Eldridge Hawkins, Sr., Esq.
At an early age , Eldridge Hawkins, Sr. learned that "different" did not mean "equal". Pierced by discrimination at the tender age of 9 during the 1940's, he decided to become a lawyer, hoping to create and enforce laws establishing equality for all.
Raised in East Orange, Eldridge attended public schools, then went on to Rutgers University where he participated in ROTC and Track and Field. He graduated in 1962 with a BA Degree in Political Science. Working as a bilingual Cuban Refugee-Welfare Worker at the Essex County Welfare Board in Newark, he was able to finance his law education and attended Seton Hall University School of Law at night, graduating in 1966.
Passing the Bar in 1967 he became one of the first twelve attorneys working for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in Washington DC under Lyndon Baines Johnson. In the heat of the riots and social unrest, Hawkins was sent by the EEOC to investigate the Newark Riots where he stayed as an attorney for Newark Legal Services. After becoming the Director of Monmouth Legal Services in 1969, he was fully equipped to right the wrongs of unfair treatment and went into private practice creating the firm of Hawkins and Rossi, where he worked from 1970 through 1976. During that time he served as Chief Prosecutor for the City of East Orange and was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly, serving from 1972 to 1978.
Finally, Hawkins' childhood dream materialized when he sponsored the NJ Affirmative Action Law and became the Chairman of the Judiciary, Law, Public Safety and Defense Committee under Governor Brendan Byrne, giving him the opportunity to draft the New Jersey Code of Criminal Justice, also known as "Title 2C", published in 1979. The drafting of this publication caused Hawkins to become extremely knowledgeable of the NJ Constitution . He is also known for the investigation of the Rubin Hurricane Carter Case assigned to him by Governor Byrne, who was considering clemency. He also was a Federal Bankruptcy Trustee and Receiver.
In 1977 Hawkins opened the firm of Eldridge Hawkins, Esq. which existed until he opened Eldridge Hawkins LLC , his current law firm in 2003 . His entire career has been dedicated to social Justice and helping those often forgotten. Between 1977 and 2000 he represented Revlon Subsidiary Corporations, the National Corporation Housing Projects and the Council for Black officers against Brutality to name a few.
Attorney Hawkins was a Jaycee , member of the NAACP and a very active member of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and served on the NJ Supreme Court Ethics Committee for Essex County. He was also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Hospital Center at Orange, Board of Directors of YMCA of Orange, Maplewood, West Essex, and Sussex County New Jersey, Inc., Founding Trustee and Attorney for the Carl Lewis Fund, Inc. and the Founding President of the Garden state Bar Association. He is the recipient of countless awards including being the first recipient of Seton Hall Law School's Thurgood Marshall Award, Rutgers University Public Service Award and the Military order of the World Wars Award for Courageous Defense of the first Amendment to the Constitution. He has been named to "Who's Who in American Law and Who's Who in American Politics. In 1972 he was one of "Ebony Magazine's" "Most Eligible Bachelors". Now married for over 40 years to Linda Cofer, he is the father to Former Orange Mayor and Entrepreneur, Eldridge Hawkins, Jr. and Actress/ Writer/Producer, Hillary Hawkins . In his spare time he enjoys reading the bible and learning foreign languages.
Referred to often as "The Legend" , Eldridge Hawkins has obtained multiple million dollar awards for his clients and has litigated against such entities as Exxon, United States Marshals Service, PSE&G, US Postal Service, NJ transit, NY/ NJ Port Authority, the Attorney General's Office, CVS, several municipalities , the State Police, NJ Police Board, Firemen Retirement and Pension Board (NJPFRS) , to name a few.
Legal philosophy: "The justice system continues to be unbalanced and I see our job as litigators to balance the scales."
At an early age , Eldridge Hawkins, Sr. learned that "different" did not mean "equal". Pierced by discrimination at the tender age of 9 during the 1940's, he decided to become a lawyer, hoping to create and enforce laws establishing equality for all.
Raised in East Orange, Eldridge attended public schools, then went on to Rutgers University where he participated in ROTC and Track and Field. He graduated in 1962 with a BA Degree in Political Science. Working as a bilingual Cuban Refugee-Welfare Worker at the Essex County Welfare Board in Newark, he was able to finance his law education and attended Seton Hall University School of Law at night, graduating in 1966.
Passing the Bar in 1967 he became one of the first twelve attorneys working for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in Washington DC under Lyndon Baines Johnson. In the heat of the riots and social unrest, Hawkins was sent by the EEOC to investigate the Newark Riots where he stayed as an attorney for Newark Legal Services. After becoming the Director of Monmouth Legal Services in 1969, he was fully equipped to right the wrongs of unfair treatment and went into private practice creating the firm of Hawkins and Rossi, where he worked from 1970 through 1976. During that time he served as Chief Prosecutor for the City of East Orange and was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly, serving from 1972 to 1978.
Finally, Hawkins' childhood dream materialized when he sponsored the NJ Affirmative Action Law and became the Chairman of the Judiciary, Law, Public Safety and Defense Committee under Governor Brendan Byrne, giving him the opportunity to draft the New Jersey Code of Criminal Justice, also known as "Title 2C", published in 1979. The drafting of this publication caused Hawkins to become extremely knowledgeable of the NJ Constitution . He is also known for the investigation of the Rubin Hurricane Carter Case assigned to him by Governor Byrne, who was considering clemency. He also was a Federal Bankruptcy Trustee and Receiver.
