NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 31, 2025--
Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf, LLP is pleased to announce a leadership transition as Scott R. Matthews has been appointed as the firm’s new Managing Partner, succeeding Robert J. Luddy, who has led the firm with distinction since 2001.
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Under Bob’s leadership, Windels Marx has cemented its status as a premier law firm, expanding its capabilities, strengthening its reputation for excellence, and delivering outstanding results for clients. His strategic vision, commitment to innovation, and dedication to the firm’s attorneys and staff have been instrumental in shaping its success. Bob will carry on with his litigation practice, continuing to serve the firm and its clients.
Scott Matthews, who joined Windels Marx in 2004 and became a partner in 2011, has been a driving force in the firm’s growth and strategic direction. He received his J.D. from Fordham University School of Law (1999) and his B.A. from the University of Florida (1996). A dedicated advocate for his clients, Scott has demonstrated strong leadership, a deep commitment to the firm’s values, and a forward-thinking approach to legal services. His appointment as Managing Partner marks an exciting new chapter for the firm.
Reflecting on this transition, Bob Luddy shared: "It has been a privilege to serve as Managing Partner for the past 24 years. I am proud of what we have achieved together and grateful for the talented professionals who make Windels Marx an exceptional firm. I have every confidence that Scott will lead with the same dedication and integrity that have defined our success."
Scott Matthews expressed his vision for the firm’s future: "I am honored to follow in Bob’s footsteps and continue building on the strong foundation he has established. I am grateful for the support of the firm’s partners and Executive Committee and look forward to working with our talented attorneys and staff to uphold our tradition of excellence, collegiality, and client service. Together, we will continue to advance the interests of our clients and move forward with strength and purpose."
ABOUT WINDELS MARX: Windels Marx is a full service, midsize law firm headquartered in New York, New York, with offices in New Brunswick and Madison, New Jersey, and Stamford, Connecticut. The firm has in excess of 150 lawyers across more than 20 practice areas, the largest of which by volume of business are financial transactions, real estate, litigation, bankruptcy, pharmaceutical, and private client services. Learn more at www.windelsmarx.com
Scott R. Matthews has been named Managing Partner of Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf, LLP.
New Jersey Transit train engineers went on strike Friday, leaving an estimated 350,000 commuters in New Jersey and New York City to seek other means to reach their destinations or consider staying home.
The walkout comes after the latest round of negotiations on Thursday didn’t produce an agreement. It is the state’s first transit strike in more than 40 years and comes a month after union members overwhelmingly rejected a labor agreement with management.
“We presented them the last proposal; they rejected it and walked away with two hours left on the clock," said Tom Haas, general chairman of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen.
NJ Transit CEO Kris Kolluri described the situation as a “pause in the conversations.”
“I certainly expect to pick back up these conversations as soon as possible,” he said late Thursday during a joint news conference with New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy. “If they’re willing to meet tonight, I’ll meet them again tonight. If they want to meet tomorrow morning, I’ll do it again. Because I think this is an imminently workable problem. The question is, do they have the willingness to come to a solution.”
Murphy said it was important to “reach a final deal that is both fair to employees and at the same time affordable to New Jersey’s commuters and taxpayers.”
"Again, we cannot ignore the agency’s fiscal realities,” Murphy said.
NJ Transit — the nation’s third-largest transit system — operates buses and rail in the state, providing nearly 1 million weekday trips, including into New York City. The walkout halts all NJ Transit commuter trains, which provide heavily used public transit routes between New York City’s Penn Station on one side of the Hudson River and communities in northern New Jersey on the other, as well as the Newark airport, which has grappled with unrelated delays of its own recently.
The agency had announced contingency plans in recent days, saying it planned to increase bus service, but warned riders that the buses would only add “very limited” capacity to existing New York commuter bus routes in close proximity to rail stations and would not start running until Monday. The agency also will contract with private carriers to operate bus service from key regional park-and-ride locations during weekday peak periods.
However, the agency noted that the buses would not be able to handle close to the same number of passengers — only about 20% of current rail customers — so it urged people who could work from home to do so if there was a strike.
Even the threat of it had already caused travel disruptions. Amid the uncertainty, the transit agency canceled train and bus service for Shakira concerts Thursday and Friday at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
The parties met Monday with a federal mediation board in Washington to discuss the matter, and a mediator was present during Thursday’s talks.
Wages have been the main sticking point of the negotiations between the agency and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen that wants to see its members earn wages comparable to other passenger railroads in the area. The union says its members earn an average salary of $113,000 a year and says an agreement could be reached if agency CEO Kris Kolluri agrees to an average yearly salary of $170,000.
NJ Transit leadership, though, disputes the union’s data, saying the engineers have average total earnings of $135,000 annually, with the highest earners exceeding $200,000.
The union has seen steady attrition in its ranks at NJ Transit as more of its members leave to take better-paying jobs at other railroads. The number of NJ Transit engineers has shrunk from 500 several months ago to about 450 today.
Associated Press reporter Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed to this report.
An electronic display advises commuters of NJ Transit service disruptions at the Secaucus Junction station in Secaucus, N.J., Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
An electronic display advises commuters of potential NJ Transit service disruptions at the Secaucus Junction station in Secaucus, N.J., Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
An electronic display advises commuters of NJ Transit service disruptions at the Secaucus Junction station in Secaucus, N.J., Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
An NJ Transit train pulls into the Secaucus Junction station in Secaucus, N.J., Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
An electronic display advises commuters of potential NJ Transit service disruptions at the Secaucus Junction station in Secaucus, N.J., Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
