Court Admissions
Education
- New Jersey
- U.S. District Court, New Jersey
- Fairleigh Dickinson University, College at Florham, B.A.
- Seton Hall University Law School, J.D.
Honors/Recognitions
- Certified as a Matrimonial Law Attorney by the New Jersey Supreme Court
- Appointed by the New Jersey Supreme Court for the District XI Fee Arbitration Committee, District XI Ethics Committee, and Committee on Character
- Professional Lawyer of the Year, Passaic County, 2021, New Jersey Commission on Professionalism
- Named as a Rising Star by New Jersey Super Lawyers in Matrimonial Law from 2011 through 2024
- 10 Best Client Satisfaction for Family Law and Top 10 Under 40 in New Jersey from the American Institute of Legal Counsel
- AVVO Clients’ Choice Award
Honors/Recognitions
- Areas of Practice
- Dissolution of Domestic Partnership/Civil Unions and Same-Sex Marriage
- Child Custody, Visitation and Parenting Time
- Relocation, UCCJEA and UIFSA
- Military Divorces
- Child Support
- Mediation and Arbitration
- Alimony and Palimony
- Division of Assets
- Pre-Nuptial Agreements and Reconciliation Agreements
- Step-Parent Adoption
- Emancipation
- Modification of Custody
- Modification of Support
- Enforcement Matters
- Grandparent Rights
- Domestic Violence Matters
- Post-Judgment Divorce issues
- Appeals
- Guardianships
Jessica Ragno Sprague is a Shareholder with the firm in the Family and Matrimonial practice group.
Jessica is a Certified Matrimonial Attorney, as authorized by the New Jersey Supreme Court, and is an expert in family law-related matters. She has dedicated the majority of her career to serving clients in all aspects of divorce, child custody, child support, alimony, the division of assets, domestic violence, prenuptial agreements, military divorces, complex litigation such as UCCJEA, grandparent’s rights, and high net worth matters, and all related issues. She has extensive litigation experience, having tried many cases in Northern and Central New Jersey, including matrimonial trials, custody trials, relocation trials, and domestic violence trials. In addition, Jessica has a substantial appellate practice. She was the prevailing attorney in the published Appellate Division decision of L.C. v. M.A.J., 451 N.J. 408 (App. Div. 2017) as well as prevailing in many unpublished decisions. Jessica also handles guardianship matters, having been appointed in the Probate Part to represent alleged incapacitated individuals and as temporary guardian. She uniquely understands that interplay for divorced families with Special Needs children, and has litigated multiple cases to assist in the transition wherein Special Needs children have reached the age of majority and in divorced family circumstances. Jessica has also been appointed by the Court in other Family matters to serve in the capacity of Guardian ad Litem and Receiver.
Jessica graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University, College at Florham, with a B.A. in Psychology in 2003, and her Juris Doctorate from Seton Hall University Law School in 2006. While in law school, she was a research assistant for New Jersey State Senator Robert Martin, and she spent a semester representing indigent clients in their Family Law Clinic. Upon graduating from law school, she had the honor to clerk for the late Honorable John E. Selser in Passaic County in the Family Division.
Jessica was the 100th President of the Passaic County Bar Association from 2019 through 2020. She is the co-chair of the Family Law Section and the co-chair of the Early Settlement Panel Committee, as well as panelist, in Passaic County. Along with the other members of the committee and the Honorable Rudolph Filko, P.J.F.P., she spear-headed a low bono program to help assist with the lengthy backlog of matrimonial motions and said program continues to assist litigants today. Along with her co-chair, she is currently working to establish a program for unmarried couples in the Passaic Family Court to alleviate the long delays that litigants are experiencing due to the pandemic. In 2021, she received the Professional Lawyer of the Year award for Passaic County from the New Jersey Commission on Professionalism.
At the State level, Jessica is a member of the New Jersey State Bar Association, including the Family Law Section. She is currently a member of the Family Law Executive Committee. She previously served a number of years on the General Council. At both the State and local level, Jessica has been a speaker and moderator at a number of continuing legal education classes.
Jessica was previously appointed by the Supreme Court to serve a term on the District XI Fee Arbitration Committee and a term on the District XI Ethics Committee. She is currently serving a term on the Committee on Character.
She is also General Counsel for the Passaic County Regular Republican Organization. She had previously served a three-year term as an elected member of the County Committee for that organization as well.
In addition to her dedication to the legal profession, Jessica actively volunteers within her community. She was president of her son’s elementary school’s PTA after having served as the By-Laws and Procedures Chair. She was the co-chair of their annual Pocketbook Bingo and Tricky Tray from 2016 through 2019. She was also the chair of the By-Laws Committee for the West Milford Junior Football Association and has been a Team Mom in the program.
Jessica resides in Passaic County with her husband and her two sons.
Representative Matters
- Prosecuted and defended numerous intellectual property based litigation matters, including cases involving claims of patent infringement, trademark and trade dress infringement, false advertising, and unfair completion.
- Negotiated, drafted and closed hundreds of patent, software, pharmaceutical and technology licensing, and joint venture matters with a strategic focus on maximizing asset value, protection, and revenue.
- Counseled key management on competitor IP litigation, including challenges of validity and enforceability of pharmaceutical and bioactive NCEs and compositions.
- Protection of trade secrets, maintaining confidentiality of proprietary information and innovation, cyber-security, and data protection..
Published Works
- Presenter, Intellectual Property Basics for Startups and Entrepreneurs, September 2017
- Presenter, The Intersection of Software and Intellectual Property, September 2017
- Author, The Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act: “Do You Wanna Dance?”, New Jersey Lawyer Magazine, August 2017
- Author, U.S. Supreme Court: Disparagement Clause of Lanham Act Violates First Amendment, LinkedIn, June 21, 2017
- Author, Plaintiff’s Law Firm Liable for Defense Legal Fees in Patent “Troll” Litigation, LinkedIn, January 11, 2017
- Author, Boise State University’s Trademark Grab, LinkedIn, September 12, 2016
- Author, Recent Revisions to the Trademark Manual of Examining Procedure (TMEP), LinkedIn, May 26, 2016
- Author, President Obama Signs Important Federal Trade Secrets Legislation, LinkedIn, May 13, 2016
- Interviewed, Managing Your Online Reputation, New Jersey Business Magazine, April 2016
- *The Super Lawyers list is issued by Thomson Reuters. A description of the selection methodology can be found at https://www.superlawyers.com/about/selection_process.html. No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.
