Darran St. Ange

Darran E. St. Ange is an associate in the Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, office of Jackson Lewis P.C.

Darran St. Ange graduated from Seton Hall University School of Law, where he was the president of the Student Bar Association, and a member of both the Interscholastic Moot Court Board and Seton Hall Legislative Journal. During law school, Darran also worked as a student attorney in the D.N.J Representation in Settlement Conference Practicum and the S.D.N.Y. Representative in Mediation Practicum where he represented indigent clients in various employment related matters. Prior to joining the firm, Darran interned for the Honorable Joseph A. Dickson of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey and clerked for the Honorable Mary Gibbons Whipple, New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division.

Professional Associations and Activities

Garden State Bar Association, member
The Sidney Reitman Employment Law American Inn of Court

Education

Seton Hall University School of Law

J.D., 2019

St. John's University

B.A., 2015

Admitted to Practice

New Jersey - D. N.J., 2021
New Jersey, 2019

Karen Taylor-Lewis

Practice Area

Karen’s practice covers all aspects of negotiation and documentation of commercial real estate and finance transactions including extensive work in real estate lending, acquisitions, retail and office leasing, ground leasing and project financing. For over twenty-five years, she has represented lenders, developers, and other financial institutions in all aspects of residential, commercial and retail development projects throughout the northeast corridor. Karen’s ability to effectively and efficiently address client’s needs is what clients appreciate when working with her.

Client Work

Karen has negotiated complex office, retail and ground leases for both landlords and tenants and has successfully represented buyers and sellers of multi-million dollar office buildings and retail development projects, as well as single family homes.

She has also assisted nationally-recognized private universities with the development of public-private projects for retail, entertainment and educational uses. With her extensive experience in the area of real estate financing, on both the borrower’s and the lender’s side, in the financing of hundreds of construction projects including retail “town center” type projects, office construction and renovation and single-family home developments, Karen is well-prepared to handle any real estate matter.

Recent work includes:

Representing numerous loan and regional lenders to assist in the structuring, documentation and closing of real estate and asset-based loan transactions, including SBA financing.
Representing a regional real estate development firm in connection with the financing, development and leasing of a 370-acre mixed use project featuring over 600 residential housing units, 388,000 square feet of retail and entertainment components.
Representing a high-profile regional banking institution in connection with branch expansion efforts in seven states and the District of Columbia.
Representing a borrower in connection with a multi-million dollar loan defeasance transaction.
Negotiating retail leases on behalf of regional developer in connection with shopping center development.
Representing a regional financial services institution in connection with a multi-million dollar retail and residential development.

Bar and Court Admissions

Pennsylvania and New Jersey
Connecticut

Education

Boston University, B.A., 1982
University of Pennsylvania, J.D., 1985

Affiliations

New Jersey Land Title Association
International Council of Shopping Centers
Builders League of South Jersey
Camden County Regional Chamber of Commerce

Personal

Karen was born in Hartford, Connecticut and now resides in Gloucester Township, New Jersey.

Jason Holt

Overview

Jason Holt is a seasoned attorney with more than two decades of experience in local government, municipal corporations, turnaround strategy, litigation and fiscal management. He draws upon his background navigating the political and economic challenges that arise throughout the redevelopment process to assist municipalities and developers in drafting and negotiating redevelopment plans and agreements, as well as Payment in Lieu of Taxes (“PILOT”) agreements, tax appeals and tax exemptions. Further, Jason is a member of the firm's Cannabis Law team.

Jason was previously with Atlantic City’s Department of Administration, where he originally served as City Solicitor charged with overseeing the municipality’s legal affairs. In 2016, he was selected by the DCA as the city’s Business Administrator to assist in the implementation of the Municipal Stabilization & Recovery Act. In this capacity, he managed the city’s more than $240 million budget and directed it on its course toward revitalization through the negotiation of several hundred million dollars of tax appeals and the effective management of casino closures, fiscal volatility, major bankruptcy matters and an unprecedented drop in its tax base.

In addition, Jason previously served as Corporation Counsel to the City of East Orange, where he oversaw the broad spectrum of the city’s legal affairs – including the introduction of major redevelopment projects, litigation of high-profile lawsuits encompassing employment practices, challenges to municipal legislation, in rem foreclosures and bankruptcy matters. Notably, while serving East Orange, he played a pivotal role as advisor to the city’s Police Department and assisted in the enhancement of policing techniques, which reduced the city’s crime rate to State and national record-breaking levels at the time.

