Nicole has been practicing in the field of education and special education law for the last twenty years. She started her career as an associate in some of the State’s leading school law firms, representing boards of education throughout the state of New Jersey. In this capacity, Nicole’s focus on student needs and services allowed her to deliver appropriate resolutions to complex disputes between school districts and parents.
After becoming a mother of three while still representing school districts, Nicole decided that the time was right to open her own legal practice and focus her efforts on solely representing families of children with special needs. Her practice also included the representation of students in general education settings for various reasons, including but not limited to, student discipline, HIB allegations, residency disputes, first amendment and civil rights issues and personal injury claims in the educational setting. While managing her own law practice, Nicole also teamed up with Jessica Weinberg to create a company dedicated to improving student outcomes by providing professional development and legal training workshops to school district administrators and their staff throughout the State of New Jersey. Also during this time, Nicole partnered with the New Jersey Department of Education to help launch its IEP facilitation program to assist school districts and parents resolve special education disputes in their earliest stages of development.
Nicole joins Manes Weinberg as Of Counsel because she shares the same student-focused approach to legal disputes as our founding partners. Nicole strives to resolve conflict in the most efficient and effective manner possible for our clients. She brings a wealth of legal knowledge, as well as a well-rounded history of representing both school districts and special needs families to achieve positive outcomes.
Nicole earned her B.A. from the University of Richmond, Jepson School of Leadership Studies, with a minor in political science, and her J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law.