Sparta attorney named Lawyer of the Year

On Jan. 16, Sparta attorney, Daniel A. Colfax, was presented the 2012 Sussex County Professional Lawyer of the Year Award at a ceremony at Pines Manor, Edison.

The award was given by the New Jersey Commission on Professionalism in the Law. The Commission consists of the New Jersey State Bar, the state and federal judiciary and New Jersey's three law schools.

The award recognizes Colfax's professional competence and responsibility within the bar. He is the only attorney to receive this honor from Sussex County for 2012.

Colfax is a graduate of Villanova University. After graduation he accepted an officer's commission in the U.S. Marine Corps.

He then attended California Western School of Law, after which, he was admitted to the New Jersey and Pennsylvania State Bars

Colfax is a sole practitioner who has maintained a practice in Sparta since 1993. He is past president of the Sussex County Bar Association and has served on the Association�s Judicial and Prosecutorial Appointments Committee.

Besides his private practice, he is currently the public defender in Andover, Sparta, Byram, Ogdensburg and Franklin.

In 2003, Colfax was called to active duty for the invasion of Iraq. Serving as a Commanding Officer within 6th Motor Transport Battalion (Red Bank), these Marines and the unit itself were recognized by President Bush, receiving the Presidential Unit Citation, which had not been awarded since the Vietnam conflict.

In 2007, he retired from the Marines as a Lieutenant Colonel but remains active with Veterans organizations in his community, assisting Veterans with various legal and medical issues.

Colfax resides in Sparta with his wife, Corynne, and their three children, Morgan, Matthew and Madison.