FLORHAM PARK, N.J. – July 24, 2023 – Global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP Shareholders Ian S. Marx and George David Zalepa will be recognized at the New Jersey Law Journal’s (NJLJ) New Jersey Legal Awards 2023. Marx, a shareholder in the Litigation Practice, is one of three finalists for Attorney of the Year. Zalepa, a shareholder in the Intellectual Property (IP) & Technology Practice, has been selected to the “New Leaders of the Bar” list. Honorees will be recognized at the awards celebration Sept. 13 at the Park Chateau Estate in East Brunswick.
Attorney of the Year honors the attorney who made his or her mark on the profession with an achievement that goes beyond service to the client, and New Leaders of the Bar recognizes attorneys under 40 who bring both notable achievements and outstanding potential to the table, according to the NJLJ.
In addition to achieving victories with his team on behalf of long-standing client Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation in decade-long litigation battles that set significant precedence in the $10 billion timeshare industry, Marx positively impacted the profession this past year through his numerous pro bono projects addressing inequities in the justice system and providing representation for underserved litigants. In collaboration with The Innocence Project, Marx argued before the New Jersey Supreme Court, advocating for reforms concerning witness identification practices in criminal cases. At the request of the United States District Court, he is litigating a constitutional case concerning the ex post facto application of New Jersey’s parole statute. Marx and his colleagues on Greenberg Traurig New Jersey’s Committee on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, in partnership with several New Jersey bar affinity groups, presented a symposium-style panel discussion at Seton Hall Law School, which Marx moderated, on the subject of racial bias and prejudice in the jury system. Finally, in collaboration with the Rachel Coalition, Marx represented at trial a victim of domestic violence, obtaining a final relief and a monetary award on her behalf.
Zalepa advises clients on technology transactions, including software licensing and IP due diligence in connection with mergers and acquisitions as well as drafting and prosecuting patent applications. This past year, Zalepa and his team worked on the sale of a leading software provider for aircraft operations and obtained patents for several large technology companies. A former software developer and Patent Examiner with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, he utilizes his technical experience to build and deploy software solutions to augment the firm’s legal capabilities and increase his practice’s productivity.