Matthew J. Lafargue, Esq.
Matt Lafargue graduated from Rutgers University in 2005 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. Prior to law school, Matt worked for two years as a caseworker for the New Jersey Division of Youth and Family Services, where his passion for helping underserved communities and people struggling with mental illness began to develop.
Matt graduated from New York University School of Law with a Juris Doctorate in 2010. At NYU Law, Matt won second place in the 2008 1L Mock Trial competition, ranked 13th in the Northeast United States in the global 2009-2010 Jessup International Law Competition, and was the winner of NYU Law’s 2008-2009 Marden Moot Court Competition, winning the Marden Award in the finals judged and awarded by Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito. Matt also interned in law school at the United States Attorney’s Offices for the Southern District of New York and Eastern District of New York, as well as at the Queens District Attorney’s Office and DLA Piper.
Matt worked for his first three years after law school as an Assistant District Attorney at the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office in Long Island, where his specialties included animal cruelty and adolescent diversion. Matt also spoke at local high schools about the dangers of drunk driving. In 2013, Matt came back home to New Jersey as a Deputy Attorney General for the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office Division of Criminal Justice. As a New Jersey state prosecutor, Matt’s specialties included public corruption, gangs and organized crime, narcotics distribution, burglary, auto theft rings, bias crimes, and environmental crimes. Matt also developed and taught a Continuing Legal Education course on search and seizure law.
After a decade at the New Jersey Atttorney General’s Office, Matt joined Kemeny, Ramp & Renaud as a litigation associate. Matt’s practice specialized in estate litigation, contract litigation, and criminal defense, where he developed a specialty in representing criminal defendants struggling with mental illness. Matt has developed and continues to teach a Continuing Legal Education course on criminal representation of mentally ill clients.
Matt is also a seasoned actor, singer, and director, with over three decades of experience in the performing arts. Matt has performed in over 50 stage shows, and has performed at venues including Giants Stadium, Lincoln Center, Paper Mill Playhouse, and the Notre Dame de Paris. In 2019, Matt received a nomination for Best Director from the New Jersey Association of Community Theatres. Matt has performed the national anthem for Somerset Patriots baseball and for the State of New Jersey’s official Veterans’ Day ceremony. Matt has also developed and taught a Continuing Legal Education course on elements of theatre in the practice of law, which he continues to offer.
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