Lazaro Cardenas
The Law Offices of Patel & Cardenas
Why I became a Real Estate & Probate Attorney focusing on Protecting People’s Future
Since founding the firm, I've had the pleasure of working with countless families. I take my job as a counselor very seriously and take great pride in assisting the families that walk through our doors. Every day, I strive to become a better practitioner and to offer more options and better advice to my clients, and this makes me very happy, and it is one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.
I've also had the good fortune of partnering with a great individual who complements me and has a similar ethical and moral character. He is equally passionate about his areas of practice, and in the end, this is truly what benefits our clients the most. Often our clients' issues touch on two or more of our practice areas and having the solution in-house without involving other firms dramatically benefits our clients. One of the most rewarding moments is seeing my positive impact on entire families and how my work results in a better life for many.
I can't say that I always knew I would be a lawyer; my path to law school didn't start until much later in life. I went to college and law school in my late 30s and early 40s. You see, I didn't have law school on my cards. I am the son of a farmer and a homemaker, and becoming a lawyer was not something that seemed possible. When I returned to college in 2002, I intended to get a college degree and become an executive at a Fortune 100 company. (Your typical 'climbing the corporate ladder dream). At the time, I had been in the corporate world for over a decade at that point, and this seemed to be what everyone else around me was doing.
However, soon after completing my undergraduate degree, I decided to continue my education and realized that a law degree was what I wanted to pursue. It was thanks to the support I received from my family and some of my friends who pushed me to take a hard look at law school. In hindsight, this was
- Rutgers School of Law-Newark
- J.D. (2012) | Contracts, Trust & Estates, Real Estate
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- Rutgers University - Newark
- B.A. (2008) | Political Science
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- Honors: 3.8 GPA.
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- Chief Compliance and Legal Officer
- Latino Action Network Foundation
- - Current
- Partner
- Patel & Cardenas, LLC
- - Current
- Vice President of Funds Development
- Latino Festival of Monmouth County
- - Current
- Lazaro is a founding member of the Latino Festival. He has served in multiple capacities including the founding chairperson. He continues to serve on the executive board as one of the senior executives and advisors.
- Law & Justice Committee
- Governor Phil Murphy Transition Team
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- Served as a member of the New Jersey Governor's transition team in the Law & Justice subcommittee.
- Commissioner
- Freehold Housing Authority
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- In April 2006, Acting Governor Richard J. Codey appointed Cardenas to serve on the Freehold Housing Authority as Commissioner with the mission of overseeing its functions. He was reappointed to this commission, by Governor Jon Corzine, in April of 2010, and served until August 2018.
- Director, Information Systems
- Prudential Insurance Company of America
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- Freehold Township’s fair housing plan approved |Cardenas
- Asbury Park Press
- Nearly 1000 New Jersey Leaders and Organizations Support Allowing More Residents To Access A Driver’s License
- www.insidernj.com
- Do I Need to Hire An Attorney For My Real Estate Closing in NJ?
- https://focusedlaw.com/
- New Jersey Estate Plan for the New Year
- https://focusedlaw.com
- Can I Cut My Spouse out of My Will?
- https://focusedlaw.com/blog/
- Moderator, School desegregation forum, Red Bank Elementary School
- Latino Action Network Foundation
- Conducted desegregation forum with 21+ community leaders, educators, and students about the pros and cons of desegregation for K-12 schools in New Jersey.
- Court Certified Mediator
- New Jersey Courts
- Outstanding Contribution in Community Service
- Latino American Association of Monmouth County, Inc
- Presented on October 16, 2015, in recognition of my work in Civil Rights and Immigrant Rights in Monmouth County and across New Jersey by the Latino American Association of Monmouth County.
- Inducted into Phi Beta Kappa
- Phi Beta Kappa
- Lazaro Cardenas was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa.
- State Bar of New Jersey # 046252017
- Member
- Current
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- New Jersey
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Free Consultation
We provide a free consultation in the following areas: Real Estate, Probate, Foreclosure Defense, Loan Modification, Bankruptcy, and Estate Planning. -
Credit Cards Accepted
We accept debit and credit cards.
- Real Estate Law
- Condominiums, Mortgages, Neighbor Disputes, Residential Real Estate
- Probate
- Probate Administration, Probate Litigation, Will Contests
- Foreclosure Defense
- Estate Planning
- Guardianship & Conservatorship Estate Administration, Health Care Directives, Trusts, Wills
- English: Spoken, Written
- Spanish: Spoken, Written
- Q. If you go to law school and pass the bar without being sworn in are you a lawyer
- A: The short answer is no. In NJ you can search for the status of an attorney here: https://ecourts.judiciary.state.nj.us/webe5/AttyPAWeb/pages/_rlvid.jsp.faces?_rap=captchaAction.execute&_rvip=/pages/home.jsp&currLocaleBanner=en
- Q. We live in NJ. My uncle passed away and me and my brother only relative he has left. His estate gets divided to us?
- A: Hi, it is not automatic. if your uncle wasn’t married and had no children, siblings, or parents who were alive at the time of his death, and the two of you are the only heirs alive, then you will need to open probate and get named as administrator/executor for the estate. After that you’ll have access to his assets and will be able to distribute as per the intestacy laws of NJ if he didn’t leave a will. I suggest contacting a probate attorney in New Jersey who can assist you with this process.
- Website
- Law Offices of Patel & Cardenas
NJ - Partition Action Explained by a NJ Attorney