Callegari joins McCarter & English

Christian Callegari will leave his post as chief of staff to Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh on November 22 to join the government affairs team at McCarter & English.

Callegari spent two years in Paterson and also served as acting director of Economic Development.  He previously served as chief of staff to Assemblyman Gary Schaer (D-Passaic), a sort of staff whisperer when it comes to developing young talent, and was an intern in the offices of U.S. Senator Cory Booker and Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-Paterson).

“When it comes to Chiefs of Staff, Christian Callegari is the prototype.  Two years ago, he came home and made Paterson proud.  He improved the efficiency of our office, approached every challenge with alacrity, and consequently, made me a better Mayor,” Sayegh stated.  “We will certainly miss his unequivocal professionalism, his positive attitude, and his redoubtable leadership.  I wish him continued success in his new endeavor.”

At McCarter & English, Callegari joins an amped-up government affairs practice led by Guillermo Artiles, the firm’s government affairs chair, and Republican National Committeeman Bill Palatucci, former New Jersey State Treasurer and Assemblyman Michael Horn (R-Wayne), former Board of Public Utilities chief of staff Grace Power, former Assembly Majority deputy executive director Cat Tung, and Michael Maitland, a former chief of staff to Rep. Donald Norcross (D-Camden) and aide to U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg.

Michael Murphy, a former Morris County Prosecutor and Democratic gubernatorial candidate, joined  McCarter Government Solutions, their Trenton-based lobbying firm, earlier this year.   His father, Richard J. Hughes, served two terms as governor and was the chief justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court from 1973 to 1979.   His brother, Brian Hughes, is serving his fifth term as Mercer County Executive.  Another brother, John Hughes, was a federal judge.

In 2022, McCarter & English added former New Jersey Supreme Court Justice Jaynee LaVecchia as a partner.  She retired after 23 years as an associate justice.  The former U.S. District Court chief judge, Jose Linares, is also with the firm.

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.

Sayegh has tapped Habib Kader, a former aide to Booker, as his new chief of staff.