Dennis M. Baptista
Certified Workers' Compensation Law Attorney
As a Certified Workers' Compensation Law Attorney, with over thirty years of experience, Dennis Baptista has earned a well-deserved reputation among the workers compensation bar for being a respected practitioner of great integrity and skill. Mr. Baptista has litigated numerous complicated workers compensation cases including claims involving accidental injuries, occupational diseases, repetitive motion injuries, total permanent disability, and work-related death. He obtained an Appellate Division decision in Medical Diagnostic Associates vs. Hawruluk which prevents medical providers from suing injured workers for the payment of medical bills while their workers compensation claims are being litigated. For more than a decade he has served as an Instructor for the New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education where he teaches other lawyers how to handle workers' compensation claims.
A leader in the community, Mr. Baptista served for ten years as Judge of the Phillipsburg Municipal Court. Prior to his judicial appointment, he served for ten years as Commissioner of the Phillipsburg Housing Authority with a mission to provide safe, sanitary, and affordable housing for the area's working poor. The Phillipsburg Housing Authority achieved "High Performer" status, HUD's highest possible rating of a housing authority, for each year that Mr. Baptista served as Commissioner.
Education
- J.D., Rutgers University – Newark Law School
- B.A., Rutgers University – Newark College of Arts & Sciences
Certifications
- Certified by the Supreme Court of NJ as a Workers Compensation Law Attorney, 2005- present
Appointments
- Member – Workers’ Compensation Committee,
NJ Supreme Court Board of Attorney Certification - 2021 – Present - Presiding Judge- Alpha Municipal Court, 2014– 2017
- Presiding Judge- Phillipsburg Municipal Court, 2007– 2016
- Commissioner- Phillipsburg Housing Authority, 1997- 2007
Awards
- AVVO Rating – 10.0/10.0 Superb, 2011- present
- SUPER LAWYER – Workers Compensation – 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
Teaching Experience
New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education
- Workers Comp College, 2006 – present
- Creator and Senior Instructor of live seminar designed to teach practicing attorneys how to litigate workers compensation claims. All day course held either annually or semi-annually since 2006
- Section 40 Liens – Decoded , 2011 – present
- Creator and Senior Instructor of this webinar designed for negligence and workers compensation lawyers to explain and simplify the intricacies contained in Section 40 of the New Jersey Workers Compensation Act. Held annually live over the Internet since 2011
Publications
New Jersey Law Journal
- Section 40 Liens Decoded, November 3, 2014
- Total Permanent Disability Benefits, October 24, 2012
- Workers Compensation Dependency Issues, July 21, 2008
- Permanent Disability Benefits – Workers Compensation, November 3, 2008
Published Cases:
- Medical Diagnostic Associates vs. Hawryluk, 317 N.J. Super 338 (App. Div. 1998)
Memberships
- Vice President, New Jersey Advisory Council on Safety and Health (NJCOSH)