Arlene Q. Perez

Arlene Quinones Perez is an Equity Partner and the Director of Diversity & Inclusion at DeCotiis. She is a member of the Labor and Employment Practice Group, the Municipal Law Practice Group, the Educational Law Practice Group and the Cannabis Law Practice Group.

Arlene currently serves as Corporation Counsel to the City of Hoboken, General Counsel to the Township of West Amwell, General Counsel to the Carteret Board of Education and General Counsel to Bergen County Community College. Prior to joining the DeCotiis law firm, she served as General Counsel to the Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters ('NRCC'), which is a skilled trade organization that at the time represented carpenters in New Jersey, New York State and throughout the United States. Previously, Arlene served as an Associate with Kroll Heineman Carton, LLC, where she focused on labor law, municipal law, securities fraud, and election law. From 2011-2012, Arlene served as a Judicial Term Law Clerk for the Honorable Michael A. Shipp in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. Prior to joining the Federal District Court, Arlene was an attorney with Murphy Orlando, LLC and a registered lobbyist with Impact NJ, LLC. From 2009-2010, Arlene served as a Judicial Term Law Clerk to the Honorable Lisa P. Thornton in the Superior Court for the State of New Jersey.

Arlene's extensive government and political experience includes her service as a Councilwoman in the Town of Clinton, New Jersey (where she was the youngest member of the municipality's governing body and the only Hispanic woman to serve as an elected official in Hunterdon County), a member of the Town of Clinton's Board of Adjustment and working as a confidential assistant to the Governor and Attorney General of the State of New Jersey.

Arlene served as Chair of the Judicial and Prosecutorial Committee (“JPAC”) for the New Jersey State Bar Association from 2019 to 2020. She has also been at the forefront of the cannabis legal practice in New Jersey for over a decade and has been advocating for the expansion of medical marijuana and other legal reforms related to medical cannabis. Arlene also serves as the General Counsel for Latina Civic Action. Arlene served as the Chair of the Hunterdon County Democratic Committee for a decade. From 2016 to 2017, Arlene served as the President of the Hispanic Bar Association of New Jersey where she served on the Board for over ten years. Arlene previously served as a member of the Supreme Court Committee on Women in the Judiciary and the Board of Directors for the Girls Scouts Heart of New Jersey. Arlene was featured in the Hispanic Executive Magazine, listed by Politics NJ on the 40 Under 40 Power List, as one of New Jersey's top 50 rising stars, and featured in the Star-Ledger as a Person of Interest. In 2009, Arlene received the National Association of Women Lawyers Award. While in law school, she completed a judicial externship with the Honorable Jose L. Linares in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey.

Pro-Bono Activities

• Board of Directors for the Girls Scouts Heart of New Jersey

Past Positions

• Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters, General Counsel

• Kroll Heineman Carton, LLC, Associate

• Honorable Michael A. Shipp, a United States District Judge, Judicial Term Law Clerk, 2011 to 2012

• Murphy Orlando, LLC

• Impact NJ, LLC, Registered Lobbyist

• Town of Clinton, New Jersey, Councilwoman

• Honorable Jose L. Linares, a United States District Judge, Judicial Externship

• Appellate Division of the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office, Law Clerk

• Honorable Lisa P. Thornton in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Judicial Term Law Clerk

Honors

• New Jersey's Top 50 Rising Stars, PoliticsNJ on the 40 Under 40 Power List

• Person of Interest, Star-Ledger

• National Association of Women Lawyers Award, 2009

Classes & Seminars

• Adjunct Professor, New Jersey City University