Suzette T. Rodriguez, Esq.
Immediate Past President
Suzette T. Rodriguez, Esq. is in-house Associate Counsel for Jackson Hewitt Tax Service Inc., where she is responsible for managing defensive and affirmative litigation matters, including vicarious and direct liability claims, employment litigation, franchise litigation, and enforcing intellectual property rights. She is also responsible for advising company personnel in diverse matters affecting the business operations of the company.
Prior to joining Jackson Hewitt, Ms. Rodriguez worked in the Labor and Employment Departments of LeClairRyan in Newark, New Jersey and Wong Fleming in Princeton, New Jersey. Ms. Rodriguez also served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Travis L. Francis of the Superior Court of New Jersey, Chancery Division-General Equity.
Ms. Rodriguez received her Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, in English Literature from Hunter College, City University. She received her Juris Doctorate from Rutgers School of Law-Newark. While in law school, Ms. Rodriguez served as the Managing Articles Editor of the Rutgers Race and the Law Review and was awarded a fellowship from Equal Justice America. In addition, Ms. Rodriguez served as a judicial extern for the Honorable Marina Corodemus, Superior Court of New Jersey, Civil Division-Mass Torts.
In 2003, Ms. Rodriguez was granted the Distinguished Graduate Award by the National Catholic Educational Association for exemplifying the best qualities of catholic education and rendering distinguished service to the Catholic Church.Ms. Rodriguez is currently a Deputy Regional President (Region III) for the Hispanic National Bar Association. She is also active in the community and serves as an Advisory Board Member for the New Jersey Educational Empowerment Project (NJLEEP), a pipeline diversity effort dedicated to increasing minority representation in the legal profession by introducing students to the law and skill building at a young age. In December 2009, Ms. Rodriguez was appointed by Governor Jon S. Corzine to serve as a public member of the New Jersey Health Care Facilities Financing Authority, where she is currently the Secretary and serves on the Finance Committee. In July 2011, Ms. Rodriguez was appointed by the New Jersey Supreme Court to serve as a Bar Examiner for the New Jersey Board of Bar Examiners.
Ms. Rodriguez is admitted to practice law in the State of New Jersey, State of New York and the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey.
