Phil was raised in the economically, racially, and ethnically diverse town of Lakewood in Ocean County, New Jersey. He credits his upbringing with helping him learn to deal with people.
He began his college career as a pre-med student at Emory University then switched to Rutgers University as a psychology major. He got the itch to pursue a career as a lawyer when he defeated his college landlord's refusal to return the security deposit to him and his college roommates. His adversary thought he might have a knack for the law business.
He went on to Rutgers University Law school in Newark and a clerkship in the Ocean County Vicinage. He clerked for four judges – Huber, Giovine, Kearney and Fall. He got the most out of his clerkship by creating binders full of useful papers filed by the capable lawyers that appeared in front of the judges he clerked for. He went on to work with attorney Kevin Kelly, who is well known for his role in the Robert Marshall prosecution that resulted in the Joe McGinnis book and TV movie Blind Faith. Phil worked for the firm of Kelly and Villano. The Villano of the firm was Judge Barbara Villano, now retired from the Ocean County Vicinage. Phil then became partner and the firm of Kelly and Miller was formed. They were later joined by attorney Patricia Roe who also became a Superior Court Judge, and just retired last week.
Phil is an expert in the administration of justice and operation of the Municipal Courts in New Jersey. On the surface, the Municipal Court may seem like a lowbrow affair. To the contrary, Phil shares with us that the Municipal Courts of New Jersey handle some 7 million cases per year. Phil served as a Municipal Court judge for over 20 years in the Township of Barnegat, appointed by elected officials from both sides of the aisle. He has also been assigned, by the Ocean County Vicinage Assignment Judge, to the Central Judicial Processing Court where he handles cases requiring bail determinations.
Phil’s BIG ASK is that the court system takes the very serious policy associated with the prevention of domestic violence and apply it at the Municipal Court level where so many of these matters are addressed without the resources that are brought to bear in the Superior Court.
We also chat a bit about his stage of life with his two daughters off to college and his spouse of many years, Laura Miller, showing her collage art at www.FineArtAmerica .
Enjoy the fast-paced yet in-depth view of the evolution of a successful practitioner and Municipal Court judge.
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Horn Law Group, LLC
801A Main Street, Toms River, NJ 08753
T: 732.736.9300
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Philip M. Miller
369 North Main Street, Barnegat, NJ 08005
T: (609) 698-3933
Email: pmmlegal@aol.com
Website: www.barnegatlawyer.com
Facebook: http://bit.ly/30FJPNa