At the Law Offices of Jef Henninger, Esq., we have put together an excellent and diverse team of lawyers that can represent you in any court in New Jersey. While each member of the team has their own unique strengths and experiences, they are all equally dedicated to fighting for all of the firm’s clients. We also emphasize that we are a team and not just a collection of lawyers. While each team member has their own case load, we all work together to fight for our clients. Thus, when you hire us, you are not just getting a lawyer to work on your case; you get our excellent team of lawyers in addition to a great support staff that will stop at nothing to get you the result you want. In addition to the awards and accolades that our individual lawyers have received, the firm has been recognized as one of the GSE Companies of the Year 2011.

Jef Henninger, Esq.

Jef Henninger, Esq. is the senior partner at the firm and is one of the few attorneys that has represented clients in every single Superior Court in New Jersey.  Jef has been battle-tested in numerous successful trials over the years. He has represented doctors, lawyers, executives and even a former NFL player.  However, he has also represented children, soccer moms and grand-parents. Besides representing clients and overseeing all of the lawyers in the firm, Jef also maintains a litigation consulting practice where he consults with other lawyers as well as clients across the country on a wide range of issues.

Jef’s work has received attention from local and national media. He has been interviewed by a number of media outlets including: the New York Times, NJBIZ.com, the Newark Star Ledger, CNBC, Fox News, ABCNews.com, the Asbury Park Press, the Philadelphia City Paper, NJ 101.5 FM, the Burlington County Times, ABS-CBN News, the New Jersey Law Journal among others. Some of Jef’s interviews have been reprinted in other outlets such as Forbes.com and the Boston Herald. Jef has also been quoted as an authority on a number of legal blogs and websites. He is a Barrister in the Haydn Proctor Inn of Court, a past Judge for the Vincent J. Apruzzese Mock Trial Competition as well as an editor of several popular legal blogs. Finally, Jef has been recognized by his peers as a New Jersey Super Lawyer Rising Star.

Bar Admissions:

• New Jersey
• U.S. District Court District of New Jersey
• Supreme Court of the United States

Ciro A. Spina, III, Esq.

Ciro A. Spina, III, Esq., is the firm’s managing attorney for the firm’s New Jersey-Northern Region. A native of northern New Jersey, Ciro graduated from Glen Ridge High School and attended Fairleigh Dickenson University in Madison, New Jersey. Ciro graduated from FDU with a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Economics. He then attended the Quinnipiac College School of Law where he studied litigation and earned his Juris Doctorate.

While attending law school, Ciro supplemented his litigation studies with real world experience by working as a law clerk for a well-known firm in Bergen County and a Solo Practitioner who is now a Judge in Superior Court. This extra experience has clearly served his clients well. In 2002, Ciro began working as an associate for a defense firm in Passaic County where he primarily handled litigation cases. He was also responsible for the representation of over 7,000 Fraternal Order of Police members. Ciro then moved to a law firm in Clifton in 2006. There he was responsible for representing all of the firms family law matters including other litigation cases. It was also during this time that Ciro became the attorney for FOP Lodge 30, Monmouth County Superior Officers, who he continues to represent today.

Bar Admissions:

• New Jersey
• U.S. District Court District of New Jersey

Awards:

• 2007 FOP Lodge 106 Superior Officers Lodge for Benevolent Efforts and Stellar Work Ethic
• 2011 FOP Lodge 30 Monmouth County Superiors’ Person of the Year

Joe Compitello, Esq.

Joe Compitello, Esq. is the managing attorney of the firm’s New Jersey-Southern Region as well as the firm’s Pennsylvania-East Region. Joe grew up in the Mercer County area of New Jersey. He graduated high school from the Lawrenceville School in 1999 and four years later, from Lafayette College in 2003. At Lafayette, he obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Government and Law and was a member of their Division 1 baseball team. In February 2007, Joseph received his Juris Doctorate from New York Law School. Mr. Compitello scored among the top 10% on the Pennsylvania bar exam and as a result, obtained an essay grading position for the bar preparatory course, Barbri. Joseph began his legal career in 2005 working as a law clerk and subsequently as an associate for a law firm in Trenton.

