Director

Lisa Z. Slotkin

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267.765.7343
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267.386.3306
Lisa Z. Slotkin
Practice Areas

Lisa Z. Slotkin is the Managing Shareholder of Zarwin Baum’s Jersey City office and Co-Chair of the firm’s Casualty & Professional Liability Defense Practice Group. A driven, client-focused problem solver, Lisa has built her career on providing strategic, results-oriented counsel in complex legal matters.

Lisa’s primary practice is in professional liability and legal malpractice defense, representing attorneys, insurance agents and brokers, real estate professionals, and other licensed practitioners in high-stakes claims. She also advises and defends clients in employment practices liability matters and other professional negligence disputes. In addition to her defense work, Lisa is frequently retained by insurers to provide coverage opinions and litigate insurance coverage disputes in state and federal courts throughout New Jersey.

Lisa is an integral part of the firm’s leadership team. As Co-Chair of the Casualty & Professional Liability Defense group, she oversees a team of more than 30 attorneys across multiple offices and manages the distribution of matters to ensure efficiency, quality, and optimal client service. Since opening the Jersey City location in 1999 as its sole attorney, Lisa has been instrumental in its growth, making it a thriving hub for the firm. Her leadership reflects not only her deep legal knowledge but also her strong relationships, particularly within the insurance industry, where she is recognized as a trusted and well-connected advisor.

Lisa is Board Certified in Privacy and U.S. Data Protection (CIPP/US) and has been honored repeatedly in New Jersey Super Lawyers, including recognition among the Top 50 Female Attorneys in New Jersey. She is licensed to practice in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York.

A graduate of Temple University School of Law, Lisa has been with Zarwin Baum her entire career, combining legal skill, strategic thinking, and a commitment to client success that has shaped both her practice and the firm’s regional presence.

In her “spare” time Lisa loves to try new foods, visit new places and read fiction, though she avoids legal thrillers. She also heads to the beach any chance she gets.

Representative Matters

Professional Liability

Obtained summary judgment in a legal malpractice case in which a client sued his lawyer for alleged negligent representation in the purchase of a small business. Plaintiff claimed that his lawyer did not perform the appropriate due diligence before allowing the Plaintiff to close on the purchase. Throughout discovery in the case, maintained the defense position that the lawyer had not breached the standard of care a lawyer owes to the purchaser of a small business. Plaintiff submitted and filed a very detailed Affidavit of Merit in order to comply with the Affidavit of Merit statute, but Plaintiff never served an expert report as to the standard of care. Argued that the case was not one which could go to a jury without an expert opining as to the appropriate standard of care and whether the attorney client had breached that standard, and that a mere Affidavit of Merit was insufficient. The court agreed and granted summary judgment dismissing the case against the lawyer.

Professional Liability

Slotkin Granted Dismissal with Prejudice in Professional Liability Action Lisa Slotkin successfully obtained a dismissal with prejudice in the defense of a professional negligence in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Law Division, in Somerset County. Plaintiffs, small business owners, sought damages against their insurance brokers for allegedly improperly advising them to obtain insurance coverage which Plaintiffs claim was inadequate. Plaintiffs failed to provide an Affidavit of Merit to Defendants and the Court, despite being required to do so under the Affidavit of Merit statute and despite an extension of time within which to produce the Affidavit. Defendants moved to dismiss the claim with prejudice. In an unsuccessful attempt to continue the litigation, Plaintiff instead implored the Court that the negligence claims against the Defendant insurance brokers fall within the “common knowledge” of a juror, and therefore, no Affidavit of Merit from a like professional is required. After Plaintiffs’ reply, Slotkin proceeded to oral argument. Slotkin persuaded the Court that Plaintiff’s failure to comply with the Affidavit of Merit requirement was fatal to the claim. The Court’s decision enforces the common defense position in similar cases that a claim based on deviation from the standard of care applicable to an insurance broker necessitates an Affidavit of Merit. The Court granted Slotkin’s motion, and dismissed the Plaintiffs’ complaint with prejudice.
News
& Events
Alert
October 31, 2025
Residential Homeowners Continue Avoiding Sidewalk Liability in New Jersey
Event
September 17, 2024
Lisa Slotkin speaking at National Legal Malpractice Conference on September 19, 2024 in Vancouver
Presentations and Events

June 2023 Master of Ceremonies and Co-coordinator of Themis Mock Trial Event in Richmond, VA

May 2022 Hosted and coordinated the Women of Themis 2022 Leadership Summit in Jersey City, NJ

March 2022 South Jersey Paralegal Association’s Educational Symposium, Presenter, “Top Ethical Dilemmas Faced by Paralegals”

February 2022, Themis Advocates Annual Conference, The Life of a Claim: Six Components Detailed by Industry Experts, Moderator, “Diversity Presentation”

March 2020 New Jersey State Bar Association’s Seminar for Continuing Legal Education, Panelist 2019 Legal Malpractice Update CLE

April 2019 United States Liability Insurance’s Hospitality Customer Conference, Speaker, “Trends in Liquor Liability – An Attorney’s Perspective”

March 2019 New Jersey State Bar Association’s Seminar for Continuing Legal Education, Panelist, 2019 Legal Malpractice Update CLE

May 2018 United State Liability Insurance’s Hospitality Customer Conference, Speaker, “Trends in Liquor Liability – An Attorney’s Perspective”

January 2018 THEMIS Annual Conference, Panelist, “Claims That Hit Close to Home in More Ways than One: What Every Insurance Professional and Defense Lawyer Needs to Know”

April 2017 WOMEN OF THEMIS Leadership Forum, Moderator

January 2017 THEMIS Annual Conference, Moderator, Professional Liability Panel

August 2016 WOMEN OF THEMIS Leadership Forum, Moderator

January 2016 THEMIS Annual Conference, Moderator, Professional Liability Panel

January 2015 THEMIS Annual Conference, Panel Member, “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (aka: The Firm, the Auditor and the Industry) – Understanding, Navigating and Living with Clients’ Use of Billing Vendors”

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Credentials
Court Admissions

New Jersey District Court

New Jersey Supreme Court

New York Appellate Division

Pennsylvania Supreme Court

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Bar Admissions

New Jersey

New York

Pennsylvania

Memberships

Defense Research Institute

Hudson County Bar Association

New Jersey Bar Association

New Jersey Defense Association

Professional Liability Defense Federation

Professional Liability Underwriting Society

Education

Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law, J.D.

University of Maryland, B.S.

Certifications

2015 – Present, International Association of Privacy Professionals Certified Individual Privacy Professionals/United States (CIPP/US)