EXHIBIT 5.1

                                                               November 24, 2003




Center Bancorp, Inc.
2455 Morris Avenue
Union, NJ 07083

Ladies and Gentlemen:

              You have  requested our opinion,  as your  counsel,  in connection
with the  filing by Center  Bancorp,  Inc.  (the  "Company")  of a  Registration
Statement on Form S-3 covering the registration of 500,000  additional shares of
the Company's  Common Stock,  no par value (the "Common  Stock"),  in connection
with the Center Bancorp, Inc. Automatic Dividend Reinvestment and Stock Purchase
Plan (the "Plan").

              We  have   examined   and  relied   upon   originals   or  copies,
authenticated or certified to our satisfaction, of all such corporate records of
the Company, communications or certifications of public officials,  certificates
of  officers,  directors  and  representatives  of the  Company,  and such other
documents as we have deemed  relevant and necessary as the basis of the opinions
expressed herein. In making such examination, we have assumed the genuineness of
all signatures,  the authenticity of all documents  tendered to us as originals,
and the  conformity to original  documents of all  documents  submitted to us as
certified or photostatic copies.

              Based upon the  foregoing  and  relying  upon  statements  of fact
contained in the documents  which we have  examined,  we are of the opinion that
the shares of Common Stock covered by the Registration Statement,  will be, when
issued in accordance with the terms of the Plan, legally issued,  fully paid and
non-assessable.

              We  hereby  consent  to  the  filing  of  this  opinion  with  the
Securities and Exchange  Commission as an exhibit to the Registration  Statement
and to the reference to our firm under the caption "LEGAL  MATTERS" in the proxy
statement and prospectus  contained therein.  In giving such consent,  we do not
hereby  admit that we are in the category of persons  whose  consent is required
under Section 7 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

Very truly yours,

/s/LOWENSTEIN SANDLER PC



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