Nicholas Celso, III, Member of the Firm, who specializes in school law and labor matters, is also an Associate Professor at Kean University, teaching aspiring school administrators school law and public sector labor relations. He is widely known as the author of New Jersey Educators’ Legal Handbook, a reference of legal topics that are important to teachers and educational practitioners, school law attorneys and those who are pursuing studies of school and labor law at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Education

• Rutgers University School of Law, J.D.
• Rutgers University, Ed.D.
• Rutgers University, M.Ed
• University of Southern Connecticut, B.S.

Bar Admissions

• New Jersey
• New Jersey Supreme Court
• United States District Court, District of New Jersey, 1984
• United States Supreme Court

Professional Memberships (Past and Present)

• New Jersey State Bar Association
• National Council of School Attorneys
• Education Law Association
• New Jersey Schoolmasters Club
• Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
• New Jersey School Board Attorneys
• Educational Negotiators Association

Professional and Civic Service Recognitions

• Green Brook Board of Education
• Kappa Delta Pi, National Education Honor Society
• Educational Certifications as School Administrator, Principal, Supervisor and Teacher
• Editor, Rutgers Law Review
• Named a New Jersey Super Lawyer in the speciality of Schools and Education: 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010 and 2011
  

Relevant Experience

Currently concentrating his practice in comprehensive representation of school boards throughout New Jersey, Dr. Celso provides legal and technical assistance to boards in all aspects of school law, district administration and management. He has represented school boards in legal and labor matters, including litigation, before the Commissioner of Education, the State Board of Education, the Public Employment Relations Commission, the Superior and Federal Courts, and the United States Supreme Court. Dr. Celso also counsels boards on policy, contract enforcement, employee-employer relationships and at-the-table bargaining.

As a former teacher, school administrator and Board of Education member, his extensive experience in the field of education began in 1973.

Dr. Celso is a frequent lecturer at state and national professional conferences and has numerous articles published in professional educational literature.

Publications

New Jersey Educator’s Legal Handbook (Sixth Edition), Bulverde, TX: Omni Publishers, 2008

Co-authored with L.H. Elovitz. “Compliance with Legally Mandated Teacher Evaluation Practices: A Preliminary Inquiry,” Focus on Education. Trenton, NJ: New Jersey Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2006

“School Violence: Trends, Developments and Prevention Strategies,” School Connections, Kean University, 2001

“Some Basic Rules for Solving the Tenure Puzzle,” Focus on Education, 42, 54-56, 1998

“The Public’s Schools,” School Leader, September/October, 28, No. 2, 44-48, 1998

Co-authored with John B. Mariano, Jr. “Practical Problems and Pitfalls in Establishing an Educational Foundation,” NJASA Perspective, XIII, No. 3, 20, 1997

[Book Chapter] “How the Law Affects Educational Supervision”. In J. Glanz & R. Nevelle (Eds.), Educational Supervision: Perspectives, Issues and Controversies. Christopher-Gorden Publishers, Inc, 1996

Co-authored with Joyce Brauer-Weston. “Knowing Where You’re Going in School Construction,” NJASA Perspective, Fall XI, No. 3,27, 1994