Rutgers Law School - Newark Alumni Association Annual Gala 2019

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 30, 2019
6:00 PM - 10:00 PM
MAPLEWOOD COUNTRY CLUB
MAPLEWOOD, NJ
 

Honorees

 

Distinguished Alumni Awards

Shepard Goldfein '75

Of Counsel, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
Shepard Goldfein served as the firm’s Antitrust/Global Competition practice leader from 1996-2013. Mr. Goldfein handles a wide variety of cases — from large, complex antitrust and sports-related litigation to white collar criminal investigations and mass disaster litigation.

Mr. Goldfein has served as litigation counsel in several matters for the National Hockey League. In this regard, Mr. Goldfein represented the NHL in connection with its 2005 season-long work stoppage and participated in the negotiation and authorship of the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement. He also represented the NHL in connection with its 2012- 2013 season work stoppage and collective bargaining negotiations and co-authored the terms of the NHL’s newly modified collective bargaining agreement.

Mr. Goldfein successfully represented the NHL in connection with the efforts of a prospective buyer to purchase the Phoenix Coyotes and relocate the team to Canada though bankruptcy proceedings without submitting to league approval processes governing transfers of ownership and relocation. He also represents the NHL in connection with a purported antitrust class action challenging the exclusive broadcast territories of the NHL member clubs. Mr. Goldfein also regularly has counseled the NHL on a variety of its business practices and has served as counsel to the commissioner on a variety of matters brought before the commissioner for arbitration.

Mr. Goldfein obtained a jury verdict in favor of the National Football League in a case brought by Victor Kiam in connection with the sale of the New England Patriots. After six weeks of jury trial, Mr. Goldfein also secured a directed verdict for the NFL in an antitrust action brought by the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission in connection with the relocation of the Rams franchise from Anaheim to St. Louis. In the highly publicized antitrust action brought by the United States Football League against the NFL, Mr. Goldfein served as one of the trial counsel who successfully defended the NFL and its member clubs against claims of monopolization and other antitrust violations. He also defended the NFL in the numerous lawsuits filed by NFL players challenging NFL player employment rules, including the case brought by Freeman McNeil. Mr. Goldfein also successfully defended the NFL in the case brought against it by former New England Patriots owner William Sullivan, who challenged the validity of the League’s public ownership policy. Mr. Goldfein also has represented the National Basketball Association and the Arena Football League.

Mr. Goldfein also has litigated many treble damages class action price-fixing cases. He has defended such clients as Cemex, Christie’s plc, Christie’s Inc., the American Stock Exchange, International Paper Co., NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith, and Morgan Stanley in such litigations, as well as a variety of clients in criminal and civil investigations conducted by the antitrust division of the Department of Justice.

Mr. Goldfein has worked on mass disaster criminal investigations and related civil litigations. He successfully defended Great Adventure, Inc. and its parent company, Six Flags Corporation, against charges of aggravated manslaughter arising out of the tragic deaths that resulted from a fire at Great Adventure Amusement Park, and represented the New York State Urban Development Corporation in a criminal investigation and wrongful death litigation arising out of a fire at Schomburg Plaza, a high-rise residential complex in Manhattan. In addition, Mr. Goldfein served as lead trial counsel for Bally Manufacturing Corporation in its products liability defense of the wrongful death and personal injury actions that arose out of the San Juan Dupont Plaza Hotel fire in Puerto Rico. He also successfully represented the landlords of the Happy Land Social Club, where 87 people died in an arson fire, with regard to a felony manslaughter investigation.

Mr. Goldfein writes a monthly column for the New York Law Journal focusing on antitrust issues. He was selected for inclusion in Chambers Global: The World’s Leading Lawyers for Business 2015, and was named by the SportsBusiness Journal as a Power Player in sports law in 2016. He was included among The Hockey News’ 2012 “People of Power & Influence” list. In addition, Mr.
Goldfein repeatedly has been selected for inclusion in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, Who’s Who Legal: Competition and The Best Lawyers in America. He also was named Best Lawyers’ 2014 “New York City Sports Lawyer of the Year” and was listed in The International Who’s Who of Competition Lawyers & Economists 2014.

 

Maureen Ruane '93

Consultant, Educator & Advisor

Maureen A. Ruane is a veteran former federal prosecutor, health care lawyer, compliance professional, educator, and advisor, who has served as a Vice President and an executive at large global pharmaceutical companies; as the Chief of the Health Care & Government Fraud Unit at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey; and as an equity Partner and Chair of the Health Care Litigation, Investigations & Compliance Group at Lowenstein Sandler, a prominent NJ / NY law firm.

As an in-house attorney, Maureen Ruane served as the chief litigation advisor and conducted major internal investigations that spanned the globe. She also provided legal advice and direction in U.S. litigation matters, and she handled and oversaw all significant and group material disputes.

