Diane L. Cardoso

Location: Kearny, New Jersey
Phone: (201) 997-0030
Fax: (201) 997-7150

Diane L. Cardoso is a Partner at Brady Reilly & Cardoso and a highly accomplished trial attorney recognized among the leading civil litigators in New Jersey. Certified by the New Jersey Supreme Court as a Civil Trial Attorney, she has built a distinguished career representing plaintiffs in complex, high-stakes litigation and is admitted to practice in both New Jersey and New York.

Ms. Cardoso concentrates her practice in civil litigation, with a focus on automobile negligence, premises liability, construction site negligence, legal malpractice, and medical malpractice. Known for her strategic advocacy and courtroom presence, she has earned the respect of both the bench and her peers. She is also fluent in Portuguese and Spanish.

A prominent leader in the legal community, Ms. Cardoso is a Past President of the Hudson County Bar Association and currently serves as President-Elect of the New Jersey Association for Justice. She is also Chair-Elect of the American Association for Justice Women Trial Lawyers Section. In addition, she is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), serves on the Hudson County Civil Arbitration Selection Committee and Civil Practice Committee, and is the Co-Founding Chair of the Women in Law Section of the Hudson County Bar Association. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the New Jersey Women Lawyers Association and is a Fellow of the New Jersey State Bar Association Leadership Academy (Class of 2017–2018).

Ms. Cardoso’s excellence and leadership have been widely recognized. She was named the 2025 Civil Practitioner of the Year by the Hudson County Bar Association and is the recipient of the 2023 New Jersey Association for Justice Meyer-Segal Award. She has also received the American Association for Justice Distinguished Service Award (2021 and 2022) and the American Association for Justice Women Trial Lawyers Caucus Excellence in Leadership Award (2021). In 2017, she was honored as Professional Attorney of the Year by the Hudson County Bar Association.

She has been selected for inclusion in the New Jersey Super Lawyers list from 2016 through 2027, including recognition as one of the Top 100 Attorneys in New Jersey (2025, 2026 and 2027) and one of the Top 50 Women Attorneys in New Jersey (2025, 2026 and 2027). She was previously selected to the New Jersey Super Lawyers Rising Stars list from 2013 through 2015. *

A sought-after speaker, Ms. Cardoso regularly lectures on trial advocacy and civil litigation for the Hudson County and Essex County Bar Associations, the New Jersey Association for Justice, and the New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education.

*No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey. Click here for Award Methodology.

In the News
– LusoAmericano

Education

Seton Hall University, 2001 B.A.
Pace University School of Law, 2004 J.D.

Bar Admissions

New Jersey State Bar
New York State Bar

Associations

New Jersey Association of Justice – President – elect
Hudson County Bar Association -President 2024 – 2025
American Association for Justice – Women’s Trial Lawyer Caucus Chair-elect
Association of the Federal Bar of New Jersey
New Jersey Women Lawyers Association – Board of Directors
New Jersey State Bar Association
American Board of Trial Advocates
Portuguese American Leadership Council of the United States (PALCUS)
Essex County Bar Association
Co-Chair of the Hudson County Bar Association Civil Practice Committee
Hudson County Bar Association Civil Arbitration Selection Committee

Publications and Presentations

April 2, 2025 – Hudson County Bar Association – “Proper Admission, Objections and Preclusion of Evidence: From Discovery Through Trial”
February 8, 2025 – New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education – “Civil Case Law Update”
October 22, 2024 – New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education – “Wrongful Death”
February 10, 2024 – New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education – “Civil Case Law Update”
February 11, 2023 – New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education – “Civil Case Law Update”
November 9, 2022 – New Jersey State Bar Association Mid-Year Convention – “Hot Tips by Hot Civil Litigators”
June 30, 2021 – New Jersey Association for Justice – “Gender and the Constitution”
June 29, 2021 – New Jersey Association for Justice – “Top Ten in New Jersey”
March 3, 2021 – Hudson County Bar Association – “Overcoming the Pandemic – Female Legal Professionals in the time of COVID”
February 27, 2021 – New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education – “Civil Case Law Update”
February 15, 2021 – New Jersey Association for Justice – “Ethical Consideration in Trying the Civil Virtual Jury Trial”
December 9, 2020 – New Jersey Association for Justice – “Premises Liability – Social Host Liability”
November 11, 2020 – New Jersey Defense Association Women in the Law Program
September 12, 2020 – New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education – “Certified Trial Certification Exam Prep Course”
July 23, 2020 – New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education – “Enforceability of Waivers”
November 22, 2019 – New Jersey Association for Justice – “Discovery and Preservation of Accident Scene Evidence”
November 21, 2019 – New Jersey Association for Justice – “Top 10 Evidence Issues in Auto Trials”
May 9, 2019 – New Jersey Association for Justice – “Technology for Litigators”
February 27, 2019 – New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education – “Civil Case Law Update”
November 9, 2018 – New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, Rome, Italy – “Civil Case Law Update”
March 29, 2018 – American Association for Justice, “How to Deal with Multiple Collisions in Short Succession”
March 24, 2018 – Essex County Bar Association – “Trying Your First Civil Jury Trial”
March 10, 2018 – New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education – Deposition College: “Objections at Depositions”

