Timothy J. Ford

Timothy J. Ford is a partner in the firm’s Business/Corporate group and focuses his practice on employment law and commercial litigation.

Tim takes a straightforward and dedicated approach to client service, often serving as general and outside counsel for corporate clients from start-ups to established businesses in a wide range of industries. He has significant experience advising assisted living facilities on regulatory, collection, and employment issues related to their business operations including licensing, resident agreements, involuntary discharges and risk management. Also, he advises construction company owners, managers, and supervisors on adherence with New Jersey’s Prevailing Wage Act, and negotiates with the Department of Labor when audit letters, notices of assessments, or debarment hearings are sought.

Tim works with employers and management to establish and maintain ongoing compliance with state and federal statutes that impact relationships with employees, independent contractors, and vendors. In addition to reviewing existing employee handbooks for compliance, he writes handbooks for business clients to address processes and policies for a multitude of employment law matters. He represents clients on disputes including wage and hour claims, discrimination, employment contracts, restrictive covenants, non-compete agreements, employee benefits, wrongful termination, and sexual harassment issues, and is a skilled advisor, negotiator and litigator on these and other employment law issues. He has written legal update articles and given educational presentations to human resource professionals on employment topics including the steps of progressive discipline, establishing and enforcing performance standards, and understanding the nuances of termination.

Tim developed the law firm’s Assisted Living and Senior Residential Legal Issues practice, and regularly presents legal updates to the Health Care Association of New Jersey (HCANJ), the American Assisted Living Nurses Association, the American Healthcare Association/National Center of Assisted Living, and LeadingAge. His personal connection to family members who were residents of senior healthcare communities prompted his interest in the operational aspects of assisted living facilities. As an advocate for clients in this area, he helps protect these communities, their staff, residents, and the residents’ families and friends, by guiding administrators, managers, and owners through compliance requirements of state and federal laws and developing policies to keep their communities safe. He has been published in leading industry publications including Skilled Nursing News, Provider Magazine, and McKnight’s Senior Living, and is a Member of the Education Committee of Leading Age NJDE and the HCANJ.

Through the years, many of Tim’s business clients would turn to him on an as-needed basis for counsel on business operation issues including real estate and zoning, succession planning, and tax which sparked Tim’s interest in spearheading the firm’s On-Call for Business practice as a cost-effective service for small and medium-sized businesses. On-Call for Business functions as a concierge-level service at a fraction of the cost of in-house counsel, providing a holistic approach and access to attorneys across disciplines to assist businesses with evolving federal and state laws.

Tim is an experienced litigator, handling complex commercial litigation matters in the New Jersey State and New York and New Jersey Federal Courts. Tim has handled numerous matters before the Administrative Law Courts and hearings with government agencies, including the Department of Labor, Department of Health, and Department of Consumer Affairs. He has a broad range of experience litigating commercial contracts, construction projects, employment disputes, real estate matters, estate litigation, and more. Tim frequently appears in the New Jersey Superior Court in the Law and Chancery Divisions and the United States District Courts in the District of New Jersey and the Southern District of New York.

For several years, Tim has been the attorney mentor to the Valleyview Middle School’s Mock Trial Club, part of the Law Adventure program, working several times a month with the growing club of seventh and eighth-grade students as they develop legal arguments and prepare witnesses for a mock jury trial at Denville Municipal Court. The firm covers the students’ participation costs via a donation to the Denville Board of Education.

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