Our Team

Biography

John Derek Stern concentrates his practice in bankruptcy, corporate restructuring, debtor/creditor rights, assignment for the benefit of creditors, and commercial litigation.

While earning his Juris Doctorate from Rutgers School of Law-Newark in 2019, John worked as a paralegal in the foreclosure litigation unit at McCalla, Raymer, Leibert, Pierce, LLC. John distinguished himself as the Managing Research Editor of the Rutgers Computer & Technology Law Journal and served as a member of the Federal Tax Law Clinic.

While obtaining his J.D., John interned for, (1) Hon. Vincent F. Papalia, U.S.B.J., and (2) in the legal department for Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of N.J. John participated in the 2nd Annual Hon. Rosemary Gambardella Bankruptcy Moot Court Competition, where he successfully argued a Chapter 7 bankruptcy dispute before a panel of three Federal Bankruptcy Judges.

Upon graduating law school, John served as a law clerk to the Hon. Philip M. Freedman, J.S.C., Retired, in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Essex Vicinage, Special Civil Part, during the 2019-2020 court term. Subsequently, he served as an Attorney 1 for the New Jersey Superior Court, Sexually Violent Predator Court (“SVP Court”). John was the sole staff attorney state-wide for the SVP Court, where he worked with a committee of Superior Court Judges assigned from every Vicinage in New Jersey.

John graduated from Ramapo College, magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Law & Society. While attending Ramapo College, John was the recipient of the 2016 Faculty-Student Research Award for the School of S.S.H.S. John presented at the 2015 COPLAC Northeast Regional Undergraduate Research Conference.