As the Chief of the Health Care & Government Fraud Unit at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey, Maureen was recruited to create and lead the Office’s first stand-alone Health Care & Government Fraud Unit, which included directing and supervising the Office’s criminal and civil investigations and prosecutions of health care fraud offenses, as well as its criminal investigations and prosecutions under the FCPA, and environmental, tax, and other statutes. As Chief, Maureen supervised and directed the successful prosecution of more than 70 health care fraud cases, and the conviction of more than 150 defendants for health care fraud and other offenses, including environmental crimes, tax fraud, and government fraud. Under her supervision, the Unit recovered more than $510 million in settlements, judgments, fines, restitution, and forfeiture.

In private practice, Maureen was an equity Partner at Lowenstein Sandler, where she was the Chair of the Health Care Litigation, Investigations & Compliance Group. There, she represented corporate and individual clients in litigations and investigations, as well as providing counsel to clients on regulatory and compliance issues.

Over her 25 years as an attorney, Maureen was included in The Best Lawyers in America (2015 & 2016) for her work in health care litigation, white collar criminal defense, and commercial litigation matters. She received awards and commendations from numerous federal investigative agencies, including HHS-OIG, FBI, FDA, IRS, DEA, Secret Service, Postal Inspection Service, Department of Transportation, Department of Labor, and Department of Veteran’s Affairs. She was ranked as a leading individual in white collar crime and government investigation practice areas by Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business (2007–2010), which noted that she “is [a] leading white-collar attorney . . . recognized for her work in tax, health care[, and] securities fraud-related cases.” Maureen was included on the list of Super Lawyers (2009–2010), and as a Rising Star (2007), which recognized her work in white collar criminal defense, business litigation, and appellate work. She was listed in the New Jersey Law Journal (2007) as one of “Forty Under 40” promising professionals. Maureen also received the U.S. Department of Justice Performance Award (2002) for sustained superior work performance. And Maureen received an “AV” Peer Review rating by Martindale-Hubbell for her legal abilities and ethical standards

Maureen is the proud mother of four children, who are the light of her life. Maureen is the youngest of four children born to parents who grew up on rural farms in County Mayo, Ireland. Maureen’s parents immigrated to the U.S., arriving in New Jersey in the 1950s. Although Maureen’s parents came from very limited means and resources, they worked lovingly and tirelessly to convey to Maureen and her three older brothers all the wonderful opportunities that are available here. Maureen considers herself very fortunate and blessed to have received her B.A., with honors, from Rutgers College, and she received her J.D. from Rutgers School of Law-Newark, where she was Senior Articles Editor of the Rutgers Law Review and a member of the Rutgers National Moot Court Team.

 


The Fannie Bear Besser Award For Public Service 

Hon. Camelia M. Valdes '96

Passiac County Prosecutor
Camelia M. Valdes is the Passaic County Prosecutor. When Ms. Valdes was appointed on May 16, 2009 by Governor Jon S. Corzine and confirmed by the New Jersey State Legislature, she became the first Latina county prosecutor in the State of New Jersey, the first woman prosecutor in Passaic County, and the first lead prosecutor of Dominican ancestry in the United States. Governor Chris Christie re-appointed Ms. Valdes to a second term on June 26, 2015. As the chief law enforcement official in Passaic County, Ms. Valdes is responsible for the management of approximately 185 assistant prosecutors, detectives, victim advocates and support staff, a $20 million office budget and the oversight of 16 municipal police departments, the police departments of William Paterson and Montclair State Universities and the Passaic County Sheriff’s Department.

Ms. Valdes is a career prosecutor. She served as a Municipal Prosecutor in the City of Newark, a Deputy Attorney General in the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, an Assistant Governor’s Counsel to Governor Christine Todd Whitman and Acting Governor Donald T. DiFrancesco, and as an Assistant United States Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Newark. Her experience has ranged from investigating and prosecuting municipal offenses to complex federal crimes that included human trafficking, health care fraud, financial offenses, and violent crimes.

Ms. Valdes is extensively involved in criminal law policy, bar associations, and community service work. The Hispanic National Bar Association named Ms. Valdes the 2016 Latina Lawyer of the Year.

Born to Dominican parents in the Bronx and raised in Newark, New Jersey, Ms. Valdes is a product of the Newark Public Schools. She received her undergraduate degree in sociology from Seton Hall University in 1993, her law degree from Rutgers Law School-Newark in 1996 and her L.L.M. in Trial Advocacy from Temple University in May 2001. As the proud mother of two beautiful autistic girls, Isabela and Elsa, ages 14 and 12, Ms. Valdes endeavors to raise awareness about autism.

Event Sponsors