Family Law

• Divorce
  Gave an educational presentation on divorce and alternative dispute resolutions, such as mediation and collaborative divorce, to a group of financial planners.  Mr. Rudnik is available to make similar presentations to groups upon request.
• Child Support
  Mr. Rudnik and Ms. Fredericks are certified as matrimonial attorneys by the Supreme Court of New Jersey. They frequently lecture and write articles on family law, ethics, domestic violence, child support, and children’s rights.
• Child Custody and Visitation
• Adoption
• Paternity
• Premarital Agreement
  Mr. Rudnik has successfully represented clients in Family Court in matters involving divorce, alimony/spousal support, property division, prenuptial agreements, support and custody of children, including parental relocation disputes, grandparent rights, college contribution issues, and matters involving the DCPP. Mr. Rudnik has been successful in handling domestic violence issues involving temporary and final restraining orders, and also has extensive experience litigating and resolving palimony claims and disputes between unmarried couples. Mr. Rudnik has assisted many clients in amicably resolving their divorce, property division, support and custody cases without expending thousands of dollars in attorney fees.
• Guardianship
  Will serve as speakers/moderators at the Hunterdon County Bar Association’s virtual Election Day Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Marathon.  Ms. Fredericks will discuss “Important Updates in Family Law: Recent Decisions Practicing Attorneys Should Know” and Mr. Makoski will moderate the panel discussion on “Guardianship:  What is Needed and When to Apply.”
• Spousal Support
  William Rudnik was a panelist at the Vicinage XIII Family Law Bench Bar Conference on Oct. 28. The family law topics covered included alimony statues, retirement and cohabitation; motions; issues with case information statements; refusal to visit; new court rules; joint legal custody; and parental alienation, among others. Gebhardt & Kiefer sponsored two law clerks at the subsequent Vicinage dinner, and Diana Fredericks volunteered to “adopt” two clerks during the “Meet the Clerks and Judges” reception, introducing them to the attorneys and judges.
• Child Abuse
  On July 26, William Rudnik will serve on the discussion panel for SAFE in Hunterdon's education forum, "Let's Talk About It, Hunterdon County". The forum is designed to improve local responses to the co-occurrence of child abuse/neglect and domestic violence. It is open to all community members, from parents to teachers, human resource professionals to small business owners, prosecutors to family court judges, law enforcement to advocates, social workers to counselors, faith-based leaders to elected officials, and people touched by domestic violence who want to learn more about the issues and do more to improve responses and support for children involved in abuse, neglect and domestic violence. The forum will run from 9 AM - 2:30 PM at the County Complex on Route 12.

Criminal Law

• DUI/DWI
  Since our firm's founding in 1884, the attorneys of Gebhardt & Kiefer, P.C. have represented individuals and business owners in nearly all of the legal issues they encounter, from starting a business, to obtaining fair compensation for an injury, to divorce, to buying a home, to traffic and DWI matters.
• Wrongful Death
  Our law firm represents people who have suffered personal injuries or wrongful death from car accidents, slip-and-fall accidents, truck accidents, dangerous products, construction site accidents, fires, and other traumatic incidents. Our lawyers also represent injured workers in workers' compensation cases.
• Traffic Violations
  Mr. Ward has also successfully represented many individual clients in municipal court, where he defends individuals who have been charged with traffic violations, driving while intoxicated, and other charges. He has tried many cases on behalf of the State or municipality and individuals.
• Fraud
  Mr. Papay has also been specially assigned counsel to prosecute first-party insurance fraud actions, and has successfully prosecuted claims involving some of the largest abuses in the health care field.  This includes litigation wherein two chiropractors sought in excess of $40,000,000 dollars for chiropractic and diagnostic testing services.  By working in conjunction with the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor and the Board of Chiropractic Examiners, Mr. Papay effectively prosecuted the claim, resulting in the providers forfeiting their claims and licenses, and paying $750,000 in damages under the Insurance Fraud Prevention Act, N.J. S.A. 17:33A-1, et seq.
• Restraining Order
  William Goodwin, William Rudnik and Diana Fredericks attended two family law seminars sponsored by the Hunterdon County Bar Association in March. One focused on substance abuse evaluations and expert reports, and the other examined the psychological effects of domestic violence and the impact of those effects on family matters outside the Final Restraining Order hearing.

