TRUSTEE
PASSAIC COUNTY

MATTHEW T. PRIORE is a graduate of Rutgers University, cum laude, with a double major in Communications and Sociology as well as a Certificate in Criminology.  He is also a graduate of Seton Hall University School of Law and was admitted to the New Jersey Bar in 1994 and the New York Bar in 1997.  He has been involved in local government law for nearly his entire legal career. Since 2004, he has served as the Municipal Attorney for the City of Clifton, the sixth largest city in New Jersey. He also previously served as both the Assistant Municipal Attorney and Municipal Prosecutor for Clifton.

In his capacity as the Municipal Attorney for the City of Clifton, Mr. Priore is responsible for handling all legal matters in a city of over 90,000 residents and over 700 employees. He manages all in-house attorneys in the Law Department and oversees all outside counsel. He handles and oversees trial and motion practice in the Superior Court, Federal Court, Appellate Division, Office of Administrative Law, P.E.R.C., and other state agencies. He has successfully defended the City on multiple occasions both through aggressive motion practice and trials.   

In his private practice, Mr. Priore handles all aspects of civil and criminal litigation. He has had several reported decisions in the New Jersey Supreme Court, Appellate Division and Law Division.  He handles litigation in the area of employment defense, civil rights defense and insurance defense for public and private entities. He has acted as a Special Prosecutor, Special Counsel and Hearing Officer in matters involving employment discrimination, sexual harassment and employee disciplinary matters. He has also been retained to conduct investigations and provide recommendations for public and private clients. He has guest lectured at Ethics seminars for public officials as well as at Continuing Legal Education seminars.   

In addition to his work in Clifton, Mr. Priore has represented and served in numerous municipalities and government entities including the City of Passaic, Passaic Valley Water Commission, City of Wildwood, Township of Belleville, Township of Bloomfield, Borough of New Milford and Borough of Woodcliff Lake. He has also acted as Prosecutor in several towns including Hoboken, Wayne, Woodland Park, Fair Lawn, Haledon and Riverdale.