Bruce L. Atkins is regarded as one of New Jersey's premiere practitioners of employment and civil litigation. Mr. Atkins has also been included in the Thomson Reuters list of New Jersey Super Lawyers* in Employment Litigation since 2005.
Mr. Atkins believes employees have rights that should be aggressively pursued when an employer has wrongfully dealt with an employee. He brings this philosophy to his practice when considering each case and its potential outcomes. 'The practice of plaintiffs' employment law has allowed me to pursue the ideals that I graduated law school with because I'm helping ordinary people win against the big corporations,' Mr. Atkins says.
A member of the New Jersey, New York, and Florida bars, Mr. Atkins has had several major reported cases in the Supreme Court of the State of New Jersey and in the Appellate Division. He has been admitted to practice in the State Court of New Jersey, the Federal Court of New Jersey, the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, as well as the State of New York, the State of Florida and the U.S. Supreme Court. In addition, he has tried numerous cases in the State and Federal Courts in New Jersey as well as in Federal Court in New York. He obtained one of New Jersey's largest verdicts in a single plaintiff discrimination case in the amount of $6.5 million, $1.5 million in Compensatory Damages and $5 million in Punitive Damages. The Court also awarded $638,000 in counsel fees and costs. That verdict was upheld on appeal. Most recently he argued successfully in front of the New Jersey Supreme Court a large wage commission case. Rosalyn Musker v. Suuchi, Inc. (089665) (Bergen County & Statewide)  He also has extensive experience in commercial litigation, partnership and shareholder disputes and dissolutions as well as restrictive covenant, non-compete matters.
Having commenced practice in 1977, Mr. Atkins has been AV rated (the highest rating) with Martindale-Hubbell since 1997, and in 2007, he was invited to become a Fellow in the Litigation Counsel of America, a prestigious, peer-evaluated organization. He has published many articles in well-known law journals, including Oral employment contracts under New Jersey Law; Are Employees Still Second Class Citizens; in the Labor and Employment Law Quarterly, 1994; and Complete Anti-Discrimination Policies the Key, in Business Insurance, a Crain's publication, in October 1997. He also frequently speaks at continuing education legal seminars.
A graduate of Seton Hall University School of Law, Mr. Atkins is also a graduate of the University of Connecticut. In 2006, Mr. Atkins merged his practice with Neil H. Deutsch to form Deutsch Atkins & Kleinfeldt, P.C. the present firm, which is one of the largest plaintiff employment law firms in the tri-state area.
Mr. Atkins is a member of the American Association for Justice (AAJ), the NJ Association for Justice, the American Bar Association, the New Jersey Bar Association, the Florida Bar, and the National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA) and NELA NJ, New Jersey's chapter. In addition, he has been a guest lecturer at both NELA's national convention and at NJAJ on trial techniques, and at Lorman Seminars on employment issues. He has been selected a Fellow in the Litigation Counsel of America, and is a member of the Trial Law Institute. He has appeared as a frequent commentator on Court TV.
Contact NJ employment lawyer, Bruce L. Atkins Esq. if you are seeking an employment law attorney in New Jersey.
Civil Litigation Employment Law
Florida New York New Jersey U.S. District Court District of New Jersey U.S. District Court Eastern District of New York U.S. District Court Southern District of New York U.S. Court of Appeals 3rd Circuit U.S. Supreme Court
Seton Hall University School of Law, Newark, New Jersey, J.D. University of Connecticut B.A.
'Oral Employment Contracts Under N.J. Law: Are Employees Still Second Class Citizens,' 15 NJ Labor & Employment Law Quarterly 17, 1994 Complete Anti-discrimination Policies Key, Business Insurance, Crains Publications, October 13, 1997
Guest Lecturer, Trial Techniques, NELA's National Convention, 2004 Lorman Seminars - 2004, 2005, and 2008 on Employment Issues, Sexual Harassment, and Discrimination AAJ (ATLA) Boardwalk Seminar 2008 on Trial of an Employment Case 2010 AAJ Boardwalk seminar on Ethics issues in Employment Matters; NELA National Convention 2011 on Jury Themes 2011 NELA national convention 2011 AAJ NJ boardwalk as well as 2014 AAJ boardwalk 2013 ACI employment conference on current trends in employment law
Court Certified Mediator American Association for Justice (AAJ) Member American Bar Association Member New Jersey Bar Association Member Florida Bar Member National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA) Member NELA-NJ
Scherby & Atkins, Partner, 1980-1983 Contant Atkins & Fede, L.L.C., Partner, 1983-2005