In 1977 Hawkins opened the firm of Eldridge Hawkins, Esq. which existed until he opened Eldridge Hawkins LLC , his current law firm in 2003 . His entire career has been dedicated to social Justice and helping those often forgotten. Between 1977 and 2000 he represented Revlon Subsidiary Corporations, the National Corporation Housing Projects and the Council for Black officers against Brutality to name a few.
Attorney Hawkins was a Jaycee , member of the NAACP and a very active member of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and served on the NJ Supreme Court Ethics Committee for Essex County. He was also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Hospital Center at Orange, Board of Directors of YMCA of Orange, Maplewood, West Essex, and Sussex County New Jersey, Inc., Founding Trustee and Attorney for the Carl Lewis Fund, Inc. and the Founding President of the Garden state Bar Association. He is the recipient of countless awards including being the first recipient of Seton Hall Law School's Thurgood Marshall Award, Rutgers University Public Service Award and the Military order of the World Wars Award for Courageous Defense of the first Amendment to the Constitution. He has been named to "Who's Who in American Law and Who's Who in American Politics. In 1972 he was one of "Ebony Magazine's" "Most Eligible Bachelors". Now married for over 40 years to Linda Cofer, he is the father to Former Orange Mayor and Entrepreneur, Eldridge Hawkins, Jr. and Actress/ Writer/Producer, Hillary Hawkins . In his spare time he enjoys reading the bible and learning foreign languages.
Referred to often as "The Legend" , Eldridge Hawkins has obtained multiple million dollar awards for his clients and has litigated against such entities as Exxon, United States Marshals Service, PSE&G, US Postal Service, NJ transit, NY/ NJ Port Authority, the Attorney General's Office, CVS, several municipalities , the State Police, NJ Police Board, Firemen Retirement and Pension Board (NJPFRS) , to name a few.
Legal philosophy: "The justice system continues to be unbalanced and I see our job as litigators to balance the scales."
Eldridge Hawkins, Jr., MBA, JD.
Law Clerk/Investigator
Mr. Hawkins is CEO and founder of Black Belt Security & Investigations, LLC (B.B.S.I.). He brings to the company considerable insight & experience in the areas of public safety, management, and public/private partnerships between government and community stakeholders.
For over a decade Mr. Hawkins has served in a variety of governmental public safety positions including time as Acting Police & Fire Director, Municipal Emergency Management Coordinator under Homeland Security and Police Officer for multiple jurisdictions. Accordingly, he possesses a myriad of certifications and has received specialized training in weapons, tactics, counter terrorism, neutralizing active shooters inside of schools and more. He is also the former Mayor of Orange, NJ, a city of 33,000 people and an operating budget of $56 million.
Prior to his retirement from the West Orange Police Department and induction into the NJ Police Honor Legion, Mr. Hawkins spent considerable time in the private sector. He was responsible for locating bail jumpers/fugitives and other special investigations as Chief Detective for a Private Detective Agency formerly based out of Roselle, NJ. He also obtained hands on experience as an Armored Car Guard for Coin Depot Corp. (CDC) transporting millions of dollars in cash & receipts for banks, retailers and governmental entities such as NJ Transit and The Port Authority of NY & NJ.
In addition to having been duly qualified by the New Jersey State Police as a Licensed Private Detective and authorized by multiple State authorities to conduct security business, Hawkins has been recognized as a security expert by a variety of media outlets.
Academically, Mr. Hawkins has completed the Master Detective Course in Private Investigation from the Detective Training Institute in San Juan, California, earned a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration from Rider University and has obtained a second undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice from Thomas Edison State College. He holds a Master of Business Administration degree (MBA) from Seton Hall University with a concentration in Management and is also a graduate of Mitchell Hamline School of Law having obtained his Juris Doctor (JD).
Law Clerk/Investigator
Mr. Hawkins is CEO and founder of Black Belt Security & Investigations, LLC (B.B.S.I.). He brings to the company considerable insight & experience in the areas of public safety, management, and public/private partnerships between government and community stakeholders.
For over a decade Mr. Hawkins has served in a variety of governmental public safety positions including time as Acting Police & Fire Director, Municipal Emergency Management Coordinator under Homeland Security and Police Officer for multiple jurisdictions. Accordingly, he possesses a myriad of certifications and has received specialized training in weapons, tactics, counter terrorism, neutralizing active shooters inside of schools and more. He is also the former Mayor of Orange, NJ, a city of 33,000 people and an operating budget of $56 million.
Prior to his retirement from the West Orange Police Department and induction into the NJ Police Honor Legion, Mr. Hawkins spent considerable time in the private sector. He was responsible for locating bail jumpers/fugitives and other special investigations as Chief Detective for a Private Detective Agency formerly based out of Roselle, NJ. He also obtained hands on experience as an Armored Car Guard for Coin Depot Corp. (CDC) transporting millions of dollars in cash & receipts for banks, retailers and governmental entities such as NJ Transit and The Port Authority of NY & NJ.
In addition to having been duly qualified by the New Jersey State Police as a Licensed Private Detective and authorized by multiple State authorities to conduct security business, Hawkins has been recognized as a security expert by a variety of media outlets.
Academically, Mr. Hawkins has completed the Master Detective Course in Private Investigation from the Detective Training Institute in San Juan, California, earned a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration from Rider University and has obtained a second undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice from Thomas Edison State College. He holds a Master of Business Administration degree (MBA) from Seton Hall University with a concentration in Management and is also a graduate of Mitchell Hamline School of Law having obtained his Juris Doctor (JD).
Attorneys of New Jersey
Eldridge Hawkins, Sr., Esq.
Eldridge Hawkins, Jr., MBA, JD.
(973) 676-5070
