John E. Molinari was born and raised in Union City. His late father was a truck driver who managed to support 9 children and gave each the opportunity to attend parochial Grammar and High School. His mother was the primary caretaker for the family and later worked as a teacher's aide in the Union City public school system. John credits his father for teaching him discipline and a strong work ethic, while crediting his mother for teaching him patience and compassion.

John obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in English, graduating cum laude from Manhattan College in 1982. He continued on to obtain his law degree from New York Law School in 1985. While in law school, he worked as a law clerk/investigator in the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office. After graduation, he became an Assistant Hudson County Prosecutor, trying numerous jury trials on behalf of the State of New Jersey.

After leaving the Prosecutor's Office in 1988, John joined a small firm in Jersey City that specialized in plaintiffs’ personal injury work, giving him his first exposure to the civil justice system. This experience helped him obtain an associate position with Blume Goldfaden in 1990. In 1997, John became the managing attorney for the firms two Hudson County offices, located in Jersey City and North Bergen. He was named a Partner in 1999. He has tried dozens of personal injury cases for the firm, and has enjoyed the respect of both the bench and the Bar. John achieved the designation of Certified Civil Trial Attorney from the New Jersey Supreme Court in 2000. His trial skills have also been recognized by his associate membership position with the American Board of Trial Advocates.

John was elected President of the Hudson County Bar Association in 2006. He is a former trustee to the North Hudson Lawyer's Club and previously served for 5 years as a member of the District VI Ethics Committee. John is a member of the American Association for Justice, the New Jersey State Bar Association, the Hudson County Professionalism Committee, and, a former barrister with the Arthur T. Vanderbilt Inns of Court. He has achieved an AV Peer Review rating in Martindale-Hubbell. John annually judges the local high school mock trial competition.