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Governmental Law

New Jersey Governmental Attorneys

Premier New Jersey Governmental Lawyers & Civil Rights Law Firm

The civil rights law firm of Lum, Drasco & Positan is located in Essex County, New Jersey and has business clients located throughout New Jersey and New York.

Our governmental law lawyers have significant experience representing public entities and officials. Our representative governmental client list includes numerous local and statewide public entities. We serve as outside legal counsel to many of these government entities as well as several public officials. Some of the legal matters we have handled for our governmental law clients include:

  • Civil rights litigation, including the defense of claims under 42 USC §1983.
  • Labor and employment matters.
  • Collective negotiations.
  • Interest arbitrations.
  • PERC practice.
  • First amendment litigation concerning issues of free speech, freedom of association and patronage dismissals.

The Lum Firm has been involved with privatization/employee leasing issues and has also been involved in appellate litigation involving independent authorities and bi-state agencies.

Our governmental law practice is far reaching. We handle a variety of governmental legal issues, such as litigation under the New Jersey Tort Claims Act, employment law, construction law, real estate and zoning matters, education law, and condemnation law. Some of the cases we have handled include the following:

  • The firm has represented the City of Elizabeth for a number of years in matters involving labor relations, negotiations, grievances, arbitrations, the Public Employment Relations Commission, the Civil Service Commission, administrative law, and the courts.
  • The firm represented the City of Jersey City as to the privatization of the Jersey City Water Department, and has represented county utility and improvement authorities, including general representation and as environmental enforcement, litigation, and compliance counsel.
  • The firm represented the City of Linden regarding the redevelopment of a landfill, and has been involved in labor issues regarding other projects involving redevelopment of public land, brown fields, and project labor agreements.
  • The firm has handled election redistricting issues involving the Town of Westfield/Westfield Ward Commission
  • The firm has also handled construction claims involving the Somerset Patriots’ stadium, located in Somerset County.

Public Sector Labor Law

We advise our clients, including counties, towns, cities, and public agencies on all aspects of public sector labor law and collective negotiations with public sector unions, including:

  • Filing and defending scope of negotiations proceedings
  • Mediation
  • Fact-finding
  • Interest arbitration in the context of law enforcement units

In addition, we appear on behalf of public employers before the New Jersey Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC) with regard to grievance arbitration matters, collective bargaining issues.  We also provide preventive law counseling to public sector clients on personnel matters, disciplinary strategies and other day-to-day employee issues. We have represented employers in a wide variety of matters before the Civil Service Commission, including disciplinary proceedings, personnel disputes, layoffs and furloughs and have experience advising clients in the trend of shared service agreements.

Wage & Hour Matters

Our labor and employment attorneys are experienced in representing management side clients in connection with wage and hour matters involving the federal court matters and Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), including class and collective actions and New Jersey wage hour matters. Our firm provides representation in federal and state courts and before the United States Department of Labor and State New Jersey Department of Labor in both litigation matters and investigations.