Lowenstein Sandler Litigation Department Chair Christopher Porrino received the Gene Carte Memorial Award from The College of New Jersey’s (TCNJ) Criminology Student Association. Porrino received the award at the April 26, 2018, Gene Carte Awards Dinner for his criminal justice reform efforts and other achievements while serving as New Jersey State Attorney General.

Named in honor of the founder of TCNJ’s Department of Law and Justice Department, the award is given annually in recognition of an outstanding individual in the field of criminal justice who has displayed exemplary leadership and service in New Jersey. Previous honorees include U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, former New Jersey State Attorney General Peter C. Harvey, and former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff.

Porrino rejoined Lowenstein Sandler in January 2018 after serving as the 60th Attorney General of New Jersey. A seasoned trial lawyer, negotiator, and crisis manager, he advises and represents businesses and individuals in civil, criminal, and regulatory matters involving securities, consumer fraud, banking, insurance, tax, antitrust, real estate, and the environment, among others. He also conducts internal investigations for clients faced with allegations of wrongdoing or suspected wrongdoing by insiders.

While Attorney General, Porrino oversaw the implementation of bail reform, the most significant reform of New Jersey’s criminal justice system in its history, via a model that is now being replicated nationally. He took action against antisemitism and other forms of discrimination, and pioneered the country’s strictest opioid prescribing rules, paving the way for an almost immediate and very steep reduction in the number of opioid painkillers prescribed by physicians in New Jersey. In addition, Porrino worked to improve trust between police and the communities they serve, and led the planned closure of a Civil War-era youth prison in one of the most significant reforms in the history of the state’s juvenile justice system. Porrino earlier served as Director of the Division of Law within the New Jersey Attorney General's Office and as Governor Christie’s Chief Counsel.