Heather L. Aquino
- Office: New Jersey
- Position: Partner
education
- J.D., St. John's University School of Law
- B.A., William Paterson University
- Social Network:
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Professional Experience
Heather Aquino believes clients deserve more than cookie-cutter defense strategies. A skilled legal strategist with a keen ability to look at the big picture and a deep knowledge of the law, Heather treats every client’s case as unique. She crafts thoughtful and deliberate approaches from inception to resolution based on the specific facts of each case—from tactical pleadings and motions through targeted discovery to trial when necessary. Her successes on behalf of WCM clients have earned her a well-deserved reputation as a formidable advocate in the courtroom and a persuasive negotiator at the settlement table.
Heather litigates a variety of general liability claims, including premises liability and automobile claims, on behalf of a diverse universe of clients that include insurance companies, banks and financial institutions; Fortune 500 companies, small businesses and privately held companies; and educational institutions. She defends businesses, recreational facilities, nonprofit organizations and educational institutions, including high schools, colleges and universities, against liability claims. Heather also analyzes and advises on insurance coverage matters.
In addition to her work for clients, Heather is one of the principal contributors to the News & Of Interest page on WCM’s website, covering legal, business and insurance topics. She also serves on the Union County Bar Association’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee and regularly speaks on diversity and inclusion issues in the legal profession. A former NCAA field hockey player, she now happily takes the field to coach her daughter.
Select Representations
- Obtained summary judgment in a matter involving a trip and fall outside of a foreclosed property owned by a bank in New Jersey by successfully arguing that the property did not qualify as a commercial property, and therefore the bank had no duty to maintain the sidewalk.
- Obtained summary judgment in a matter involving a trip and fall at a graduation at a New Jersey university by successfully arguing that the plaintiff’s claims were barred pursuant to the New Jersey Charitable Immunity Act.
- Assisted in the defense of a local baseball organization in the matter of Domaleski v. Louisville Slugger, in which a New Jersey teenager was left with catastrophic injuries after being struck by a ball while pitching in a youth baseball game, ultimately obtaining summary judgment on behalf of the organization by arguing that the matter was barred pursuant to the New Jersey Charitable Immunity Act.
- Secured a favorable mediated settlement in a significant personal injury case stemming from a neighborhood dog’s attack of a minor child.
- Secured summary judgment in a matter involving a trip and fall at a sporting event run by a New Jersey township by arguing that the claim was barred under the New Jersey Torts Claims Act.
Professional Activities
- Union County Bar Association
- Union County Bar Association Diversity and Inclusion Committee
Honors & Distinctions
St. John’s University School of Law
- John’s University Vincentian Scholarship
William Paterson University
- Trustee Scholarship
- NCAA National Academic All-American
Bar Admissions
- New Jersey, 2008
- New York, 2009
Court Admissions
- District of New Jersey