Business and Corporate Law

• Corporate Law
  Mr. Manfreda graduated with honors from Boston College in 1976. He received his law degree from The College of Law at Syracuse University in 1979. Mr. Manfreda was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 1979 and to the New Jersey Bar in 1980, and was associated with a large NJ corporate law firm before joining a small Flemington, NJ law firm as a partner in 1989. He joined Gebhardt & Kiefer, P.C. as a partner in 1999.
• Mergers and Acquisitions
  Super Lawyers Rising Star s list for his primary practice area of Estate Planning & Probate, has been practicing for seven years. In addition to his law degree, he also holds an L.L.M. in Taxation. In addition to his work in the estate planning and estate & trust administration areas of the law, Mr. Makoski has extensive experience advising clients on estate and gift tax planning; contested guardianship actions; personal income tax matters, including tax-efficient methods of acquiring and distributing assets; negotiating with tax authorities to minimize or eliminate tax deficiencies; appearing in the U.S. Tax Court; and handling IRS appeals.  Further, Mr. Makoski has significant expertise counseling business clients on business formation, mergers & acquisitions, restructuring, governance, and dissolution.
• Business Formation
  Makoski has extensive experience advising clients on personal income tax matters, including tax-efficient methods of acquiring and distributing assets, as well as negotiating with tax authorities to minimize or eliminate tax deficiencies, appearing in the U.S. Tax Court, and handling IRS appeals. He also drafts estate plans, living wills, health care proxies, and powers of attorney. In addition, Makoski has significant expertise counseling business clients on business formation, acquisition, restructuring, governance, and dissolution.
• Business Disputes
• Business Transactions
  Corporate and Commercial Transactions. Mr. Manfreda has significant experience in the drafting of commercial and general business contracts, including agreements for the purchase and sale of businesses. Mr. Manfreda gives advice in connection with the formation and dissolution of closely held corporations and limited liability companies, as well as general and limited partnerships. Formation of these entities is often done in connection with complex estate planning and asset protection planning advice given by Mr. Manfreda to high net worth individuals and clients engaged in businesses and professions that are susceptible to claims by third parties.
• Limited Liability Companies
  Of new business entities such as corporations, partnerships and limited liability companies. Our lawyers also serve as general legal counsel for small to medium-sized businesses, providing transactional and
• Trade Secrets

Employment Law

• Workers Compensation
  Cynthia Richards authored an article in the Fall 2013 issue of New Jersey Defense magazine, published by the New Jersey Defense Association. The article is entitled "The Appellate Division Continues to Uphold the Workers' Compensation Notice Provision Codified in N.J.S.A. 34:15-17".
• Wrongful Termination
  Ms. Parikh handles all aspects of labor and employment litigation, including wrongful discharge and retaliation claims brought pursuant to the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (NJLAD), New Jersey’s Whistleblower Law, Title VII, and the ADA.  In addition, she handles unemployment matters, negotiates employment contracts and severance pay, drafts employee manuals and provides harassment training to employers and their employees.  Ms. Parikh has successfully handled numerous cases involving claims of hostile work environment, sexual harassment, disability discrimination, whistleblower liability, and retaliation. She has also obtained numerous favorable decisions and dismissals in a variety of civil rights cases brought pursuant to 42 U.S.C. §1983.
• Employment Discrimination
  On April 4, Deborah Rosenthal presented a seminar to employees in the Town of Hammonton on employment discrimination, harassment, FMLA municipal ethics. She also gave a seminar on April 7 and 10 to Teaneck Township supervisors regarding supervisory responsibilities in protecting against employment harassment and discrimination claims.
• Employment Contract
  Business Organizations and Contracts. Mr. Chazin has extensive experience in the formation, merger, acquisition, disposition, and dissolution of all types of businesses. He is familiar with the legal and tax considerations in choosing the appropriate form of business entity, be it a C or S corporation, general or limited partnership, limited liability company, or sole proprietorship. He has represented numerous purchasers and sellers of businesses, including tax-free mergers and reorganizations with publicly traded companies. His work includes servicing of business entities with their bylaws and minutes; business succession planning in a most tax advantageous way; business contracts and leases; buy-sell agreements; employment agreements; and non-compete and non-disclosure agreements.
• Employment Litigation
  At Gebhardt & Kiefer, P.C., we understand both sides of employment disputes in New Jersey. Our experience in the full range of employment-related issues provides our lawyers with broad insight into problem resolution.
• Non-compete Agreement
  We represent employees who face issues of sexual harassment in the workplace, as well as discrimination based on age, gender, sexual orientation, race, disability, national origin, or religion. Our lawyers also represent employees in negotiating employment contracts and non-compete agreements.
• Severance Agreement
• Sexual Harassment
  In addition, he has been engaged to represent hundreds of municipalities, school boards, counties, authorities and other public entities in claims against them involving harassment, discrimination, civil rights, sexual harassment, housing discrimination, sewer, water, defective roads, and disputes involving police misconduct. He represented a large Bergen County municipality in a two hundred million-dollar claim by a developer who asserted the municipality purposely delayed his development, causing it to fail. He represented the Borough of Bernardsville in a claim against it by a quarry alleging thirty million dollars in loss. After a trial in which the Borough prevailed, the case was successfully defended in the Supreme Courts of New Jersey and the United States. The New Jersey Supreme Court Opinion in the matter has become a landmark case in New Jersey...

