Over the last two decades, Brian M. Schwartz has established himself as one of the top divorce attorneys in New Jersey. He has worked with some of the leading family lawyers in the state, and for more than a decade ran an independent practice based in Summit. Today he is a partner at the firm of Szaferman, Lakind, Blumstein & Blader, P.C., based in Lawrenceville. He is well known among peers, judges and more senior lawyers, and he’s a high-energy and intellectually curious lawyer with a natural confidence borne of knowing he works tirelessly and thoroughly for clients. Formerly affiliated with Ceconi & Cheifetz, and Skoloff & Wolfe, two of the most prestigious matrimonial firms in New Jersey, Schwartz has always taken on tough cases; other lawyers say his high profile in New Jersey divorce law has grown in recent years.

Growing up in Wayne, N.J., and the second of three competitive boys, Schwartz liked to win from an early age, playing baseball and soccer in his youth; he went on to The George Washington University and later University of Pittsburgh School of Law. His entry into matrimonial law was largely a function of seized opportunities: He was recruited by a Hackensack firm that focused on the field (“I decided early this was what I wanted to do”), and he later joined Gary Skoloff’s well-known practice in Livingston. He left the Skoloff firm with partner Cary Chiefetz to help launch Ceconi & Cheifetz. In both places, Schwartz plunged into the law (“I argued a motion my first week”) and benefited from many mentors along the way. Cheifetz, then at Skoloff, spotted Schwartz’s talent as adversaries (“I was a real pain in the butt on a case with Cary”), and the early seeds of his independent firm were sown. Since then, Schwartz has kept building a reputation as a tough and aggressive courtroom presence (“I like to try cases and enjoy presenting matters to the court”) and as an articulate voice of the matrimonial bar: He was chair of the Family Law Section of the New Jersey State Bar Association in 2013 and is the Executive Editor of the high-profile publication, the New Jersey Family Lawyer.

Unlike some attorneys, Schwartz loves what he does, and he loves articulating the law as well, peers say. Ultra-busy, his practice is focused on all aspects of matrimonial law.

Schwartz and his wife, Michelle (herself a successful public relations executive), have two daughters, two dogs and two cats.