STEVEN SECARE || Email: ssecare@secarelawfirm.com
Mr. Secare was admitted to the New Jersey Bar in 1972 and has been recognized by fellow New Jersey lawyers with Martindale Hubble’s highest attorney ranking (A V), acknowledging his skills and experience. He is a former prosecuting Deputy Attorney General and now a criminal defense attorney who has handled a number of high-profile cases throughout his career including the notorious “Royal Manor” murder case of 1978, which the Asbury Park Press ranked as the number one story of that year. In 1998, he defended the “prom mom,” a case that drew international attention and was the story ranked number two for that year by the same newspaper. In 2012 he represented the President of Brookdale College, the Asbury Park Press number three newsworthy story of the year.
Mr. Secare is widely recognized for his civil litigation skills as well and is a member of the “million dollar verdict” club, having handled thousands of personal injury cases throughout his career. He has been consistently elected a member of Ocean County’s civil and criminal practice committees by judges and lawyers. A past president of the Ocean County Bar Association from 1994-1995, he was awarded the association’s highest honor for achievement in 1997. For more than twenty-five years, he has been appointed by the Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court to serve as secretary to the District IIIA (Ocean County) Attorney Ethics Committee, which operates under the auspices of the State Office of Attorney Ethics. In that capacity, Mr. Secare supervises and oversees the discipline of attorneys within the county.
Mr. Secare has lectured extensively on ethics and professional responsibility and has been a lecturer and the moderator of the Ocean County Bench/Bar Professionalism Day since its inception.
Mr. Secare has been active in many civic and professional associations and in 1998 was voted by the Ocean County Observer as one of the ten most influential men in Ocean County. He represents or has represented several Ocean County municipal governments, including Township of Manchester, Borough of Seaside Park, Township of Lakewood, and Borough of Pine Beach as general counsel and serves as special or associate counsel for those municipalities. He has also represented the Townships of Barnegat, Ocean and Lacey and the Boroughs of Island Heights and Beach Haven, and several other governmental agencies as general or special counsel.
A combat veteran of the Vietnam War, Mr. Secare has served on several State and Local agencies and committees on behalf of veterans. He is the holder of the State Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster and in 2002 he was appointed by the Governor to the Agent Orange Committee for the State of New Jersey.
| EXPERIENCE |
| General and Labor Counsel for the Jackson Township MUA – February 2004 to February 2006 |
| Labor Counsel for Toms River Township – 2003 to 2008 |
| Township Attorney for the Township of Manchester – 1993 to present |
| Township Attorney for the Township of Barnegat – January 1, 1997 to December 31, 2003 |
| Borough Attorney for the Borough of Pine Beach – January 1, 1997 to December 31, 2008 |
| Township Attorney for the Township of Lakewood – January 1, 1998 to December 31, 2008 |
| Attorney for Dover Township Fire District No. 1 – March 2002 to February 2005 |
| Special Legal Counsel and Labor Counsel for Brick Township MUA – February 2002 to February 2006 |
| Municipal Prosecutor for the Township of Ocean – January 1, 1997 to December 31, 1998 |
| Attorney for the Brick Township Housing Authority – July 2001 to June 2007 |
| Labor Counsel and Public Defender for the Township of Jackson – 2000 to January 2006 |
| Borough Attorney for the Borough of Ocean Gate – January 1, 1995 to December 31, 1997 |
| Litigation Attorney for the Townships of Brick and Berkeley – 1983 to 1990 |
| Borough Prosecutor for the Borough of Pine Beach – 1988 to 1997 |
| Municipal Prosecutor for the Borough of Ocean – 1997 to 1998 |
| School Board Attorney for the Borough of Ocean Gate Board of Education – 1992 to 1994 |
| 1973 – 1981 New Jersey Attorney General’s Office. Employed as a Deputy Attorney General in the Trial Section of the Division of Criminal Justice. Litigated cases throughout New Jersey specializing in white-collar and organized crime. |
| 1972 – 1973 Superior Court of New Jersey; Monmouth County Freehold, New Jersey. Served as Law Clerk to the Honorable Patrick J. McGann, J.S.C. |
| Labor Attorney for Township of Lakewood – 1998 to present |
| Attorney for the Berkeley Township Housing Authority – July 1, 1994 to present |
APPOINTMENTS AND ORGANIZATIONS
- Past–President of Ocean County Bar Association 1994-95.
- 1997 Ocean County Bar Association Lawyer of the Year.
- Member Ocean County Criminal and Civil Practice Committee.
- Former Member of New Jersey Supreme Court Committee on Criminal Practice.
- Certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Criminal Trial Attorney.
- Secretary to the District IIIA (Ocean County) Ethics Committee.
- Arbitrator, Ocean County Automobile Negligence and Personal Injury Arbitration Program.
- Former member of Panels of New Jersey State Commission to Study Post-Traumatic Stress in Vietnam Veterans.
- Manchester Township Veterans Affairs Committee.
- Member of Brick Township Veterans of Foreign War.
- Member American Arbitration Association.
- Member of Civil Practice Committee.
- Member Judicial Appointment Committee Ocean County Bar Association.
- Recipient of New Jersey Distinguished Service Medal.
EDUCATION
1967 – 1972 Seton Hall Law School, Newark, New Jersey
1963 – 1967 Saint Peter’s College, Jersey City, New Jersey, B.A.
MILITARY SERVICE
1969 – 1971 Honorable Discharge United States Army
Served with 23rd Infantry Division, Republic of Vietnam. 1969 – 1970.