Property Law

• Real Estate Litigation
  Mr. Manfreda's primary practice areas involve estate and business planning; estate and trust administration; corporate, commercial and real estate law, including asset protection planning; business succession planning and related transactional work; and the purchase and sale of businesses. He also has considerable experience in the area of probate litigation, including Will contests and the defense of individual and corporate fiduciaries.
• Premises Liability
  Mr. Ward has successfully litigated various matters through trial, including sophisticated premises liability, construction cases and motor vehicle accidents involving catastrophic injuries, such as brain damage and paraplegia. Mr. Ward has also successfully argued before the Appellate Division in a case involving residential sidewalk law. He attained a winning verdict in a school case in which a student was blinded by a computer mouse ball, and in a case involving a hair stylist who allegedly injured the plaintiff's eye with hair spray.  He has also achieved multiple, multi-million dollar settlements involving brain and spine injuries.
• Construction Litigation
  In private practice, Mr. Lyons has done extensive trial work specializing in civil defense litigation.  He has handled the defense of numerous civil rights, employment, constitutional, Title 59, automobile negligence, construction defects, and products liability matters, among others.  He has appeared in the State Courts in New Jersey and Pennsylvania for trial work, handled matters in the Federal District Court in Philadelphia and Camden, and argued matters before the New Jersey Appellate Division.
• Real Estate Transactions
  Residential real estate provides a special challenge to the attorney and the client, and Ms. MacWilliam and her staff have guided many new home-buyers through their first real estate investment. Her familiarity with residential real estate transactions has allowed many clients who are either buying or selling their homes or investment properties to place their transactions in the hands of Ms. MacWilliam and her staff with confidence. Ms. MacWilliam also provides services to both landlords and tenants, drafting and negotiating leases for commercial, office and retail premises.
• Land Use and Zoning
  Ms. St. Angelo concentrates her practice in the areas of municipal law, representation of public entities, and land use law.  She also has extensive expertise and knowledge in the handling of prerogative writ and tax appeal cases on behalf of governmental entities and officials.
• Landlord-Tenant Disputes
  Gebhardt & Kiefer is pleased to welcome new associate William Pandos, who will practice primarily in the area of insurance defense.  Mr. Pandos graduated from Villanova University with a B.A. degree in Political Science, and then obtained a J.D. degree from the Drexel University School of Law.  He served as a judicial law clerk to both the Honorable John H. Pursel and the Honorable John F. Kingfield in the Civil and Criminal Divisions of the Superior Court in Warren County, NJ.  Mr. Pandos also served as a law clerk at a Somerset County firm in 2012 and 2013.  He was admitted to the Bar in 2014 in both NJ and PA.  In addition, Mr. Pandos is certified by the New Jersey Courts in Special Civil and Landlord-Tenant Mediation.
• Property Damage
  Mr. Ward is experienced in substantial property damage claims and construction defect cases involving condominium housing complexes and commercial properties. He has also represented clients involved in toxic tort litigation with lead paint poisoning, underground oil tanks, and improper disposal of toxic materials at a landfill.

