Hope R. Blackburn, Member of the Firm, specializing in all aspects of public and private contracting, including public bidding, professional services and construction contracting, having previously served as the Director of Purchase and Property for the State of New Jersey, the state’s chief contracting officer and as general counsel for the state-operated school Newark Public Schools.

Education

• Villanova University School of Law. J.D., 1984
• Princeton University, B.A., 1981
• Universite de Paris, IV

Bar Admissions

• New Jersey, 1984
• Pennsylvania, 1985
• United State District Court, District of New Jersey, 1984

Professional Memberships

• New Jersey State Bar Association
• Association of Black Women Lawyers
• Asperger’s Parents Education Network

Professional and Civic Service Recognitions

• New Jersey Law Journal Women and Minorities in the Profession
• National Hook Up of Black Women Distinguished Service Award
• My Daughter’s Keeper Annual Mother/Daughter Award
• New Jersey Super Lawyer

Relevant Experience

Ms. Blackburn’s distinguished career in state government, in addition to her position as the state’s chief contracting officer, also includes service as the Special Assistant for Policy and Planning to the Commissioner of Education, as the Director of Controversies and Disputes for the New Jersey State Department of Education and as an Assistant Counsel in the Office of the Governor’s Counsel.

She has developed and presented public bidding training and contracting seminars for attorneys, school district and state purchasing employees and has lectured on topics ranging from disparity in New Jersey’s schools to the implementation of various governmental practices including procurement reform in the post-Parson’s era. In her positions with the State Department of Education she authored decisions on behalf of the Commissioner of Education.

Publications

“Regulatory Code Review,” New Jersey State Department of Education, 1993

Contributing Author, “Report to the Governor on the State of New Jersey’s Enhanced Motor Vehicle Inspection Contract with Parsons Infrastructure & Technology Group,” 2002