Conte for Bergen County Surrogate
MEET BERGEN COUNTY REPUBLICAN ENDORSED
SURROGATE CANDIDATE JOSEPH S. CONTE....
A Proven Record of Fairness and Integrity
• Distinguished Bergen County public servant: Retired Bergen County Superior Court Judge, municipal judge and public defender
• Elected to the Franklin Lakes Borough Council – 2025 – Serves as voting member of the Planning Board
• Adjunct Professor of Criminal Law, Bergen Community College
• Former Trustee, Bergen Community College Foundation
• Leadership roles in Rotary Club, Boys Club and Chamber of Commerce
• Former Board member, New Bridge Medical Center and Ridgewood Red Cross
Joseph S. Conte, a former judge of the Superior Court of New Jersey for 20 years, served in the Criminal and Civil Divisions, and presided over numerous jury trials. While in the Criminal Division, he was assigned four death penalty cases and over 25 murder cases. When new legislation was passed for sexual violent predator cases, Conte was the first and only judge assigned in the entire State of New Jersey to hear those cases. While in the Civil Division he tried personal injury, medical and professional malpractice and employment discrimination cases, and conducted hundreds of settlement conferences. He also participated in Civil Mediation Programs and served as a judge on the New Jersey Supreme Court Arbitration Advisory Committee for over seven years and was reappointed by the Supreme Court to continue serving as a practitioner.
Conte was the Designated Prerogative Writ Judge in the Bergen Vicinage for seven years and decided many high-profile cases pertaining to land development and Municipal and county government actions. He has been awarded certifications from Latz Negotiation Institute and the State of New Jersey Office of Dispute Settlement.
During his tenure as a Superior Court Judge, he participated in annual lectures and seminars for judges and lawyers on topics pertaining to jury selection in civil and criminal cases and topics in connection with settlement techniques. He also participated in seminars conducted by the National Judicial Society at Stanford University and University of Virginia Law Schools, and Brooklyn Law School, and also participated in numerous programs for the National Judicial College and the American Jurisprudence Society in various locations across the county.
In June 2013, Conte returned to the legal community and is active in conducting mediations, arbitrations, and real estate matters. He is an expert in counseling and negotiations, helping to resolve the matter with developers, municipalities, and other governmental agencies.
In January 2016 Joseph Conte was appointed to serve as an advisor to the Instituto de Seguridad y Proteccion of the Sistema Universitario Ana G. Mendez in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He works directly with the advisory board providing his services, including but not limited to: guidance, discipline or supervision, and educational programs to improve the current training and future sufficient or appropriate training of the Puerto Rican Police Department.
Conte is a graduate of the University of Dayton with a degree in Accounting and a graduate of Cleveland University Marshall Law School. He is admitted to practice in New Jersey as well as the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey and the United State Supreme Court. Conte is “of counsel” to the Ameri Law Firm where he leads the firm's Alternate Dispute Resolution Department as an arbitrator and mediator in civil matters and litigation. He is currently an Adjunct Professor of Criminal Law and a member of the Board of Trustees at Bergen Community College. In 2025, he was elected to the Franklin Lakes Borough Council, where he is a voting member of the Planning Board.