“All persons are by nature free and independent, and have certain natural and unalienable rights, among which are those of enjoying and defending life and liberty, of acquiring, possessing, and protecting property, and of pursuing and obtaining safety and happiness.”
Protecting the rights of individuals has been one of the driving forces behind Patrick Whalen’s law career. He has represented many citizens whose rights, as protected by the United States Constitution and the New Jersey Constitution, have been violated.
Early on in his legal career, Patrick began fighting for his clients whose civil rights have been violated, in a variety of ways, including false arrest, excessive use of force, unlawful search and seizure, freedom of speech, and violations of other rights under the First Amendment, Fourth Amendment, Fifth Amendment and Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
Patrick has successfully litigated and negotiated numerous public interest and civil rights actions. Some of these matters include:
- Historic 2003 settlement agreement that reformed and revamped New Jersey’s Child Welfare System (DYFS) in order to Protect Children in State Custody.
- Federal Civil Rights actions involving and resulting in Consent Decrees designed to monitor, prevent, and eradicate Police misconduct and abuse, improve Internal Affairs operations, and eradicate discrimination and racism.
Patrick and his Team have successfully handled a number of major school bullying cases and sexual harassment and sex assault cases involving students throughout the State. These have been at all grade levels and involved young students being targeted for a variety of reasons. The eradication of bullying, discrimination and sexual misconduct at schools has long been an important cause for Patrick and his Team.
Patrick and his Team still believe in the Constitution. They will fight for you if your Constitutional Rights have been violated by local, state and/or federal government. For more information about whether your Civil Rights have been violated, contact us online or call us at 609-393-6970.