He has held additional high-profile roles within Essex County – including Municipal Court Judge for the City of Orange Township, Deputy Freeholder Counsel to the Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders and Director of Affirmative Action for the County of Essex – as well as in Trenton, as Deputy Legislative Counsel to the New Jersey Senate & General Assembly through the Office of Legislative Services.

Jason joined the firm from the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (“DCA"), where he reviewed and investigated potential ethics violations associated with local jurisdictions. He also leveraged this deep understanding as an adjunct professor with Thomas Edison State College’s John S. Watson Institute for Public Policy, administering a graduate-level course entitled, “Law, Ethics and Decision Making in the Public Sector.” Of note, Jason served as the lead attorney in a seminal case – Patterson v. Cooper, 294 N.J. Super (N.J. Super. 1994) – which helped define notice and quorum parameters of the Open Public Meetings Act.

Insights

· DEI in the Municipal Government Ecosystem – Parts One & Two

· Primer on Criminal Record Expungement

· NJ Chamber of Commerce: DEI Professionals Roundtable

· Jason Holt and Neha Bhalani Named Co-Chairs of CSG Law’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Committee

· Jason Holt of CSG Law Joins Leadership Team of NJBIA’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Council

· CSG’s Emehelu and Holt Recognized Among ROI-NJ 2021 Influencers: People of Color

· New Economic Legislation Helps Business Expand and Prosper in New Jersey

· We’re Not in Kansas Anymore: Understanding the Yellow Brick Road to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion From Those That Helped Pave the Way

· CSG’s Jason Holt Elected to NJILGA Board of Trustees

· The New Jersey Economic Recovery Act of 2020 Explained

· Real Estate NJ: Spotlight on CSG’s Property Taxation & Valuation Group

· ROI-NJ: Land bank law can help relieve stress on economy hurt by COVID-19

· NJ Municipalities Magazine: A Special Report – Tightening Our Belt

· New Jersey Law Journal: Forging an Innovative Public Safety Program in a Fiscally Challenging Environment

· NJ Municipalities Magazine: The Secrets of a Successful Government Transition

· NJ Municipalities Magazine: Civility at Council Meetings – Seven Rules for the Gatekeepers

Honors

· ROI-NJ Influencers, Diversity & Inclusion (2022)

· The National Black Lawyers Top 100 (2021) (New Jersey)

· ROI-NJ, Influencers: People of Color List (2020-2021)

· Volunteer Lawyers for Justice – Volunteer of the Month (2022)

· Certificate of Special United States Congressional Recognition for Civil Rights

· Essex County Municipal Court Judges Association Service Award

· Diplomate in Municipal Law - Rutgers University, Institute of Continuing Legal Education & New Jersey Institute of Local Government Attorneys

Involvement

· Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Committee, Co-Chair

· Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership, Board of Trustees

· NAACP Oranges and Maplewood Chapter

Chair, Legal Redress Committee

· New Jersey Institute of Local Government Attorneys

Member, Board of Trustees
Chair, Diversity Committee

· New Jersey State League of Municipalities

Associate Legal Counsel

· New Jersey Business & Industry Association, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Council, Leadership Team

· Newark YMCA, Diversity & Inclusion Task Force

· Cornell Real Estate Council

· New Jersey State Bar Association

· Garden State Bar Association

· National Bar Association

Education

· Rutgers Law School (J.D.)

· Cornell University (B.S.)

Bar & Court Admissions

· New Jersey

· U.S. Supreme Court

· U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit

· U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey

· New Jersey State Supreme Court

News Articles

•	New York Times: A Century Later, 17 Wrongly Executed Black Soldiers are Honored at Gravesites (February 22, 2024)

•	MSNBC – The ReidOut (November 13, 2023)

•	CBS Sunday Morning: U.S. Army corrects miscarriage of justice in Jim Crow-era Texas (April 2024)

•	New York Times: Army Overturns Convictions of 110 Black Soldiers Charged in 1917 Riot (November 13, 2023)

•	Volunteer Lawyers for Justice: Meet Our 2024 Gala Pro Bono Honorees (October 7, 2024)

Yolanda Bromfield

Ms. Bromfield returns to the firm after completing a clerkship for the Honorable Jessica S. Allen, U.S.M.J., District of New Jersey. While there, she was responsible for drafting, editing, and completing opinions related to discovery, motions to amend, and motions to remand. Ms. Bromfield also conducted extensive legal research.

She previously clerked for the Honorable Yolanda Ciccone, A.J.S.C., Superior Court of New Jersey, Law Division, where she was responsible for drafting, editing, and completing opinions on motions for law and foreclosure matters and assisted with oral arguments, proof hearings, and case management conferences.

