Andrew T. Fede

Of Counsel

Overview

For more than 40 years, Andrew has maintained a diverse practice focused on several areas, which include appellate litigation, business and governmental civil litigation, municipal law, zoning and planning, real estate tax appeal, labor and employment, employment and other forms of discrimination, wrongful termination, probate law, real estate law, and constitutional law. He has served as the attorney for the Boroughs of Bogota, Maywood, and Norwood, and for the Township of Mahwah. He has been the planning board attorney, zoning board attorney, library board attorney, and special counsel in six other New Jersey municipalities.

Andrew is a certified mediator in the New Jersey Superior Court mediation program for civil, general equity, and probate cases, was an arbitrator in the Bergen County Superior Court contract/commercial arbitration program, and has been appointed by several Superior Court judges to serve in cases as mediator, arbitrator, special master, and condemnation commissioner.

Since 1986, Andrew has been an adjunct professor at Montclair State University in Montclair, New Jersey, teaching a variety of law courses in the University’s Department of Political Science and Law. He is the author of numerous articles on legal topics, which have appeared in a variety of publications.

A legal historian, he is the author of A Degraded Caste: Unequal Protection of the Law as a Badge of Slavery (2024); Homicide Justified: The Legality of Killing Slaves in the United States and the Atlantic World (2017); Roadblocks to Freedom: Slavery & Manumission in the United States South (2011), and People Without Rights: An Interpretation of the Fundamentals of the Law of Slavery in the U.S. South (1992), which was republished in 2011, as well as five scholarly articles that appeared in the Cardozo Law Review, the American Journal of Legal History, the Law and History Review, the Journal of Supreme Court History and FCH Annals: Journal of the Florida Conference of Historians. He also authored biographies of New Jersey judge Andrew Kirkpatrick and New Jersey judge and influential corporate lawyer James B. Dill in the American National Biography (1999) and of Dill in the Yale Biographical Dictionary of American Law (2009), an article on "Slave Codes" in the Macmillan Encyclopedia of World Slavery (1998), three book reviews that were published in the American Journal of Legal History, and one book review published in the American Historical Review and the Register of the Kentucky Historical Society.

"Public Records Requests and Open Meetings: Legal Essentials for Paralegals," Institute for Paralegal Education (March 2026)
"A Closer Look at Government Structure and Administrative Agencies," Institute for Paralegal Education (March 2026)
"Municipal Law 2026," National Business Institute (December 2025)
“Public Records and Open Meeting Law: Rapid Fire Updates,” National Business Institute (November 2025)
"Sign Regulations: New Challenges and Best Practices," National Business Institute (November 2025)
"Ensuring Local Governments Comply With the Law - New Jersey Guide," National Business Institute (December 2024)
"Sign Regulations: New Challenges and Best Practices," New Jersey Government Law: What You Need to Know Now, National Business Institute (September 2023)
"Public Records and Open Meeting Law: Rapid-Fire Updates," New Jersey Government Law: What You Need to Know Now, National Business Institute (September 2023)
"Digital Sign and Billboard Regulation: Insights from Top Lawyers," Advanced Land Use and Zoning Disputes with Local Government, National Business Institute (August 2023)
“The Basics of Public Records and Open Meetings Law,” National Business Institute (February 2023)
“Billboards and Digital Signs: Crafting and Enforcing Local Regulations After Austin v. Reagane Live,” Strafford (September 2022)
“Open Meetings and Public Hearings Law Overview,” Public Records and Open Meetings 101 Live Webinar, National Business Institute (August 2021)
“Closed Sessions, Exceptions, and Common Violations,” Public Records and Open Meetings 101 Live Webinar, National Business Institute (August 2021)
“Digital Signs and Billboards: Crafting and Enforcing Local Regulations,” Strafford (October 2020)
“Open Meeting Laws,” Ensuring Local Governments Comply with the Law, National Business Institute (December 2019)
“Public Records Issues,” Ensuring Local Governments Comply with the Law, National Business Institute (December 2019)
“Sign Regulations: How Local Governments Can Respond to New Challenges,” National Business Institute and West LegalEdcenter Live Teleconference (December 2018)
“Government Attorney Ethics: Protect Your Client and Yourself,” Local Government from Start to Finish, National Business Institute (December 2017)
“Sign and Billboard Law: Balancing Regulatory Concerns and Constitutional Freedoms," Local Government from Start to Finish, National Business Institute (December 2017)
“Drafting Regulations and Public Ordinances,” National Business Institute Live Audio Webinar (November 2017)
“Sign and Billboard Zoning Law,” National Business Institute and West LegalEdcenter (January 2017)
“Exemplary Practices of Highly Effective Practitioners: Appellate Practice,” Bergen County Bar Association (October 2016)
“Government Attorney Ethics: Protect Your Client and Yourself,” Local Issues Involving Local Governments, National Business Institute (June 2016)
“Sign Regulations: How Local Governments Can Respond to New Challenges,” National Business Institute and West LegalEdcenter (April 2016)

Credentials

Education

Rutgers University School of Law, JD
Montclair State University, BA

Admissions

New Jersey
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey
U.S. Supreme Court

Offices

Hackensack, NJ

Areas of Focus

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Practice

News & Insights

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With Strings Attached: New Jersey Courts Enforce Donor Conditions on Gifts and Trusts

05.01.2026

Articles

With Strings Attached: New Jersey Courts Enforce Donor Conditions on Gifts and Trusts

In an article written for the New Jersey Law Journal, Andrew Fede explains that New Jersey courts strongly enforce donor-imposed conditions on charitable gifts and trusts, recognizing donor standing to challenge deviations even when such rights are not expressly reserved. Through key appellate decisions, the article highlights the judiciary’s consistent emphasis on honoring donor intent, including requiring refunds when charities materially depart from agreed purposes, rejecting attempts to invoke the cy pres doctrine where compliance remains feasible, and holding trustees liable for breaching fiduciary duties by disregarding explicit instructions. These rulings underscore that recipients, whether nonprofits, municipalities, or trustees, must carefully evaluate their ability to comply with donor restrictions before accepting gifts, as failure to adhere to those conditions can result in legal liability and financial consequences....

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Paralegal Strategies for Navigating Government and Administrative Law

03.12.2026

Speaking Engagements & Seminars

Paralegal Strategies for Navigating Government and Administrative Law

Join partner Andrew Fede for the IPE online seminar “Paralegal Strategies for Navigating Government and Administrative Law” designed to polish your government and administrative law skills. Discover how to work with public records and assist in government investigations with insights that include:...

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12.11.2025

Speaking Engagements & Seminars

Municipal Law 2026

Join partner Andrew Fede for an NBI online seminar that will show municipalities how to navigate legal issues arising from the changing municipal law landscape. This course is designed for attorneys and municipal officials who want to gain a better understanding of modern legal issues with topics including election administration issues, employment law issues, legal ethics in local government law, municipal liability and section 1983 claims, municipal contracts, and land use and zoning: balancing growth and community interests....

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