Mr. Cleary received his Bachelor’s Degree from Providence College where he played Big East basketball for the prestigious 1997 Elite Eight team.  He received his J.D. from Seton Hall Law School in Newark, New Jersey.  Following a judicial clerkship, he developed his craft at the Essex County Public Defender’s Office.  From there, he has gone on to develop a successful law practice, recently moving to West Orange, New Jersey.  He has handled all types of cases ranging from disorderly persons offenses to homicides.  In addition, Mr. Cleary has handled hundreds of DWI cases and has lectured on the topic at New Jersey’s Continuing Legal Education seminar.
Mr. Cleary is admitted to the Supreme Court of New Jersey, the United States District Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. In 2017, he was appointed by the NJ Supreme Court to the Fee Arbitration Committee. In 2018, He was elected trustee of the New Jersey Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. He has been named one of Essex County’s Top Criminal Defense Lawyers by Morris Essex Health magazine. In addition, Mr. Cleary has been selected to Super Lawyers Magazine every year since 2017.