John Paul Velez is a Partner of  Arbore Velez, LLC and has been practicing law for more than 16 years.  He joined Forster & Arbore as an associate after over four years of serving as an Assistant Deputy Public Defender for the New Jersey Office of the Public Defender. He became Partner of Forster Arbore Velez after practicing with Forster & Arbore for 6 years.  While with the Office of the Public Defender, Mr. Velez represented adults and children charged with crimes at the Superior Court level from the first appearance through final disposition. Mr. Velez effectively handled hundreds of criminal cases ranging from minor criminal mischief allegations to defending people charged in complex murder cases and was responsible for all aspects of criminal motion practice from pre-indictment, through jury trial and post-disposition filings and arguments.

Prior to becoming an Assistant Deputy Public Defender, Mr. Velez clerked for the Honorable Marilyn C. Clark, P.J. Cr., who was the presiding criminal judge in the Passaic Vicinage. Mr. Velez was certified as a Mediator in the State of New Jersey during his clerkship.

Mr. Velez graduated summa cum laude and as a member of the Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society from Montclair State University with a Bachelor of Arts in History with a Political Science minor.

Mr. Velez received his juris doctorate from Howard University School of Law in Washington, D.C., where he worked as a student-attorney with the Howard University Criminal Justice Clinic and as a research assistant to Professor Adam Kurland concentrating in federal criminal law issues. He graduated as a Merit Fellows Scholarship recipient.

Mr. Velez is a member of the New Jersey State Bar Association, New Jersey Hispanic Bar Association, Morris County Bar Association and the Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers of New Jersey. He is completely bilingual in English and Spanish.