Deborah J. Bracaglia
Debbie Bracaglia counsels clients in all areas of Municipal, Employment and Education Law, including personnel and labor matters, policy and procedure and general issues of municipal, employment and education law. In the area of Education, Ms. Bracaglia provides advice with regard to general tenure issues, preparing and pursuing tenure charges, defending increment withholdings and handling non-renewals. She assists local government clients with the review and analysis of their collective bargaining agreements, aiding in the development of negotiations proposals and the presentation of same to the union. Ms. Bracaglia also provides legal counsel with regard to the preparation for and defense of grievances. Ms. Bracaglia has extensive experience in handling various matters before the Public Employment Relations Commission, the Civil Service Commission and the Office of Administrative Law.
Prior to joining Apruzzese, McDermott, Mastro & Murphy, she was counsel at Schwartz, Simon, Edelstein & Celso, where she handled all matters related to education. Previously, she was also counsel at a small labor and employment law firm where she represented primarily public entity clients, including several counties, numerous municipalities and other public authorities and boards. She has experience in all facets of Labor and Employment law including the investigation of employee complaints, disciplinary proceedings, drafting employee policy and procedures manuals and providing general legal advice in the areas of labor, employment and collective bargaining. She was counsel to the North Plainfield Historic Commission for many years.
Aside from her professional experience, Debbie also served twelve years on the Bernards Township Board of Education where she was President of the Board for five years. During her tenure on the Board of Education, she served as chairperson of the negotiations committees for both the teachers and the administrators as well as chair of the personnel committee. She participated in two superintendent searches and was part of two successful referenda, including the construction of a new elementary school, which was completed on time and under budget. Her background as a Board member gives her a unique perspective in counseling Boards of Education.
Debbie is an avid Rutgers fan. On fall weekends, she can be found cheering on her Scarlet Knights at Rutgers Stadium. She has participated in a multitude of community and volunteer activities. She was very involved with the PTOs of the various schools her children attended, serving as vice president of the Oak Street School PTO and President of the Bernards Township Interschool Council. Ms. Bracaglia also served as the treasurer of Ridge Hockey and she was the ultimate ticket mom for all of the drama performances in town for many years. Outside of the school setting, Ms. Bracaglia was Treasurer of the Daytop New Jersey Family Association Board of Trustees from April 2012 through February 2015. She is also a trained group facilitator at Daytop where she facilitated parent groups from March 2012 through February 2015.
Ms. Bracaglia is the proud parent of three grown children. Kate is a summa cum laude graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and a successful managing production editor and freelance writer extraordinaire in Philadelphia. Dan is a graduate of Rutgers, former editor-in-chief of the Rutgers Daily Targum and currently a photographer and writer for DP Review in Seattle. Tim is a cum laude graduate of Rutgers with a BA in social work. He is currently pursuing his MSW at Rutgers and simultaneously working as a drug and alcohol counselor at Footprints to Recovery in Hamilton, New Jersey. Her husband, John, is a practicing attorney in Somerville, New Jersey.
Education
- Seton Hall Law School, Honors Graduate
- Rutgers College BA, Math Major, Business Minor
Bar Admissions
- Admitted to the NJ Bar
