Richard Marcolus - PARTNER
Rich
Marcolus is a workers’ compensation and employment law advocate
with over 20 years experience. He is a Certified
Workers’ Compensation lawyer and is licensed in New Jersey,
New York and Pennsylvania.
He is a member of Local Union #1342, Essex County Carpenters. It was while working as a carpenter watching abuses by employers and insurance companies that he decided to become a workers compensation/employment lawyer.
He paid for his education by working as a carpenter while attending Seton Hall University. He graduated with a B.A. from there in 1982 with Honors. He then laid down his tools, and in 1985 he received his law degree from Villanova University.
Although he laid down his tools for good in 1985 he still remembers what it was like to do a real days work. It is with these memories that he aggressively advocates for injured workers who are mistreated, abused, neglected and often fired after getting hurt on the job.
Rich has handled every type of compensation case from falls from scaffolding to lifting injuries. He has handled occupational claims such as pulmonary disease cases, heart attack and stroke cases, psychiatric cases due to stress, harassment and discrimination, repetitive trauma cases like carpal tunnel syndrome, cancer and organ disease cases due to chemical, mold and toxic substances and many other work-related conditions including death cases. Over 20 years he has handled thousands of cases and has had hundreds of trials.
Rich also handles employment cases dealing with family and medical leave issues, sexual harassment, gender, age, race, disability and other forms of discrimination and CEPA (whistleblower) cases. He also handles ordinary and accident disability pension hearings. Rich is committed to the aggressive representation of his client.
Rich is currently working with the New Jersey Attorney General’s office on an investigation of fraudulent exams being conducted by a New Jersey compensation doctor on behalf of insurance companies. Rich was able to expose the fraudulent exams through trial and later convinced the Attorney General’s office to investigate the wrongdoing. He is anxiously awaiting their investigation in hopes that it will curtail future attempts by doctors to lie for insurance companies.
Rich has become the Chair of the New Jersey Advisory Council on Safety and Health. This organization of doctors, unions and lawyers was founded to protect and increase benefits for injured workers. Rich recently testified before the N.J. Senate concerning a bill that would increase benefits for hand and foot injuries.
Check out the April 2006 Monthly NJ Magazine. Rich was named a Super Lawyer by a blue ribbon panel of lawyers, judges and legal experts.