CREDENTIALS

Education

Seton Hall University School of Law (J.D.)

Teach for America Scholar
Articles Editor, Seton Hall Legislative Journal
Corporate Compliance Fellow
Institute for Privacy Protection Student Fellow
Best Oral Argument, Appellate Advocacy

Columbia University, Teachers College (M.A.)

President, Black Student Network
Arthur Zankel Urban Fellow

Hartwick College (B.S., cum laude)

Dean’s List
Nelson Scholar
Peter Junemann Scholar
Pi Lambda Theta Education Honor Society

Professional Admissions

State of New Jersey

United States District Court for the District of New Jersey

RELATED PRACTICES

Commercial & Criminal Litigation

Criminal Defense

Electronic Discovery & Information Management Counseling

Tracey Salmon-Smith

Tracey Salmon-Smith, a trusted adviser and pragmatic problem solver, assists clients with commercial and business disputes, employment litigation, securities law and internal investigations. As a former assistant United States attorney (AUSA) who also spent several years as in-house counsel for a global financial services firm, Tracey knows firsthand the pressures and challenges her clients face. Tracey is known for her composure under pressure and her commitment to achieving results.

Financial Services

Tracey represents brokerage firms and individual registered representatives in customer and employment arbitrations, litigation and regulatory matters. She offers her clients depth of experience defending claims brought in Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) arbitrations, including allegations of sales practice violations such as fraud, breach of contract, misrepresentation, selling away, unsuitability and churning. Tracey also defends clients in product-related litigation stemming from variable annuities, alternative investment products, mutual funds and preferred securities.

Regulatory Counsel

Tracey works with clients from initial contact to resolution to successfully manage regulatory inquiries, examinations and investigations by state and federal regulatory agencies and self-regulatory organizations. She also advises clients on current litigation and regulatory trends and issues, as well as e-discovery and information management.

As an employment litigator, Tracey defends corporate clients against claims related to age, race and gender discrimination; workplace sexual harassment; whistleblower complaints; unpaid wages; and wrongful discharge. She handles these complaints in court and in arbitration, including before the FINRA Dispute Resolution Division. Tracey also handles internal investigations and high-stakes class and collective action matters.

Speaking Engagements

Highly respected throughout the legal community, Tracey is much in demand as a speaker before organizations such as the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA), Practicing Law Institute (PLI), American Bar Association (ABA), National Bar Association (NBA), New York City Bar Association, New Jersey State Bar Association, The Knowledge Group and Corporate Counsel Women of Color (CCWC).

In addition to her experience in private law firm practice, Tracey had the advantage of serving for seven years as in-house counsel for UBS Financial Services Inc., and seven years as an AUSA for the Eastern District of New York. During her time as an AUSA, Tracey held the positions of Acting Chief of Environmental Litigation and Chief of Bankruptcy.

Representative Experience

Successfully obtained a jury defense verdict for a multinational information technology company in the Southern District of New York in a matter involving claims of hostile work environment, race discrimination, and retaliation.
Successfully represented a financial services firm in an arbitration matter involving claims of unsuitability, failure to supervise, breach of fiduciary duty and fraud related to investments in IPO purchases of closed-end funds, preferred stock and reverse convertible notes. Obtained expungement for financial adviser and branch manager.
Represented a financial institution in a pregnancy discrimination matter in the Southern District of New York.
Represented a major retailer in an FLSA collective action in the Eastern District of New York.
Obtained summary judgement for a mass media corporation in an age and disability discrimination lawsuit in the Southern District of New York.
Successfully represented a gaming company in a gender discrimination suit. The matter was favorably settled after a jury trial in the Southern District of New York.
Successfully obtained expungement of arbitration matter from the CRDs of all four members of a broker team in a matter involving allegations of unsuitable recommendations.
Defended a financial securities firm in arbitration matters involving structured products.
Successfully defended a broker/dealer in a FINRA arbitration in which the claimant alleged unsuitability and failure to follow instruction, and subsequently obtained expungement for both respondent financial advisors.
Successfully defended a broker-dealer in a FINRA arbitration where claimant alleged unsuitable recommendation for variable annuity and improper switching of mutual funds.
Successfully represented financial services firm in regulatory investigations.

Personal Interests

Tracey enjoys traveling, reading, cooking and mentoring young people.

Credentials

Bar Admissions

Connecticut

District of Columbia

New Jersey

New York

Court Admissions

U.S. Supreme Court

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit

U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York

U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York

Education

Villanova University School of Law

J.D. (1990)

Dartmouth College

A.B. (1987)