Health Law

• Personal Injury
  Mr. Ward's practice concentrates primarily on personal injury and general negligence litigation, with particular emphasis on motor vehicle accidents, construction accidents and defects, along with other types of varying general negligence. Mr. Ward regularly litigates issues concerning insurance coverage, including contractual indemnity and additional insurance issues and arbitrations. He lectures on various legal issues pertaining to insurance law and litigation. Mr.Ward also defends individuals in municipal court cases and served as a municipal prosecutor for more than ten years.
• Medical Malpractice
  Ms. Flynn has more than 15 years of litigation experience.  Prior to joining Gebhardt and Kiefer in 2019, she was employed by a large Middlesex county law firm where she handled a wide range of complex matters in the areas of medical malpractice and the representation of insurance companies and health care professionals. She has successfully defended numerous physicians, nurses, hospitals, nursing homes and other allied health care providers and facilities.
• Auto Accidents
• Social Security Disability
  Are not based on financial resources or income. SSDI is available to minor and adult children who became disabled before age 22 and who have a parent who is on Social Security (1/2 of benefit) or died (3/4 of benefit). Medicare benefits are available to SSDI recipients (which may include disabled children of deceased or retired insured workers) who qualify for Medicare after receiving SSDI benefits for 24 months.
• Medicaid Planning
  Our Probate, Estates and Trusts lawyers include Mark H. Chazin, John G. Manfreda, and Lori MacWilliam. Our lawyers have much experience in the preparation of general and limited powers of attorney, living wills, and health care powers of attorney. We also provide elder law services such as Medicaid planning.
• Disability Discrimination
  Gebhardt & Kiefer is pleased to announce that Leslie Parikh became a Partner in the firm in February 2013. Ms. Parikh, who joined the firm in 2001, practices in the areas of employment law, civil rights litigation, municipal law, general liability, premises liability, insurance defense, and representation of public entities in both State and Federal Court. She currently serves as the municipal attorney for Peapack-Gladstone and as an associate municipal attorney for numerous towns in Hunterdon and Warren Counties. Ms. Parikh has extensive expertise and knowledge in the handling of cases on behalf of government entities and officials under Title 59, including the various defenses and immunities available under the Act to public entities and school boards. In this regard, she has successfully prevailed on numerous pre-trial motions for summary judgment, as well as on appeal on behalf of school boards, municipalities, and other public entities. In addition, Ms. Parikh has successfully handled a variety of employment-related cases involving claims of hostile work environment, sexual harassment, disability discrimination, whistleblower liability, and retaliation. She has also obtained numerous favorable decisions and dismissals in a variety of civil rights cases. Ms. Parikh graduated cum laude from Seton Hall University School of Law in 1999, and received a Bachelor's degree from Rutgers University in 1996. She served as a law clerk to the Honorable Stephen F. Smith, Jr., J.S.C., in Morris County, NJ, and was admitted to the bar of the state of New Jersey in 2000.

Trusts and Estates

• Estate Planning
  On June 23, Mark Chazin will present a free seminar entitled “ Estate Planning: Important Tips for Financial Advisors.”  Financial advisors, CPA’s, financial planners and insurance professionals are encouraged to attend to gain a better understanding of estate planning as it relates to achieving desired tax savings for clients.  The seminar will take place from 8:30 - 9:30 AM at the Somerset County Business Partnership conference room, 390 Grove St., Bridgewater.
• Wills
  Mark Chazin was a co-presenter with Rabbi Eli Kornfeld at a "Life in The Balance" course on Tuesday, Oct. 29. The course was part of a 6-session series about medical and related ethical issues. This particular session was entitled "The Will to Live: Living Wills, Health-Care Proxies, and End-of-Life Care". This course was held at the Chabad Center in Clinton, NJ, and is part of a series of courses given at the same time at Chabad Centers around the world. Mr. Chazin has also been a co-presenter for prior sessions that have dealt with legally related ethical issues.
• Trusts
  Probate and Estate/Trust Administration and Litigation. Mr. Manfreda has extensive experience involving the probate of Wills and the administration of estates and trusts, including the preparation of Federal Estate Tax and New Jersey Transfer Inheritance and Estate Tax Returns. He has also been involved in ancillary probate and administration matters in many states throughout the country. Mr. Manfreda also represents numerous corporate fiduciaries, such as bank trust departments, in connection with fiduciary accountings and estate and trust termination matters, as well as matters involving contested probate actions venued in the Chancery Division of the Superior Court.
• Power of Attorney
  Will present a free estate planning seminar at the Hunterdon County Library in Flemington from 6:30 – 8:30 pm.  He will cover such topics as gift tax, life insurance, retirement planning, asset protection, powers of attorney, elder law, and more. Joining him will be
• Probate

Finance Law

• Bankruptcy
• Tax Law
  The United Way of Hunterdon County (UWHC) will offer a free seminar entitled “ 2018: Tax Planning in Uncertain Times ” on Oct. 23 at 8:30 AM at the UWHC Volunteer Center in Flemington.  The goal of the seminar is to help taxpayers prepare for their 2018 tax returns in consideration of recent tax law changes. Presenters include tax attorney Dan Makoski of Gebhardt & Kiefer and CPA Steve Nation of Wiss & Co.  Space is limited; please RSVP to