Comegno Law Group, P.C

John Comegno, Founder and President of the Comegno Law Group, P.C., is recognized nationally as a leading School Law practitioner, representing public and independent schools, Educational Services Commissions, Special Service School Districts, and third-party education vendors.

A member of the bars of the State of New Jersey and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and accepted to practice in jurisdictions across the country, John has extensive experience in all facets of School Law.

John is a Cum Laude graduate of Gettysburg College, and earned his Juris Doctor degree from the Wake Forest University School of Law. At Wake Forest, he served as Captain of the ATLA National Mock Trial Team, and was a member of the School of Law's Moot Court and Honor Boards. John was also awarded the Order of Barristers, the CALI Award for excellence in Legal Research and Writing, and the Robert T. Goldberg Prize for Trial Advocacy and Ethics by the faculty of the School of Law.

John, along with his firm colleagues, serves as Solicitor or Special Counsel to dozens of public and independent schools throughout the region. He regularly mediates special education disputes and tries Due Process Hearings. Working closely with schools, parents, special-needs students, and medical and other educational professionals to quickly deal with special education issues on a day-to-day basis, John has extensive experience dealing with disability-specific legal issues. John provides counsel regarding the eligibility, evaluation and classification process, and proactively works with school administration regarding special education litigation and issues which arise during the IEP development and implementation process. John also provides counsel regarding the often-nebulous Section 504 eligibility and plan development/implementation process, and has worked with many schools, both public and independent, to sharpen and improve Section 504 procedures.

John also has extensive experience in handling general, day-to-day student issues. These range from harassment, intimidation, and bullying, compulsory education, student safety and disciplinary incidents, to constitutional concerns involving free speech and religious expression. In our post-Columbine age, student discipline and the review and handling of zero-tolerance and other policies concerning student behavior has become particularly important. John is regularly involved in emergent disciplinary matters, including the coordination of manifestation determination meetings and the analysis of disciplinary options involving students eligible for special education and related services. He has experience in analyzing zero-tolerance policies and balancing schools' needs for proper discipline with constitutional protections.

John regularly reviews and coordinates bid specifications for public contracts coordinating with contractors and design professionals for school construction and public works projects. He also provides advice on purchases made through the state agency and suggestions on emergency purchases, assists in the solicitation of quotes, and represents boards against emergent bid protests.

In addition to representing management regarding grievances and collective union negotiations, John is involved in a variety of labor/employment issues before administrative agencies, as well as in state and federal court. John counsels on matters including confidentiality and reporting requirements for teachers and staff and sexual harassment in the school setting, including teacher-to-teacher, teacher-to-student, and student-to-student harassment. He regularly handles arbitrations, Donaldson hearings, and tenure charges.

A nationally-recognized lecturer on School Law who has lectured to thousands of educational professionals across the United States, John regularly presents to conventions, professional groups, associations, public and independent schools, and other audiences. John also served as an Adjunct Professor of School Law at the Graduate Schools of Education at Fairleigh Dickinson University and Delaware Valley College.

John contributes his time to his community, serving as Chairman of the Burlington County Bridge Commission, and as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Moorestown Theater Company and the Mary Foundation, and the golf tournament committee of the Moorestown Education Foundation. Prior non-profit board memberships include the Ritz Theater, CASA of Burlington County, Reunion Committee, Class of 1990, Gettysburg College Alumni Association, golf tournament committee, Tri-County American Cancer Society, and Lambda Chi Alpha Alumni Association. John is also a member of the American, New Jersey, Burlington County and Camden County Bar Associations.

Aside from his law practice and public and non-profit activities, John has been cast in independent films, studies voice, and regularly appears in regional, Community Theater, often with his oldest daughter. He has taught Religious Education in his Church, continuously, for over a decade, runs, skies, and plays golf.

Locations	No. of Attorneys
Moorestown, NJ	8

Practice Areas	No. of Attorneys
Education	5
Labor & Employment	1
Litigation	1