The History of the McCarthy Law Firm

Our History

Princeton’s Oldest Law Practice, Since 1927

For nearly a century, the McCarthy family has practiced law in Princeton. Three generations of McCarthy attorneys have served the people, families and businesses of this community, and many of our clients’ families have been with us for four generations.

The Founding: John F. McCarthy, Sr.

The firm’s story begins with John F. McCarthy, Sr., whose path to the law was anything but easy. As a young man in what was then a small village, he worked as a butcher and as a conductor on the trolley line between Princeton and Trenton. Like many townspeople of his day, he came to know Professor Woodrow Wilson, and he attended Wilson’s presidential inaugurations in 1912 and 1916. Inspired by Princeton’s most famous son, he studied at night at the old New Jersey Law School in Newark, now part of Rutgers, while working his day jobs.

In 1927 he began practicing law out of his home at #2 Charlton Street, establishing what would become Princeton’s oldest legal practice. His office stood across the street from St. Paul Church, and many of his clients were fellow parishioners. He was also active in the St. Vincent de Paul Society, which serves the poor. During the hard years of the Depression, many clients could not pay in cash, so they paid their legal fees “in kind.” A client might bring eggs from the farm or fix the plumbing.

He was also active in local public life and ran for office as a Democratic candidate in the Borough of Princeton. John F. McCarthy, Sr. served his clients and his community until his death in 1954.

As Princeton grew, he represented many of the area’s major real estate owners and developers. His clients included Linpro, which built Princeton Meadows, as well as Hilton Realty, Thompson Land and Forsgate Farms. He also served on the boards of Nassau Savings & Loan and Princeton Bank.

Like his father, he was active in Democratic politics. He ran as a Democratic candidate in Princeton Township in 1954 and served as President of the Princeton Democratic Club.

In the 1960s he expanded the firm, added partners and moved it into an entire building at 6–8 Charlton Street. The firm grew to include a distinguished group of attorneys. Former New Jersey Governor William T. Cahill was with the firm from 1974 to 1978, when it was known as Cahill, McCarthy and Hicks. John P. Sheridan, Jr., former New Jersey Commissioner of Transportation, was also with the office. Several of its lawyers went on to the bench, including Mercer County Superior Court judges Coleman T. Brennan, Theodore Tams and F. Patrick McManimon. Angelo Onofri, now a Mercer County Superior Court judge, was also with the firm. Richard Schatzman joined in 1967, and for many years the firm practiced as McCarthy and Schatzman.

Jack McCarthy, Jr. practiced law in Princeton for 64 years, until his death in 2012 at the age of 90. His life and career are chronicled in the book Of Town and Gown: The Life and Times of John F. McCarthy Jr. (1921–2012), with an introduction by John McPhee.

The Third Generation: John F. “Jack” McCarthy III

John F. McCarthy III graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University with highest honors in history and earned his law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. He began his career with a Newark firm and then served as an Assistant Deputy Public Advocate in the New Jersey Division of Rate Counsel. He joined the family practice in 1976 and was a director and shareholder of McCarthy and Schatzman for more than 25 years. In 2005 he and his father opened the McCarthy Law Firm at 353 Nassau Street, carrying the family practice forward.