Judge Lisa F. Chrystal, P.J.F.P. (Ret.) served as a Judge for 22 years and the Presiding Judge of the Family Division, New Jersey Superior Court, Union County, from 2014 until her retirement in 2022. During her tenure in the Family Division, she presided over matrimonial, domestic violence, non-dissolution, and children-in-court matters. Judge Chrystal adjudicated every aspect of family litigation, including custody, parenting time, alimony, child support, equitable distribution, and counsel fees.
Judge Chrystal also served in the Civil Division, presiding over both jury and non-jury trials, and chancery matters. Her civil docket encompassed personal injury, tort claims, malpractice, Open Public Records Act cases, and class actions. She decided thousands of motions and conducted settlement conferences across a wide range of matters, including medical malpractice, insurance disputes, employment litigation, automobile liability, product liability, premises liability, and assault cases. In non-jury proceedings, Judge Chrystal decided an affordable housing Mount Laurel case, which was affirmed on appeal, as well as estate and chancery cases.
Throughout her years on the bench, Judge Chrystal served on several Supreme Court committees. She was a member of the Supreme Court Committee on Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement; the Supreme Court Family Practice Committee and its FM/FD Subcommittee (2021–2023); and the Family Subcommittee for Mentoring of New Judges. She frequently trained newly appointed judges and those transferring to the Family Division through the Comprehensive Judicial Orientation Program (“C.J.O.P.”) and coauthored the 2019 and 2021 editions of the Judge’s Dissolution Manual. Judge Chrystal also served on the Supreme Court Civil Model Jury Charge Committee during the period when voir dire changes were adopted in Directive 4-07 (May 1, 2007).
In April 2022, Judge Chrystal was awarded the prestigious William J. McCloud Award, presented by the Union County Bar Association, recognizing significant contribution to administration of Justice in the Family Part.
Prior to her appointment to the bench, Judge Chrystal maintained a private practice in Union and Essex Counties, concentrating on civil litigation. She also served as Assistant County Counsel, representing the Union County Jail and various county agencies, and was an Adjunct Legal Writing Instructor at Seton Hall University School of Law and served as a Trustee of the Union County Bar Association.
Following retirement, Judge Chrystal returned to practice as Counsel at Brach Eichler LLC, where she is the Chair of the Alternative Dispute Resolution (“ADR”) Department, which includes mediation, arbitration, and discovery management. Judge Chrystal is both a court-certified mediator and Parenting Coordinator, and her name appears on the New Jersey Judiciary Roster of Mediators for economic aspects of family law cases.
Thank you for your assistance. Counsel and I could not have reached a global settlement without your preparedness, attention and care.
