New Jersey Lawyers’ Fund Reimburses Over $75,000 to Clients Defrauded by Attorneys

In the first quarter of 2025, the Fund resolved 11 claims involving seven lawyers accused of misconduct, including continued investigations into unauthorized legal activity by a suspended Jersey City attorney.

The New Jersey Lawyers’ Fund for Client Protection awarded $75,267.60 in restitution between January and March 2025 to clients who lost funds due to attorney misconduct. The payouts spanned 11 claims against seven New Jersey attorneys, with the bulk of the losses arising from unearned legal fees that were never refunded.

Ten of the eleven claims involved lawyers who accepted retainers for legal services they ultimately failed to perform, a violation formally categorized as the dishonest retention of unearned retainers. One of these attorneys, Santo V. Artusa Jr., remains under scrutiny. Although his Jersey City law office has been closed and his license suspended as of January 17, 2025, the Fund continues to receive complaints from former clients. The Fund reports that Artusa has allegedly contacted individuals online seeking money for legal services, in direct violation of a New Jersey Supreme Court order barring him from practicing law. The trustees have referred the matter to law enforcement agencies for further action and urged the public to verify an attorney’s status before entering into financial agreements.

The Fund also paid $26,392.50 across three claims related to Matawan attorney Brittany L. Parisi. Parisi’s disciplinary record now includes seven approved claims, all linked to the same misconduct pattern of retaining unearned fees.

The largest single reimbursement issued in the quarter was a $20,000 payment connected to misappropriated real estate escrow funds by Martin S. Fishman of Franklin Lakes. Acting as buyer’s counsel in a home transaction, Fishman failed to safeguard escrow deposits in his trust account. He later admitted that the funds were no longer available, prompting full reimbursement from the Fund.

Other reimbursed attorneys include Christopher M. Pitman, Paul S. Foreman, Esther Maria Alvarez, and Nicholas Evan Lewis, all of whom were suspended or disbarred prior to the claims being approved.

Established by the New Jersey State Bar Association in 1961 and expanded by the Supreme Court in 1969, the Fund compensates clients who suffer financial losses due to lawyer theft or dishonesty. It is financed by annual contributions from attorneys admitted to practice in New Jersey. According to the Fund, fewer than 0.5% of the state’s approximately 100,000 attorneys have ever been the subject of an approved claim.

To date, the Fund has disbursed nearly $100 million across 4,946 claims and successfully recovered over $27 million from responsible parties. Eligible claims must involve attorneys disbarred, suspended, or criminally convicted of misappropriation while acting in a fiduciary or legal capacity. Legal malpractice or fee disputes do not qualify.

Claim forms are available at www.njcourts.gov/public/get-help/lfcp, by mail from the Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex in Trenton, or by calling 855-533-FUND (3863). There is no fee to apply, and attorney assistance in filing claims is offered free of charge.