During that time, he was exposed to a myriad of litigation. Additionally, he aided in the defense of worker’s compensation claims for the New Jersey Turnpike Authority. Most significantly, he co-wrote the winning brief in the published appellate case, Golden v. GMAC, 401 N.J. Super. 198 (2008) which redefined the statute of limitation for uninsured motorist claims. Subsequent to his time in Trenton, he worked in a criminal defense firm in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, gaining important experience in Pennsylvania courts to complement his New Jersey court experience. Following his time in Pennsylvania, Joe returned to New Jersey to work for firms where he handled criminal matters, family law cases and personal injury matters.

Professionally, Joseph is admitted to practice in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania state courts as well as the U.S. District Courts for the District of New Jersey and Easter District of Pennsylvania. He is a member of the American Bar Association, New Jersey State Bar Association, Mercer County Bar Association, and Pennsylvania Bar Association.

Bar Admissions:

• Pennsylvania
• New Jersey
• U.S. District Court District of New Jersey
• Fraternity: Phi Gamma Delta

Jaclyn Wywras, Esq.

Jaclyn Wywras, Esq is an associate with the firm.  She attended Drew University in Madison, New Jersey where she received her Bachelor of Arts in English.  She finished the school with a 3.96 GPA and she graduated summa cum laude.  She received the honors of Dean’s List for all semesters as well as Phi Beta Kappa.

She attended graduated from Seton Hall Law School with a GPA of 3.467.  She received the Raymond Del Tufo Jr Constitutional Law Award, the High Pass in Advanced Mediation and her Student Note was selected for publication.  In addition, she was the note editor for the Legislative Journal.

Bar Admissions:

• State of New Jersey
• U.S. District Court of New Jersey
• State of New York

Cynthia N. Grob, Esq.

Cynthia N. Grob, Esq. went to Rutgers University where she obtained her undergraduate degree in History and Women’s Studies in 1996. From a relatively young age, she knew that she would, one day, work with children and their families in some capacity. After college, Cynthia obtained worked as a Youth Shelter Counselor for the County of Morris Department of Human Services where she developed a passion for family law and for helping the underdog. Her experiences in the Youth Shelter drove her to attend law school and continue to drive her decisions as they relate to putting children and families first in her practice of law.

While attending school at the Rutgers University School of Law in Camden, Ms. Grob volunteered for the Rutgers Law Camden Domestic Violence Project, and she appeared weekly at the Camden County Courthouse to educate victims of domestic violence about the process of obtaining domestic violence retraining orders in family court. Additionally, she was an editor for the Rutgers Journal of Law and Urban Policy and participated in the Hunter Moot Court Program. In her second year in law school, she had an externship with the Honorable Jack M. Sabatino, J.A.D. in the Superior Court of New Jersey Chancery Division- Family Part located in Mercer County. After receiving her Juris Doctor in May 2005, she held a twelve month clerkship with the Honorable Jack M. Sabatino, J.A.D. For the first half of her clerkship, she worked in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Chancery Division – Family Part in Mercer County, and for the last half, she clerked in the Appellate Division of New Jersey as Judge Sabatino was elevated to the Appellate Division.

Admitted to practice law in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania, she is a proud member of the the New Jersey Bar Association . She is the senior family law and immigration lawyer for the firm. Ms. Grob believes that professional diplomacy is the key to the successful practice of law- especially in the area of family law, where children’s lives and future are often at stake. Many attorneys believe that you cannot be aggressive and act with diplomacy at the same time. She disagrees. A lack of professional diplomacy and poor demeanor drives litigation (and the cost of litigation) unnecessarily. Ms. Grob feels well-prepared, aggressive representation is the most effective way to reach resolution in or out of the courtroom.

Bar Admissions

• New Jersey Bar
• Pennsylvania Bar

Education

• Rutgers University School of Law Camden, J.D. May 2005
• Rutgers University , Livinston College, B.A. May 1996

Professional Memberships

• New Jersey Bar Association

Practice Areas

Divorce and Family Law

• Alimony
• Child Support
• Domestic Violence
• Equitable Distribution
• Name Change
• Non-Divorce Matters (Non-Dissolution)
• Palimony
• Parenting Time/Visitation
• Paternity
• Post-Judgment Relief
• Relocation/Custody
• Domestic Violence Restraining Orders

Immigration Law

• Deportation/Exclusion
• Naturalization/Citizenship
• Permanent Residency- Green Card
• Consultations on Impact of Criminal Convictions
• Temporary Visas (student, fiancé, religious worker, visitor)
• Family Visas