Lecturer Bio
John Morelli, Esq.
Mr. Morelli concentrates his
practice in the areas of litigation,
commercial transactions and real estate
transactions. He is an experienced trial
attorney who has been actively
appearing before juries since he was
admitted to the bar in 1981. The
Supreme Court has Certified Mr.
Morelli as a Civil Trial Attorney, a
distinction that less than 2% of
attorneys achieve.
Mr. Morelli is a 1981 graduate of
Rutgers University Law School. He
holds a B.A. degree from LeMoyne
College in Syracuse, New York. While
an undergraduate, Mr. Morelli was a
member of the Pi Gamma Mu National
Honor Society. He graduated cum
laude, with honors in his major in
1978.
He is admitted to practice in the
states of New Jersey, Pennsylvania
and California as well as the United
States District Courts for New Jersey,
the Eastern and Middle Districts of
Pennsylvania, the Southern District of
California, the United States Claims
Court and the United States Supreme
Court. He is a member of the New
Jersey State Bar Association, the
Camden County Bar Association the
California Bar Association and the
New Jersey Trial Lawyers Association.
Mr. Morelli served as the Municipal
Court Judge for the Waterford and
Voorhees Townships, the Borough of
Stratford and the Boroughs of
Woodlynne and Collinsgwood from
1997 until 2018. Mr. Morelli has
served as a member of the Municipal
Court Practice Committeesfor the New
Jersey State Bar Association and the
Camden County Bar Association. He
has authored an article on The History
of the Municipal Courts which
appeared in New Jersey Lawyer
magazine as well as articles on Lincoln
the Lawyer and book chapter in the
upcoming New Jersey Municipal Court
Practice Manual.
Mr. Morelli has also
been appointed by the New Jersey
Supreme Court to the District IV Ethics
Committee and the Municipal Court
Practice Committee. He served at the
Vice Chair, then as Chair of the
District IV Ethics Committee.
Mr. Morelli served as the City
Attorney and Director of the
Department of Law for the City of
Trenton, New Jersey from 2018 until
2021. In addition to supervising the
staff attorneys, Mr. Morelli was
responsible for the management of all
litigation matters, all urban
redevelopment projects as well as the
drafting of all resolutions and
ordinances on behalf of the City. He
served as the chief legal advisor to both
the Mayor and City Council.
As City Attorney, Mr. Morelli
was responsible for the drafting of a
comprehensive zoning ordinance for
medical marijuana facilities in the City
of Trenton. He has negotiated
redevelopment and land use
agreements involving some of the
largest national marijuana companies.
Mr. Morelli also drafted a
comprehensive regulatory plan for the
marijuana industry within the City of
Trenton which has served as a model
ordinance for other municipalities
within the State as well as throughout
the country.
