Practice Areas: Legal Malpractice, Attorney Ethics, Judicial Discipline, Real Estate Disputes and Complex Business Litigation, Commercial Litigation and Arbitration, Tax Litigation; Construction Litigation, Consumer Fraud Claims, Probate and Estate Litigation, Bankruptcy Litigation, Trials and Appeals in State and Federal Courts

Education: Rutgers University School of Law-Newark, J.D., 1983; New York University School of Law, LL.M. in Taxation, 1987; Rutgers-Newark College of Arts and Sciences, B.A., with highest honors and College Honors; 1980 Middlesex County College, A.A., with highest honors, 1978. Mr. Aprile was designated a Rutgers Scholar, was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society, was a Member of the Rutgers Moot Court Board and received the David R. Friedlander Memorial Award for Most Outstanding Pre-Law Student.   

Admitted: 1983, New Jersey and U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey; 1984, U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit; 1997, Connecticut

Memberships: Mr. Aprile has been a member of various professional organizations including the New Jersey State and American Bar Associations; The Association of Trial Lawyers of America; Trial Lawyers of New Jersey; The Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers

Military Service: U.S. Naval Reserve, 1969-1975; U.S. Navy active duty, 1970-1972, Meritorious Unit Commendation and National Defense Service Medal

Biography: Mr. Aprile has been associated with Bathgate, Wegener & Wolf, P.C. since 1986 and has been a partner with the firm since 1989.  As a senior litigation partner in the firm, Mr. Aprile has successfully appeared before State and Federal trial and appellate courts in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut and has appeared before the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal in The Hague, the Netherlands.  He has handled multi-million-dollar litigation matters for numerous corporate and individual clients, has obtained favorable verdicts in numerous jury and non-jury trials, and has successfully negotiated and obtained settlements in excess of $10 million.  In addition to regularly appearing in State and Federal courts, Mr. Aprile also handles arbitration and mediation matters.

Mr. Aprile practices primarily in the areas of complex business litigation, legal malpractice, legal ethics and attorney disciplinary matters, real estate litigation, construction litigation, prerogative writ matters, general equity litigation, and handles such matters at all levels.

Mr. Aprile’s ethics and disciplinary practice encompasses rendering reports and affidavits of merit as an expert witness. He also represents both lawyers and judges at hearings before the Supreme Court of New Jersey as well as various Supreme Court Committees, including District Ethics Committees, the Disciplinary Review Board, the Committee on Character, and the Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct.  Mr. Aprile provides opinions as an expert on ethics and legal malpractice matters and has advised other attorneys and law firms regarding ethics matters and the interpretation of the Rules of Professional Conduct.   In addition to handling legal malpractice matters, Mr. Aprile also assists other counsel in the preparation, prosecution and defense of such claims. 

Mr. Aprile has served as an instructor for The New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education on the topics of Attorney Ethics, Professional Responsibility and Avoiding Legal Malpractice for the Institute’s Skills and Methods course for newly admitted attorneys. Mr. Aprile’s commentary has been sought by various publications, including the Wall Street Journal, on subjects including legal ethics and lawyer discipline.   Mr. Aprile has testified at hearings conducted by the American Bar Association, Commission on Evaluation of Disciplinary Enforcement. 

In addition to representing individual clients and attorneys, Mr. Aprile has represented numerous private and public sector entities, including the following:

• City of Jersey City, New Jersey
• Neptune Township Sewerage Authority
• The Blue Onyx Companies
• Lander Property Consulting Group, LLC
• Aquatic Pool & Spa Services, Inc.
• M.G.C.C. Group, Inc.
• Carabetta Enterprises, Inc.
• SRC Construction, Inc.
• CGI Development Co., Inc.
• Flanagan’s Landscape-Irrigation Contractors, Inc.
• Summitwood Development, LLC
• CEI Investment Corp.
• Nipmuc Properties, LLC
• CompUSA

Reported Decisions:

• In the Matter of Cavuto, 160 N.J. 185, 733, A.2d 1174 (1999)
• State of New Jersey v. CompUSA, 288 N.J. Super. 413 (App. Div. 1996)
• In the Matter of Cavuto, 137 N.J. 535, 645, A.2d 786 (1994)
• In the Matter of Dugan, 136 N.J. 134, 642 A.2d 389 (1994)
• Pine Belt Chevrolet, Inc. v. Jersey Central Power & Light, 132 N.J. 564, 626 A.2d 434 (1993)
• In the Matter of Kasdan, 132 N.J. 99, 623 A.2d 228 (1993)
• Carabetta Enterprises, Inc. v. City of Asbury Park (In re Carabetta Enterprises, Inc.), 162 Bankr. 399 (Bkrtcy. D. Conn. 1993)
• Hotz Corporation v. Carabetta, 226 Conn. 812, 629 A.2d 377 (Sup. Ct. 1993)
• Carabetta Builders, Inc. v. Hotz Corporation, 30 Conn. App. 157, 619 A.2d 13 (App. Ct. 1993)
• Feist & Feist Realty Corp. v. Dockside Urban Renewal Corp., 255 N.J. Super. 100, 604 A.2d 653 (Law Div. 1992)
• Pine Belt Chevrolet, Inc. v. Jersey Central Power & Light, 249 N.J. Super. 461, 592 A.2d 634 (App. Div. 1991)
• In the Matter of Conway, 107 N.J. 168, 526 A.2d 658 (1987)
• Cos-Lin, Inc. v. Spring Lake Board of Adjustment, 221 N.J. Super. 148, 534 A.2d 44 (App. Div. 1987)
• In the Matters of Fleischer, Shultz and Schwimer, 102 N.J. 440, 508 A.2d 1115 (1986)
• State v. Hollander, 201 N.J. Super. 453, 493 A.2d 563 (App. Div. 1985)
• Rogers Transportation, Inc. v. Stern, 763 F.2d 165 (3d Cir. 1985) [on the briefs only]
• United States v. Rogers Transportation, Inc. 751 F.2d 635 (3d Cir. 1985) [on the briefs only]

Publications:

An Overview Of Attorney Disciplinary Proceedings In New Jersey:  Is The System Fair To The Accused? published in the Seton Hall Law School Law Review at 18 Seton Hall L. Rev. 554 (1988)

Defending An Attorney Ethics Matter In New Jersey published in the New Jersey Law Journal at 123 N.J.L.J. 922 (April 13, 1989)

Ethics Defense And A Confidentiality Proposal published in the New Jersey Law Journal at 123 N.J.L.J. 987 (April 20, 1989)