Atty. Peter O. Hughes
A seasoned litigator and trial attorney, Peter Hughes has represented companies in virtually every kind of lawsuit and administrative proceeding an employer might face, including every variety of discrimination, wrongful termination, and workplace harassment claim. He has teamed with management to defeat union organizing campaigns at his clients’ facilities.
Profile Summary
About Peter O. Hughes at a glance
Peter O. Hughes is a employment and litigation attorney based in Morristown, New Jersey, practicing at Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart PC. Admitted to practice in New Jersey, New Jersey State Bar Association. Educated at Seton Hall University (J.D., 1987). Recognitions include Lawyer of the Year — Employment Law - Management (Newark) (2026), Best Lawyers in America — Employment Law - Management (2026), and Best Lawyers in America — Labor Law - Management (2026). Serands clients in Morristown, NJ and the surrounding metropolitan area.
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About
- A seasoned litigator and trial attorney, Peter Hughes has represented companies in virtually every kind of lawsuit and administrative proceeding an employer might face, including every variety of discrimination, wrongful termination, and workplace harassment claim
- He has teamed with management to defeat union organizing campaigns at his clients’ facilities
- When necessary, he also has protected clients by prosecuting lawsuits against former employees who threatened to steal customers, trade secrets, and business
- Clients have trusted him to represent them in courts throughout the United States
- More importantly, Mr. Hughes helps employers avoid trouble in the first place and minimize the threat of litigation
- This involves not only addressing issues as they arise, but also taking a proactive approach to help management develop policies and procedures that allow the company to both comply with the law and perform effectively
- Combining his extensive litigation experience with a businessman’s perspective, he brings a “real world” approach to resolving complex issues that arise under laws like the Americans With Disabilities Act, ERISA, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination
- When the issues are not clear, when there is no “right” answer, he works with management to provide nuanced solutions that minimize risk and allow the company to get on with business
- It was precisely this kind of sophisticated, integrated service that he sought to provide when he co-founded the firm, Stanton Hughes, in 1995, after having helped build a labor and employment practice at another prominent New Jersey firm
- He joined Ogletree Deakins in January 2004
- Mr. Hughes also works to educate both attorneys and non-attorneys on legal issues
- As an adjunct professor for Business Law in Fairleigh Dickinson University’s M.B.A. (For Executives) Program, he lectured on a variety of subjects, including forming and financing businesses, anti-trust, and contracts as well as labor and employment law
- In addition, he serves as a lecturer on employment law issues for the New Jersey Institute of Continuing Legal Education, the Association of Corporate Counsel of America (“ACCA”) and is a contributing author of New Jersey Labor and Employment Law
- He is a past member of the Sidney Reitman Employment Law American Inn of Court (1997-99) and John J. Gibbons American Inn of Court for Intellectual Property Law (1993-1995)
- Mr. Hughes also is listed in Best Lawyers in America for labor and employment law. (No aspect of this communication has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey
- For methodology for selection of the honor above, please click on the link.) He has a Yellow Belt certification from Legal Lean Sigma
Practice Areas Explained
Peter O. Hughes's Areas of Practice
Each practice area below reflects the types of cases Peter O. Hughes handles, with a brief overview of what that area of law covers.
Employment lawyers represent workers in wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, wage & hour disputes, and severance negotiations.
Peter O. Hughes is one of 169,120 employment attorneys indexed nationally. Browse employment attorneys in New Jersey →
Civil litigation attorneys for breach of contract, business disputes, civil rights, and class action lawsuits.
Peter O. Hughes is one of 454,532 litigation attorneys indexed nationally. Browse litigation attorneys in New Jersey →
Jurisdictional Context
Why local counsel matters in New Jersey
Practicing law in New Jersey. Legal matters in New Jersey are governed by state-specific rules of civil and criminal procedure, statutes of limitations, and substantive law. Cases originating in Morristown are typically filed in the local municipal court or the appropriate New Jersey state district court, depending on subject matter and amount in controversy. An attorney licensed in New Jersey brings working knowledge of local procedural deadlines, judicial practices in this andnue, and the substantive law that applies to cases brought here. Out-of-state attorneys generally cannot represent clients in New Jersey courts without local counsel or pro hac vice admission.
Looking for additional New Jersey attorneys? Browse all attorneys in Morristown or all attorneys in New Jersey.
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