Joseph A. Hayden, Jr. Featured in Law.com for Being Named a Winner of the New Jersey Law Journal’s Lifetime Achievement Award

After being selected as a recipient of the “Lifetime Achievement” Award by the New Jersey Law Journal as part of its 2025 New Jersey Legal Awards, Joseph A. Hayden, Jr., co-chair of the firm’s Criminal Defense and Investigations practices, was featured in a Q&A with the New Jersey Law Journal.

In response to a question about advice he would give to someone contemplating a career in law, Hayden noted:

Whether contemplating a career in law or in another profession, my advice is to not be afraid to take risks and to embrace challenges, even if they are off the beaten path. Some of the most interesting things I have done in my life, such as participating in the Selma to Montgomery march, happened because an opportunity arose, which was somewhat risky, but I didn’t rationalize why I should say no. Instead, I went ahead and was able to participate in one of the defining moments in the civil rights movement, which in turn shaped my career as a lawyer.

A Band 1 Chambers-ranked lawyer, Hayden’s legal career spans over five decades. He began his legal career as a law clerk to the Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court, and was then appointed deputy attorney general in the Organized Crime and Special Prosecution Section of the Division of Criminal Justice. As deputy attorney general, Joe tried the first wiretap case brought by the state of New Jersey. An esteemed member of the criminal defense bar, Joe was the founder and first president of the Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers of New Jersey (ACDLNJ), in 1985.

Hayden has received accolades and honors for his excellence in trial work. He received the Daniel J. O'Hern Award by the New Jersey Commission on Professionalism in the Law, the  Lawrence A. Whipple Award for Professional Excellence from the ACDLNJ, the Francis X. Dee award from the New Jersey Chapter of the American College of Trial Lawyers and, in 2011, received the Rutgers University School of Law-Newark’s Distinguished Alumnus Award. In 2004, Hayden was named Professional Lawyer of the Year in the area of Criminal Law by the New Jersey Commission on Professionalism in the Law. He is also the recipient of the Trial Bar Award for Professional Excellence from the Trial Attorneys of New Jersey, an organization of civil litigators. In 2014, Hayden received the coveted Justice William J. Brennan Award from the Association of the Federal Bar of New Jersey, in recognition of his contributions to the profession.

To read the full Q&A, click here.

The New Jersey Legal Awards are published by the New Jersey Law Journal. A description of the selection methodology can be found at Methodology: New Jersey Legal Awards (NJLA) 2025.

The Chambers USA ranking list is published by Chambers & Partners. A description of the selection methodology can be found at https://chambers.com/about-us/methodology.

No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.