It is with the heaviest of hearts that we grieve the death of
John M. Blume
our founder, mentor and friend.
John was a legend among the trial bar, and his talents and contributions to the law and our firm, are irreplaceable. John graduated from Washington and Lee University and Rutgers Law School. He joined his father, Charles Blume, in practice in 1956 and over the course of his nearly 60-year career, built a formidable plaintiff’s personal injury practice. Throughout his career, John represented those whose lives had been upended and who turned to him for help. He treated each person with respect and compassion. He was a constant source of new and bold ideas and was always willing to push boundaries and create new law in his field, often recognizing before anyone else, where the law needed to go. In Alfone v Sarno, 87 N.J. 99 (1981), he established that there could be a distinct cause of action for the wrongful death of a person who had previously brought their own suit for damages. He did not shy from difficult cases of varied types, whether on behalf of a person paralyzed from a defective car, a family whose husband and father had been killed at a worksite , Tirrell v Navistar, 248 N.J. Super 390 (App.Div 1991), one whose child had been grievously injured at birth, Cogdell v Brown, 220 N.J. Super 330 ( Law Div 1987), one whose member had been electrocuted by PSEG’s high-voltage wire, Black v Public Service Elec and Gas, 56 N.J.63 (1970), one whose wife and mother had been kidnapped from a parking lot and killed, or one whose parents had drowned when their car drove into the water from a boat ramp, to name but a handful of so many over his decades of practice. John gave freely of his time, experience and expertise, and willingly helped anyone, professionally and personally. He was one of the most generous people we knew. He gave many their start in the law and taught trial skills to not just those at this firm but others too. He was a Master in the Inns of Court and a true master in the courtroom. He was a Certified Civil Trial Attorney, one of the first attorneys in New Jersey to receive this designation and was a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates. According to an article in the National Law Journal, “John M. Blume is the attorney named by most other prominent New Jersey litigators as a leading trial attorney.” John received awards from the Essex County Bar Association, Trial Attorneys of New Jersey, and was honored with the James J. McLaughlin Award. He was recognized by the National Law Journal as a top Litigator in New Jersey and was designated every year between 2005 and 2014 on the N.J. Super Lawyers list and was named Lawyer of the Year in 2009 and 2012 by Best Lawyers, to name but a few of those organizations and people both locally and nationally who recognized his exceptional abilities. The National Law Journal described him as a “Jersey Giant”; while he was fearless, he was also gentle, and while formidable, also approachable, humble and unpretentious. He had boundless energy and never stopped motivating others to do more for their clients and the law. In addition to his family, including his wife Myrna, his children Randy Lee Blume, Lawrence Blume and grandson Elliot Kephart, he leaves behind an unparalleled legacy and many grateful clients and colleagues.