Honors and Awards

2025 Hudson County Bar Association Civil Practitioner of the Year
2023 Meyers Segal Award from the New Jersey Association for Justice
2022 American Association for Justice Distinguished Service Award
2021 American Association for Justice Women Trial Lawyers Caucus Excellence in Leadership Award
2021 American Association for Justice Distinguished Service Award
2021 American Association for Justice Wiedemann & Wysocki Award
2017 Professional Lawyer of the Year Award from the Hudson County Bar Association
2017 Leadership Fellow – New Jersey State Bar Association
2017 Certified Civil Trial Attorney
Diane L. Cardoso has been selected for inclusion in New Jersey Super Lawyers list of Top 100 Attorneys in 2025, 2026, 2027*
Diane L. Cardoso has been selected for inclusion in New Jersey Super Lawyers list of Top 50 Women Attorneys in 2025, 2026, 2027*
Diane L. Cardoso has been selected for inclusion in New Jersey Super Lawyers list in 2016 – 2027*
Diane L. Cardoso has been selected for inclusion in New Jersey Super Lawyers, Rising Star, 2011 – 2016*

*No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey. Click here for Award Methodology.

Lia Abrams

Highly Recommend Matthew R. Romo, Jr., Esq. I had a truly outstanding experience working with Matthew R. Romo, Jr. He was professional, knowledgeable, and incredibly responsive throughout the entire process. What impressed me most was his ability to explain complex legal matters in a way that was easy to understand, making me feel confident and informed every step of the way. Matthew genuinely cared about my case and always made time to answer my questions, no matter how small. His attention to detail and commitment to achieving the best possible outcome truly set him apart. If you’re looking for a trustworthy, compassionate, and skilled attorney, I highly recommend Matthew R. Romo, Jr. He made a stressful situation much more manageable, and I’m grateful for his support.

michele conti

If you ever find yourself in the unfortunate situation of being injured in a car accident, look no further! Forget all those big billboard lawyers and call this firm immediately. Diane Cordoso handled 2 cases for me... I had the bad luck of being hit more than once in a short period of time.... Diane, Maria, her assistant, and the entire team are compassionate, professional, and are perfect examples of what you need in these situations. They communicate every step of the way and are always on the ball. I sincerely hope to never have to use their services again lol... I've had enough careless drivers hit and injure me thanks... BUT God forbid I'm ever in that horrible situation again, I know who to call. If your attorney isn't getting the job done, call this firm! TODAY!

Megi Verzivolli

Great service provided from day 1. I would recommend to all friends and family.

hey hi, it's Keidaï

Really appreciated the thoughtful, proactive, kind, efficient, and respectful interaction during a time of tragedy and shock that I had never experienced before. I called and asked some questions about how they do business, after researching a bit online on what to ask a personal injury lawyer and find a good fit – I strongly advise anyone to do the same and not make a rushed decision. I highly recommend working with the team. I'm very glad I went them in the end – thank you for your help and for standing up for me when I wasn't able to. PS Diane is awesome (:

Ilzo Silva

“Gostaria de expressar minha imensa satisfação com o trabalho realizado pela advogada Diane Cardoso, do escritório Brady Reilly & Cardoso. Desde o início, fui tratado com profissionalismo, respeito e empatia. Diane demonstrou um conhecimento profundo da área jurídica e uma dedicação excepcional ao meu caso, garantindo que tudo fosse conduzido de forma clara e eficiente. Graças ao esforço dela, obtive um resultado muito positivo, e cada etapa do processo foi explicada detalhadamente, o que me trouxe muita tranquilidade. Recomendo Diane e o escritório Brady Reilly & Cardoso a qualquer pessoa que busque uma equipe competente, confiável e comprometida. Muito obrigado por tudo!

Thee best law firm in all of NJ. Mrs. Cardoso and her team surpassed our expectations. She was always available and posses great knowledge in law. Diane was kind to my mother and my child’s needs and defend our case to the fullest. I would recommend her to everyone. If you want a lawyer who is intelligent, caring and takes the cases to heart, then this is your go to person.

Peter Iorio

Highly recommended! The process was long due to my case beginning when COVID started but rest assure this law firm was with me the whole time. The communication was great. Not one time was I ever disappointed in the process. The outcome exceeded my expectations. Kathleen and her team are amazing. I know I was annoying at times and very restless about my case but they handled it well and when it was all said and done, they got me more than I expected! They work very hard to get you the most compensation you deserve! Again, highly recommended!!! Thanks team.

lauren macksoud

Diane Cardoso was amazing to work with. She held our hand during a stressful time for our family and provided not only comfort, but expert guidance to navigate the process. We are so grateful to have worked with Diane towards a successful settlement for our daughter. I cannot recommend her highly enough to anyone in need of legal assistance for a personal injury claim. Thank you Diane!

Jacqueline Armijos

Diane Cardoso is such a great lawyer! I am very happy with the results of my case. She is a trustful lawyer. Her law firm kept me informed of all the important details. I will definitely recommend her.