Bar Foundation
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