Lawrence Peter “Larry” Brady, known locally for his work with the law firm Doyle & Brady, died in Florida May 11, 2024.
He was 83.
Brady was born July 26, 1940 in Jersey City. He attended St. Peter’s Prep and graduated high school in 1957 at 16; St. Peter’s College with a bachelor’s degree in accounting at age 20 and Seton Hall Law School, where he received an LLB & JD at 23. He also attended Brooklyn Law School and received an LLM degree.
Larry was always a hard worker, starting in the second grade, delivering the local Jersey City newspaper 6 days a week. He then worked in a local grocery store throughout high school. When he began college, he worked for four years at the local Woolworth store until graduation.
In 1965 he was admitted to the US District Court as well as the New Jersey Supreme Court. He was admitted to practice before the US Court of Appeals for the 3rd District Court in 1972 and the United States Supreme Court in 1969. He was a member of the American Trial Lawyers from the inception of his legal career, which is now known as the American Association for Justice.
He began his legal career as a law clerk in the Hudson County Prosecutor’s office, and upon passing the New Jersey Bar, he immediately was promoted to an Assistant Prosecutor in 1965, and at the time was the youngest prosecutor in the State of New Jersey. He left the prosecutor’s office in 1970, after receiving extensive experience trying cases from assault and battery to robbery and murder. He successfully won numerous convictions while in this position.
Then, he left to start his own law firm with Norman A. Doyle Jr. in Kearny, which continued for over 30 years. His daughter, Melissa Brady, mentored under her father in all positions at Doyle & Brady while receiving her education and ultimately became a partner of the firm until moving out of state.
In 2007, Larry formed a partnership with Kathleen M. Reilly, Brady, Brady & Reilly, where he continued to work until his retirement in 2017. At that time, Larry became a full-time resident of the Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo, Florida. The successor firm continues to proudly bear his name.
He was annually nominated by his peers and the judiciary as a New Jersey Super Lawyer, published in New Jersey Monthly Magazine from the inception of the recognition in 1991, until his retirement in 2017. He was also selected as a member of the National Top 100 Trial Lawyers.
In addition to Larry’s extensive and successful legal career, he was also one of the founding incorporators of Growth Bank in Bernardsville, New Jersey.
He was an avid Yankee fan as well as a New Jersey Devils fan where he had seats “on the ice.” He also had New York Giant seats along with New York Jet seats, which he acquired while the Jets were still at Shea Stadium in Flushing, Queens.
Several friends, including his former partner’s widow, took time to remember their fallen friend.
“Larry Brady was one in a million,” Kearny Mayor Carol Jean Doyle, who was married to Norman Doyle Jr., for many years, said. “Dedicated to his profession, he was a strong advocate for the rights of his clients. A man who followed his true passion, golf. He will be missed by his family and many friends.”
The Observer’s owner Lisa M. Feorenzo also had a strong affection for Brady.
“Larry was a tough cookie but a great friend and supporter of The Observer,” Feorenzo, who knew Brady when she was just in her late teens, said. “Over the years, after he retired, we kept in touch and it was always great when he would come back to visit from Florida. Was he a tough nut to crack? You bet he was. But once you got to know him, he would do anything for you. I will truly miss my dear friend.”
Former Kearny Mayor Leo R. Vartan also paused to remember his long-time friend.
“Larry Brady and I forged a most unusual lifelong friendship. It started in 1969, when I replaced him as the prosecutor in the town of Kearny. In 1970, he left the prosecutor’s office in the county and I replaced him there,” Vartan said. “So I followed Larry as the prosecutor in Kearny and then the assistant prosecutor in Hudson County. Our friendship was very unlikely. He was an absolute strong, strong … I would say Kennedy Democrat and I was a Nixon Republican and then later a very strong Reagan Republican and yet it worked, and why did it work? Because we put the R aside and we put the D aside and we both loved the K, the town of Kearny …
“Larry Brady was the finest negligence attorney, was the finest in the history of the town, in my opinion. There’ll never be a better negligence, there’ll never be an attorney for injury, personal injury attorney, ever. We were golfing buddies, we were at Roxiticus, the country club that he loved, and the only thing he loved more than Roxiticus Country Club? Making me and everybody laugh up there and showing me off. He was driving in his white Mercedes convertible with the top down with a big cigar in his mouth, with sunglasses, saying, ‘I am the greatest,’ and, Larry, my dear friend, you were the greatest.”
Brady’s arrangements are private.
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Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, a place where he has served on and off since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on Facebook Live, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to West Hudson to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.