John E. Finnerty
Chairman,
Finnerty,
Canda & Drisgula, P.C.

John E. Finnerty
John E. Finnerty, a Certified Matrimonial Attorney, is the chairman of Finnerty, Canda & Drisgula, P.C. Mr. Finnerty is also Chairman of the New Jersey Supreme Court Family Part Practice Subcommittee on Parenting and Custody for the 2004-2006 term.  He is also the former chair of the Family Law Section of the New Jersey State Bar Association. In 1998, he was awarded the Saul Tischler Award for a lifetime contribution to family law in the State of New Jersey. Mr. Finnerty is a frequent lecturer for the Institute of Continuing Legal Education, and regularly contributes articles to national and State Family Law publications.

Mr. Finnerty received his J.D. from Rutgers University School of Law, Newark in 1972 and his M.A. in Political Science from Brown University in 1968. He received his B.A. in Political Science from Brown University in 1965.

Mr. Finnerty is a member of the New Jersey State and American Bar Association. He is also a member of the Association of Trial Lawyers and the Bergen County and Essex County Bar Associations.

Marilyn Canda
Partner

Marilyn Canda
Ms. Canda has been a partner at Finnerty, Canda & Drisgula, P.C. since March, 2004. Before joining Finnerty, Canda & Drisgula, P.C. in January, 2003, she was an associate at Law Office of David W. Crook.  In 1996, Ms. Canda received her J.D. from the Rutgers University School of Law at Camden, New Jersey where she was a recipient of the Debroah Michael Richards Memorial Award for Excellence in Family Law. At Rutgers, she participated in the Domestic Violence Pro Bono Project, Moot Court competition, Juvenile Conference Committee at Camden County Family Court, Domestic Violence Intake Unit at the Bergen County Family Court, and the Civil Practice Clinic. She was also a judicial intern for the Honorable Mark M. Russello, JSC, Bergen County. Ms. Canda received her B.A. in English from Montclair State University in 1993.

In 2004, Ms. Canda completed intensive litigation training at the 18th Annual Family Law Advocacy Institute in Houston, Texas. Ms. Canda has lectured for the National Business Institute, has published articles on various Family Law topics and is a member of the New Jersey State Bar Association.

Candice Drisgula
Partner

Candice Drisgula
Since joining Finnerty, Canda & Drisgula, P.C. in 1999, Ms. Drisgula has focused her practice primarily in the area of family law, handing matters involving divorce, custody, support, equitable distribution and domestic violence both at the Trial and Appellate levels. Ms. Drisgula also has experience in civil litigation and land use, having served as the Board of Adjustment attorney for the Borough of Ringwood from 1999-2003.

Ms. Drisgula earned her J.D. in 1994 from the University of Denver, School of Law, where she participated in Project Safeguard, a pro bono project, providing legal services and counseling to victims of domestic violence. Ms. Drisgula participated, as a pupil, in the Northern New Jersey Family Law Inns of Court from 1999-2000 and served as a pool attorney, providing pro bono representation for domestic violence contempt actions in the Bergen County from 1998-1999.

Ms. Drisgula is a member of the New Jersey State Bar Association – Family Law Section, as well as the Bergen County Bar Association. Ms. Drisgula earned her B.S. in Business Administration from Colorado State University in 1991.

Neeli Berger Margolis
Associate

Neeli Berger Margolis
Ms. Margolis has been an associate at Finnerty, Canda & Drisgula, P.C. since 2002. Before joining the firm, she was an associate at Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy in Manhattan.

Ms. Margolis received her J.D. from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in 2001, where she graduated magna cum laude. At Cardozo, she served as the Editor on the Law Review, was a member of the Order of the Coif and was a Dean's Law Scholar. Ms. Margolis graduated Rutgers College, Rutgers University magna cum laude in 1994 with a B.A. in Political Science and Middle Eastern Studies. At Rutgers, Ms. Margolis was a Henry Rutgers Scholar and a Merit Scholar as well as a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Her senior thesis was entitled "In the Interest of the Child: Rights in Conflict."

Ms. Margolis is licensed to practice in the State of New Jersey and the State of New York.

Paul J. Concannon
Associate

(Fluent in Spanish)

Paul J. Concannon
Mr. Concannon has been an Associate at Finnerty, Canda & Drisgula, P.C. since 2004. Mr. Concannon received his J.D. from New York Law School in 2002. After graduating, Mr. Concannon served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Harold C. Hollenbeck, J.S.C. in the Chancery Division, Family Part, Bergen County.

Mr. Concannon graduated on the Dean's List at Seton Hall University in 1994, earning a B.A. with a double major in Criminal Justice and Spanish. Mr. Concannon was employed as a Bi-Lingual Probation Officer for the State of New Jersey, Child Support Enforcement Unit, Bergen County, from 1996 to 2002. Before joining the firm, Mr. Concannon practiced in the areas of family law, criminal law, estate administration, and labor law.

Mr. Concannon has been a member of the American Bar Association since 2003. Mr. Concannon participates as a pupil in the Northern New Jersey Family Law Inns of Court.