James B. Ventantonio
Founding Partner

jventantonio@vwlaw.com

Before co-founding the firm in 1993, Mr. Ventantonio served as General Attorney and Assistant Vice President for New Jersey Bell, where he headed the General Law Department and was responsible for litigation, risk management and claims, real estate, purchasing and environmental matters. He was also Environmental Counsel for Bell Atlantic.

Earlier Mr. Ventantonio was a tenured law professor and Director of Clinical Education at Seton Hall Law School. Prior to that, he served as Director of Somerset-Sussex Legal Services and Senior Staff Attorney for Newark Legal Services.

Mr. Ventantonio currently serves on the Seton Hall Law School Board of Visitors and is a Trustee of Raritan Valley Community College. He served in the United States Army with the 4th Infantry Division, the United States Taiwan Defense Command and in the International Affairs Division of the Office of the Judge Advocate General, leaving the military as a Major.

Mr. Ventantonio is admitted to practice in New Jersey, New York, Federal District Court, Third Circuit Court of Appeals, the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. Court of Military Appeals.
He received his J.D. from Seton Hall University University School of Law and his B.A. from Seton Hall University.

He is a member of the American Bar Association, the New Jersey State Bar Association, and the Somerset County Bar Association.

Ernest D. Wildenhain
Managing Partner

ewildenhain@vwlaw.com

Ernest D. Wildenhain has a broad range of legal experience. As the firm’s managing partner, he coordinates business operations, oversees caseloads and billing, and prepares reports for the firm’s corporate clients.

Mr. Wildenhain also maintains a full caseload with his practice devoted primarily to corporate defense litigation.

He has over thirty years of trial experience. Prior to co-founding the firm in 1993, he served as an attorney for New Jersey Bell Telephone Company/Bell Atlantic. In that capacity, he handled commercial real estate, right-of-way, labor, environmental, and litigated matters. This interdisciplinary background has given him a broad range of experience from which he draws to develop innovative and successful defense strategies.

Mr. Wildenhain served as an officer in the Army with tours of duty in Oklahoma and Vietnam. After his military service, he attended law school at the University of Denver where he served as director of the school’s legal internship program. In that capacity, he tried dozens of cases for indigent clients while still a law student.

Mr. Wildenhain is admitted to practice in New Jersey and the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.

He is a graduate of Rutgers University and University of Denver Law School. He is a member of the New Jersey Bar Association.

Thomas M. Crino
Equity Partner

tcrino@vwlaw.com

Thomas M. Crino is a member of the firm’s Litigation Department. He concentrates his practice in personal injury defense litigation, property damage recovery litigation, and contract litigation. He has extensive experience in representing individual members of the public as well as large corporations and insurance companies. He has been involved in all aspects of civil litigation including pleadings, discovery, motions, mediations, arbitrations, settlement negotiations, and
pre-trial preparations as well as trials and appeals.

Mr. Crino received his J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law and his B.A. from Richard Stockton College of New Jersey. He is admitted to practice in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, and the U.S. Supreme Court. He authored “Juggling the First Amendment: New Jersey’s Struggle with Regulating Hate Crimes,” Seton Hall Legis.J., Vol. 20:2 (May 1996).

Mr. Crino’s professional associations include the New Jersey Bar Association, the Pennsylvania Bar Association, and the Somerset County Bar Association. He is also an active member of the Somerset County Business Partnership. Mr. Crino serves as a volunteer Mediator for the Superior Court of New Jersey, Somerset County, Special Civil Part, and has been appointed by the Court as an attorney for the mentally disabled.

Debra A. Sahler
Partner

dsahler@vwlaw.com

Debra A. Sahler is a member of the firm’s Litigation Department and focuses her practice in personal injury and product liability litigation. Ms. Sahler started her legal career in the Attorney General’s offices in Albany, New York. Since then, she has handled numerous trials and appeals in both New York and New Jersey. She has successfully tried cases for defendants and plaintiffs involving premise liability, products liability, automobile and construction accidents and municipal liability in New York and New Jersey Courts. Her practice also includes commercial litigation, litigating both the prosecution and defense of claims involving breach of contract and consumer fraud.

