Stephanie Olivo, the former director of compliance at the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission, has joined one of the state’s most prestigious law firms as a special counsel.
Olivo will join McCarter & English’s government affairs group and work on political and campaign compliance issues for the firm.
“Compliance with today’s laws regulating corporations with government contracts or activities related to supporting or opposing candidates is complex and requires special knowledge,” said Guillermo Artiles, chair of McCarter’s Government Affairs Group. “Stephanie brings extensive experience in this area and will help senior executives and their companies to be in compliance with this maze of complicated regulations.”
Another McCarter partner, Bill Palatucci, said Olivo would be a strong addition to the firm.
“I worked with Stephanie when she was at ELEC and have always found her to be professional, detailed and extremely knowledgeable about the law she was executing,” he said.“I know that current and future clients will value her senior-level experience at one of the most critical agencies in New Jersey that many corporations are required to interface with.”
At ELEC, Olivo was the go-to person on matters relating to corporate and PAC contributions, lobbyist registrations, and the administration of New Jersey’s gubernatorial public financing law.
Before joining ELEC nine years ago, Olivo was a senior counsel at the New Jersey Casino Control Commission and an assistant solicitor for Atlantic City.
“I am looking forward to helping businesses and organizations engaging in the public arena,” stated Olivo. “The move is a natural fit, and working with top-quality colleagues who share the same end goal — to provide the best outcome for clients — is very exciting.”
McCarter & English is one of the state’s largest law firms, and the two sons of its founder served as attorney general of New Jersey: Thomas McCarter, a former New Jersey Senate Majority Leader, was nominated as the state’s top law enforcement official in 1902 by Gov. Franklin Murphy. His brother, Robert McCarter, succeeded him after he resigned to become president of the Public Service Corporation (now PSE&G) in 1903.
During the era of Jersey City Mayor Frank Hague, Robert McCarter served as counsel to a legislative committee investigating allegations of voter fraud in Hudson County during the 1930s.
Former New Jersey Supreme Court Justice Jaynee LaVecchia joined McCarter as a partner after 23 years as an associate justice. The former U.S. District Court chief judge, Jose Linares, is also with the firm.