Biography
Ralph is Senior Counsel with Calcagni & Kanefsky. As a veteran trial lawyer who draws on his extensive government experience as a Federal prosecutor and lead counsel for the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, Ralph represents entities and individuals in sensitive, high-stakes matters. He focuses on internal and government investigations, corporate compliance and governance, complex regulatory concerns, crisis management, white collar defense, and arbitration and mediation.
Appointed Acting United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey, Ralph was the state’s chief Federal law enforcement officer, directing the work of approximately 140 Federal prosecutors and overseeing all criminal and civil matters involving the United States government. As General Counsel to the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, Ralph advised the Authority’s Commissioners and President on all aspects of the Authority’s business, which included oversight of the state’s two racetracks, implementation of sports betting, complex commercial contracting and litigation, and labor relations.
Through his public service and private practice, Ralph has wide-ranging experience in varied industries, including healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and life sciences; racing and sports betting; financial services; consumer products; and environmental compliance and land use.
Ralph is a certified mediator and is on the roster of mediators for the U.S. District Court of New Jersey, and for the Superior Court of New Jersey for Essex, Hudson, Morris, Union, and Passaic Counties. He is a member of the Justice Marie L. Garibaldi American Inn of Court for Alternative Dispute Resolution.
Prior Experience
Before joining Calcagni & Kanefsky, Ralph served as Senior Vice President of Legal and Governmental Affairs for the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority. As the Authority’s General Counsel, he oversaw the privatization of the state’s two racetracks; negotiated a $1.1 billion bond issue and related deal documents for the American Dream development; handled complex commercial contracting and all labor relations matters; and served as principal negotiator and litigation supervisor for the resolution of multi-million dollar claims for and against the Authority.
As the Acting United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey in 2008 and 2009, Ralph led the Office’s 140 lawyers, directing a wide-range of critical matters involving healthcare fraud; corporate, securities, and bank fraud; political corruption; the FCPA; environmental crimes; tax evasion; money laundering; environmental crimes; and national security. His service as Acting U.S. Attorney capped a 25-year career as a Federal prosecutor in New Jersey, during which he served in additional key leadership roles including First Assistant U.S. Attorney, Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney, and Senior Litigation Counsel.
Before his government service, Ralph was in private practice for 7 years handling an array of major litigations involving constitutional issues, products liability, contract disputes, labor, and land use.
Recognition and Involvement
During his government service, Ralph received top honors from the United States Department of Justice for excellence in trial and investigative work. Those honors include the prestigious DOJ Director’s Award, the Attorney General’s John Marshal Award, and numerous DOJ Special Achievement Awards. In recognition of his successes in environmental matters, he was appointed to the DOJ National Environmental Crimes Policy Committee and lectured internationally on environmental prosecutions. Ralph also lectured at the FBI Academy, teaching investigative skills to Special Agents.
A dedicated volunteer in his community, Ralph serves as a member of the Overlook Medical Center Advisory Board. He is the Trustee Emeritus for the Cranford Historical Society and served as the Assistant Scoutmaster to Boy Scout Troop 178.
