Arla D. Cahill

Arla D. Cahill is a Partner in the Firm’s Litigation Department in which she focuses her practice on complex Commercial and Corporate Litigation, including shareholder disputes, trade secret misappropriation, commercial lease disputes, and fiduciary, trust and estate litigation; Banking Litigation representing national banks and private lenders in multi-million dollar foreclosure and guaranty enforcement actions; and Labor and Employment Litigation representing individuals in class and collective actions, wage and hour violations, and discrimination cases.  For nearly thirty years, she has regularly appeared before the New Jersey State civil trial, appellate and administrative courts, the federal courts of New Jersey and New York, and before national arbitration tribunals.

In addition to her civil litigation practice, Arla has long been the champion of the rights of individuals with disabilities, including adults and children, even before she became a lawyer. As Chair of the Education Law Practice Group, she represents educationally disabled students and their families in the matters arising under the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (NJLAD) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), among other civil rights statutes. She also counsels college-age disabled students in obtaining accommodations and equal access to their college program services and benefits. Arla has extensive experience with litigating and resolving student discipline and bullying appeals under the New Jersey Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act.

As Co-Chair of the Special Needs Practice Group, Arla participates in cases involving complex guardianship disputes, elder law protection and special needs planning.

Arla regularly presents lectures to attorneys and members of the public on topics concerning disability rights in the workplace, special education rights, student discipline, harassment, intimidation and bullying (HIB), mental health, transgender rights, and attorney ethics. She has also appeared twice on the NJ Matters television program discussing her views on student bullying issues.

Her professional memberships include the New Jersey State Bar Association (School Law Special Committee Member), New York State Bar Association, Sussex County Bar Association, Worrall F. Mountain Inn of Court (Master), New Jersey Women Lawyers Association, Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA), SPAN, and Council of Special Needs Planners.

Arla was recognized by New Jersey Super Lawyers in its “Rising Star” in Business Litigation list (2006-2009) and the Super Lawyers list for 2022, 2023 and 2024.* She was also recognized as an Essex County “Top Lawyer” in the Morris/Essex Health & Life Magazine in June 2023.

Arla’s community involvement includes serving as President of the Board of Trustees for two non-profits, Employment Horizons, Inc. and Employment Horizons Enterprises, Inc., and she served for twelve years as a member of the New Jesey Supreme Court District V-B Ethics Committee, holding Chair and Vice Chair positions.  Since 2012, she has participated in numerous charity bicycle rides to raise awareness and funds for the National MS Society’s Bike MS, the National Diabetes Association’s Tour De Cure, Autism New Jersey’s Ride for Autism, among other charitable organizations.

Arla is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law during which she was a teaching assistant in the Legal Writing Program, research assistant for MacArthur Foundation Award recipient, Professor Pamela Samuelson (intellectual property), member of the Moot Court Board, charter member of the University of Pittsburgh Inn of Court, and a student attorney with the Health Law and Elder Law Clinics.

Prior to law school, she graduated at the top of her class with a Master of Science in Microbiology from Duquesne University, where she was selected to serve as a teaching assistant for undergraduate biology classes, and her thesis research was published in the international, peer-reviewed science journal, Applied and Environmental Microbiology. Arla earned her Bachelor of Science, cum laude, in Biology with a minor in Chemistry from Montclair State University.

Following law school, Arla served as Judicial Law Clerk to the Honorable Leo Yanoff, Judge of the Superior Court of New Jersey, Essex County Vicinage.

Arla resides with her husband and their labrador retriever in Sussex County where they enjoy kayaking, motor boating, hiking and motorcycling.