W. James Jakobowski has over twenty-three years of intensive trial experience in the civil and criminal courts of both New Jersey and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Mr. Jakobowski recently broke new legal ground in a case of first impression decided by the Appellate Division, Bedell vs. St Joseph's Carptenter Society, 367 N.J. Super. 225 (2004). In that case, the plaintiff was seriously injured as the result of a trip and fall over a tree stump on the grassy strip between the cement sidewalk and curb in front of a commercial premises. The trial court dismissed the Complaint, and we appealed the matter to the Appellate Division. As a matter of first impression, the Appellate Division reversed the trial court and decided that the abutting commercial property owner was responsible for proper maintenance of the grassy strip between the sidewalk and the curb. The case was returned to the lower courts for trial. In another recent prominent case, the firm recovered over $4.5 million dollars in the Camden County Superior Court in a complex contract litigation involving the wrongful termination of a trash hauler's contract. It is believed to be one of the highest verdicts ever recovered in such a case. The case was tried to conclusion by Vincent P. Sarubbi, a former partner of the firm, who was subsequently appointed as the Camden County Prosecutor.
In addition to an extensive litigation practice, the firm also serves as counsel to several small to medium size businesses in the Southern New Jersey area.
