Bringing Defamation and Trade-Libel Claims in UPEPA States

Zach earned his J.D. from Cornell Law School in 2011 and his B.A., magna cum laude, from the New Jersey Institute of Technology in 2007. Following law school, he clerked for the Honorable Rachel N. Davidson in the Civil Division of the Superior Court of New Jersey from 2011 to 2012. He is admitted to practice in New Jersey (2011) and New York (2012), as well as before the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, the Southern District of New York, and the Eastern District of New York.

Zach has been consistently recognized among the leading attorneys in his field. He has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch™ for Commercial Litigation from 2022 through 2024, in New Jersey Super Lawyers® for Business Litigation each year from 2019 through 2026, and in New York Metro Super Lawyers® for Business Litigation in 2020, 2021, 2024, and 2026. His notable victories include defeating a defamation lawsuit brought by one former Board of Education member against another under New Jersey's Anti-SLAPP statute; securing the pre-answer dismissal of a high-profile defamation and conspiracy action filed against a nonprofit director, in which he served as pro bono outside counsel alongside the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey; obtaining a unanimous New Jersey Supreme Court win on personal guaranty law; and achieving a major LLC member dissociation victory following an eight-day trial in the Somerset County Chancery Division. He has also been quoted by Law.com and the New Jersey Law Journal as a leading voice on the application and impact of New Jersey's Anti-SLAPP statute.

Zach is actively engaged in the legal community as a member of The John C. Lifland American Inn of Court, the American Bar Association, the Association of the Federal Bar of New Jersey, the New Jersey State Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association, the Morris County Bar Association, and the Hudson County Bar Association. He is a frequent speaker and lecturer on defamation and media law, having served as a panelist for the New Jersey State Bar Association's continuing legal education seminar "How to Bring and Defend a Defamation Lawsuit in New Jersey" in both 2024 and 2025, and as a guest lecturer on Law and Mass Communication at Rutgers University School of Law–Newark. A prolific writer on media and First Amendment issues, Zach contributed annual updates to the Media Law Resource Center's surveys of New Jersey libel law and New Jersey employment privacy law from 2017 through 2021. He co-authored "UPEPA Turns Two: A Survey of Early Results and Trends in the First Two Years of New Jersey's Anti-SLAPP Statute," published in the New Jersey Law Journal in September 2025, as well as the firm's widely read client alert, "New Jersey Bolsters First Amendment with Anti-SLAPP Law," published in October 2023.

Zach is particularly experienced in matters involving defamation, free speech, and New Jersey's AntiSLAPP statute, where he has successfully defended clients against claims aimed at silencing constitutionally protected speech. His record includes dismissals and summary judgments in suits against community advocates, employers, public officials, nonprofit leaders, and media organizations. He also submitted an amicus curiae brief on behalf of a group of prominent political-science academics in connection with a pending appeal addressing whether New Jersey's ban on so-called "fusion voting" violates the right of political association under the state constitution. Beyond his First Amendment practice, Zach has extensive experience in business litigation, including matters in the Chancery Division and the Complex Business Litigation Part in New Jersey and the Commercial Division in New York. He represents individuals and businesses of all sizes across industries, including real estate, construction, family investment entities, energy, health care, and franchising, in disputes involving the New Jersey Revised Uniform Limited Liability Company Act, the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act, breach of contract, franchise practices, false advertising, and professional liability claims. His recent commercial successes include trial and motion victories on behalf of real estate brokers and salespersons facing fraud and Consumer Fraud Act claims, summary judgment for a real estate brokerage in a dispute over alleged unpaid commissions, and dismissal of a lender liability lawsuit against a mortgage finance company. Across each engagement, Zach is known for delivering thoughtful, strategic advocacy that protects his clients' interests at every stage, whether through early resolution or through trial and appeal.