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Two of the state’s top lawyers are changing jobs.
Kate McDonnell, who served as senior deputy chief of staff to Gov. Phil Murphy for nearly five years, will become an advisor to Attorney General Matt Platkin. Mr. Platkin’s current general counsel, Matthew Burns, will join the governor’s office as deputy chief counsel.
The move reunites McDonnell with Platkin, who appointed her as one of two councilors, along with Parimal Garg, after Murphy won the 2017 gubernatorial election. Adopted.
“Kate McDonnell embodies the best of public service,” said Garg, who replaced Mr. Platkin as chief adviser in 2020. “I have been advising Governor Murphy on every bill since day one.” Every law the governor signs is at least a little, and in many cases a lot, better, more workable, and more technically sound because of her tireless and dedicated efforts. .
Platkin was full of praise for Burns and Platkin.
“Matt Barnes is everything you want in a lawyer: smart, insightful, and has an uncanny ability to see around the corner. He was an essential member of the executive team and we will miss him here, but our loss is the Governor’s Office’s gain as he assumes a new role in the General Counsel’s Office,” Platkin said. . “As Matt retires, I am thrilled that Kate McDonnell will join our firm and serve as my principal counsel. She knows how to get projects done. I’ve had the pleasure of working with her before, and I couldn’t be happier to work with her again. New Jersey has two public service partners: Matt and Kate. We are fortunate to have two talented attorneys who make this a top priority.”
McDonnell served as General Counsel in the Congressional Majority Office, working for House Speakers Joe Roberts, Sheila Oliver, and Vincent Prieto. The daughter of Camden County Commissioner Edward McDonnell, she was part of the dream team staff assembled for Roberts by then-Assembly Majority Secretary Bill Kassner.
She joined Congress in 2006 after serving as a summer law clerk in the U.S. Attorney’s Office with Cozen O’Connor and a fellowship with Congressional Democratic staff. She is a staff member assigned to the Congressional Judiciary Committee, where she became Chief Counsel in 2009.
“In addition to being an excellent lawyer, Kate is an extraordinary person, colleague, and friend,” Garg said. “We could not be more grateful for her contributions and look forward to continuing to work closely with her as she begins her new chapter in the Attorney General’s Office.” ”
Prior to joining the Attorney General’s Office in 2018, Burns worked at the U.S. Department of Justice, where he clerked for a judge on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals and served as editor-in-chief of the Georgetown Law Journal.
This article was updated with comment from Platkin at 3:28 p.m.
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