Patrick Papalia

Partner

Overview

Patrick leads Archer’s New York and Hackensack business litigation groups. A seasoned litigator, Patrick is passionate about his clients’ goals and dedicated to achieving them. Patrick is a first chair trial lawyer, attaining Certified Civil Trial Attorney status from the Supreme Court of New Jersey, a distinction achieved by less than two percent of all practicing attorneys. With an extensive trial record of successful verdicts on complex commercial litigation and labor matters, Patrick’s practice encompasses varied and diverse industries, including the information technology, fashion, diamond and jewelry, hospitality, and pharmaceutical industries. On a nationwide basis, Patrick has extensive experience handling and defending federal and state government audits and compliance investigations for clients in the areas of labor, immigration, and corporate fraud.

Clients enjoy working with Patrick and appreciate his proactive approach. He provides solutions for complex legal issues and creates a roadmap for each client’s success, advancing his clients’ cases efficiently and strategically. Implementing winning strategies, he has obtained no cause judgments on actions he has defended and obtained multimillion-dollar recoveries in actions where his clients have been damaged in commercial disputes.

Patrick knows the toll that litigation can take on a client and their business and works from the outset to maintain open and constant communication to ensure a complete and thorough understanding of the case. In partnership with his clients, he identifies the issues upon which success depends to form effective strategies and solutions to advance the most efficient conclusion of the case. In addition, he takes the time to counsel his clients on managing risk, since avoiding a claim is just as critical as defending one successfully.

Representative Experience

Tried a matter to verdict on a license dispute for a fashion client, and obtained a $28 million verdict after eleven trial days. In the matter, the adverse party, a global fashion house, sought $2 million. During the litigation, the adverse party made no settlement offers and demanded nothing short of full payment of its $2 million claim. Patrick was victorious on liability, and obtained all damages sought by his client in a contentious litigation.
Obtained a no cause verdict, after a seven day trial, on a $6 million dollar commercial business dispute arising from an alleged business venture failure for an engineering company. Additionally, Patrick prevailed on his client’s counterclaim and also obtained an attorney fee award against the adverse party recovery all of his client’s legal fees and costs pursuant to the parties’ contract fee shifting provision.
Obtained summary judgment on a matter for a technology client, after four years of discovery in a United Stated Federal Court action, involving labor and tort claims. The plaintiff’s demand was $5 million. The Court’s opinion cited verbatim, parts of the deposition testimony Patrick elicited from the plaintiff that was the foundation for the Court’s granting of the summary judgment motion.

Obtained a favorable defense verdict after a six day damages only trial related to a non-compete and unfair competition claim. The plaintiff sought $7 million, the court awarded $350,000. The plaintiff rejected a settlement offer during the trial by Patrick's client of $500,000 to resolve the action.
Obtained summary judgment on a labor matter involving claims of discrimination and whistle blower activities. The Court relied on admissions obtained by Patrick of the plaintiff during four days of plaintiff’s deposition. The plaintiff had a seven figure demand on the matter.
Successfully defended and implemented a favorable settlement strategy, settling a claim alleging insurance fraud in which a multimillion dollar claim was asserted by an insurance company.
Represented a global diamond wholesaler in a million dollar settlement against a national retailer, which received national press and recognition, related to an exclusive license agreement breach and unfair competition claim.
Obtained a successful verdict with monetary damages, including an award of all the attorney’s fees and costs expended by the client, an information technology client, against a vendor under a software master services agreement involving a breach of a non-compete and restrictive covenant.
Defended a matter resulting in no recovery to a plaintiff seeking damages against a firm diamond and jewelry client for alleged infringement of a federal trademark.
Handled a multimillion dollar estate litigation in which his client recovered in excess of twenty million dollars on a Will contest.
Successfully represented a Dallas-based IT company as lead counsel in a high-stakes contract dispute in the Northern District of Texas. Archer’s legal team enforced the client’s contractual rights against an out-of-state company for breaching a Master Service Agreement and violating non-compete and non-solicitation provisions. Leveraging deep experience in IT contract disputes, the Archer team secured a six-figure settlement, ensuring the client was compensated and reinforcing the enforceability of key contractual protections.

*Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstances.

Credentials

Education

Seton Hall University School of Law, JD
Montclair State University, BS

Admissions

New Jersey
New York
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York

Offices

Areas of Focus

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Practice

Industries

Jewelry & Diamonds

News & Insights

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12.05.2025

Speaking Engagements & Seminars

Litigations & Contracts Panel

Partner Patrick Papalia will be presenting the session “Litigations & Contracts Panel” at the 2025 Synergy ITServe Alliance Annual Conference. Gain knowledge from legal experts on how organizations can effectively handle issues with contracts and litigation. Key points of the presentation include:...

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06.28.2023

In the News

Patrick Papalia Quoted in Law360's The Barometer Newsletter Article, "Litigators Strategically Deploy Remote Depositions"

Patrick Papalia, Archer Business Litigation Partner, recently provided insight on the uptick in remote depositions for Law360's global newsletter, The Barometer. Alaina Lancaster's article, "Litigators Strategically Deploy Remote Depositions," addresses multiple attorneys views on opposing counsel using remote depositions to gain a tactical advantage....

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Patrick Papalia Interviewed for the New Jersey Law Journal Article, "A Matter of Strategy Now: Remote Depositions Are Becoming a Tactical Issue"

05.25.2023

In the News

Patrick Papalia Interviewed for the New Jersey Law Journal Article, "A Matter of Strategy Now: Remote Depositions Are Becoming a Tactical Issue"

The New Jersey Law Journal article, "A Matter of Strategy Now: Remote Depositions Are Becoming a Tactical Issue," discusses the strategic aspect to the choice between in-person and remote depositions. Archer Business Litigation Group Partner Patrick Papalia was interviewed by NJ Law Journal's Charles Toutant and discusses why he prefers to conduct in-person depositions throughout the article....

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