She represents several international companies, advising them on their business dealings and potential liabilities. Ms. Sahler is intimately familiar with the interpretation of insurance policy clauses and the court’s application of these clauses, counseling her clients on the proper course of action with regard to indemnification issues and obtaining the proper amount of insurance coverage.

In addition to personal injury and product liability litigation, Ms. Sahler has been involved in administrative law proceedings and has appeared before state regulatory agencies and commissions. She authored “Scientifically Selecting Jurors While Maintaining Professional Responsibility,” 6 Alb. LJ Sci. & Tech. 383 (1996).

Ms. Sahler received her J.D. from Albany Law School Union University and her B.A. from the University at Albany.

She is admitted to practice in New Jersey and New York. She is a member of the Board of Trustees of the New Jersey Women Lawyers, where she co-chairs the organization's Gender Equity Task Force and is co-chair of the 2009 New Jersey Women Lawyers’ GALA. She is a member of the New Jersey Bar Association, the New York State Trial Lawyers Association, and the North Jersey Claims Association.  Her community activities include membership in the Bergen County Democratic Committee, the Executive Women Golf Association, and Women on the Move.

David L. Minchello
Partner

dminchello@vwlaw.com

David L. Minchello is a member of the firm’s Litigation Department and the Public Entity and Government Law Department. His practice areas include civil defense litigation, criminal litigation, municipal and governmental entity, education, employment, and condominium law.

Mr. Minchello is the founder of the Friends of Brookside Park, a community association dedicated to the preservation of open space. In addition, Mr. Minchello represents plaintiffs in special education matters as a volunteer attorney for the Essex County Lawyers for Justice. He also serves as a volunteer Mediator for the Superior Court of New Jersey, Somerset County, Special Civil Part.

Mr. Minchello received his law degree from Seton Hall University School of Law and received his B.A. from Vassar College. He is admitted to practice in New Jersey and the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. He is a member of the New Jersey Defense Association, the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, the New Jersey Bar Association, and the Somerset County Bar Association.

Fred J. Howlett
Of Counsel

fhowlett@vwlaw.com

Fred J. Howlett is a member of the firm’s Public Entity and Government Law Department. He concentrates his practice in governmental entities and litigation.

Mr. Howlett has extensive experience as both an elected and appointed government official. He served as Somerset County Freeholder from 1992-1994, and as a member of the Bridgewater Township Council from 1984-1991, serving two terms as Council President. Mr. Howlett was also an appointed member of the Bridgewater Township Planning Board. He has been active in the New Jersey State League of Municipalities, the New Jersey Conference of Republican Elected Officials, the New Jersey Association of Counties, and the Somerset County Governing Officials Organization.

Mr. Howlett received his J.D. from Seton Hall University Law School, and his B.S in Electrical Engineering from the University of Nebraska. He also holds an M.B.A. from the University of San Francisco and a M.S. degree in Advanced Management from Pace University Graduate Business School.

Mr. Howlett is a retired AT&T executive. He served as an officer in the nuclear submarine program in the U.S. Navy, obtaining the rank of Captain.

Mr. Howlett is admitted to the bar in New Jersey, the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, and the U.S. Supreme Court. He is active in many community and business organizations.

Henry J. Walsh
Of Counsel

hwalsh@vwlaw.com

Henry J. Walsh is a member of the firm’s Public Entity and Government Law Department. He concentrates his practice in governmental entities and litigation.

Mr. Walsh served as municipal attorney for Bridgewater, New Jersey, where he was responsible for legal matters of all Township departments, including police, code enforcement, human relations, and legal advice to the Mayor and Township Council. He has also served as an elected member of the Bridgewater Township Council and as an appointed member of the Bridgewater Planning Board.

Before serving as municipal attorney, Mr. Walsh served as Senior Corporate Counsel for AT&T and Corporate Counsel for Bell Laboratories. After leaving AT&T, he specialized in corporate, municipal, environmental, product injury, and intellectual property matters for 12 years at a large New Jersey law firm.

Mr. Walsh received his undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering from New York University, and his J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law. He is a graduate of the National Institute for Trial Advocacy at Duke University.

He is admitted to the bar in all State and Federal courts in New Jersey, New York, and Florida, and in the United States and Canadian Patent and Trademark Offices.

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