Legal Questions & Answers: Education Law & Mediation in NJ

In the “Legal Advice” section of South Jersey Magazine (November 2017 – Volume 14, Issue 8), Camden County education lawyer Howard Mendelson offers his thoughts on how the practice of law has evolved in NJ and on how mediation can provide clients with a peaceful way to resolve any differences they might have outside of an adversarial courtroom setting.

Question: How has practicing law changed?

Answer: When I started practicing education law in 1986, there were fewer laws governing our public school. While our new laws have certainly helped with accountability, uniformity and protecting our most vulnerable students, they’ve also, sadly, spawned a more adversarial culture; we’ve lost some of the cooperative community spirit that had been more prevalent in the past. Mediation has accordingly become even more important in education law matters.