Eric Martin Bernstein, Esq.
Principal
Practice Areas:
- Labor and Employment Law
- Municipal and Governmental Law/Affairs
- Land Use Law
- Education Law
Biography
With nearly 40 years of legal experience as a municipal attorney and labor/employment attorney, Mr. Bernstein has served as General Counsel to a dozen and one-half municipalities throughout the State and has also handled such diverse issues as the Open Public Meetings Act, the Open Public Records Act, land use matters, ethics issues, municipal construction, the Local Public Contracts Law, tax appeals, open space acquisition and general government affairs, both as General and Special Counsel. There is no field of municipal/government law that Mr. Bernstein has not handled on behalf of the various New Jersey municipalities. He has appeared in both Federal and State courts on all municipal litigation and related issues.
Mr. Bernstein handles matters on a wide range of subjects within the labor/employment law fields, including, but not limited to, general advice and assistance, contract negotiations, interest and grievance arbitrations, fact-finding and mediation, disciplinary matters involving public safety and non-public safety employees and litigation before Federal and State courts and various administrative agencies. He has or is serving numerous public entities as Labor Counsel throughout the State of New Jersey and elsewhere.
In the land use and related fields, Mr. Bernstein serves as Board Attorney to several Planning Boards, Zoning Boards and Land Use Boards, as well as Conflict Counsel to Planning, Zoning and Land Use Boards. These representations have been conducted throughout the State and over Bernstein’s legal career. Such issues handled in these capacities include general Board representation, drafting legal advice and Board resolutions, litigation before Federal and State courts, foreclosures and every aspect in between. Mr. Bernstein has also provided legal advice, assistance and representation to municipalities throughout the State as to Mt. Laurel/affordable housing throughout his legal career, as well as lectured on the subject before the New Jersey State Bar Association, New Jersey Land Use Institute and the New Jersey Planning Officials Association. Mr. Bernstein is also serving as Associate Counsel to the New Jersey Planning Officials Association.
In addition to his practice, Mr. Bernstein is a regular and frequently requested speaker at state, national and international organizations and has been teaching for the Rutgers University Bureau of Government Research and other institutions/entities since the early 1980s. Mr. Bernstein has also taught a number of varied courses for the New Jersey State Bar Association and the Institute for Continuing Legal Education on municipal, labor law and land use matters for professional legal accreditation. Mr. Bernstein has written articles for publication on government and labor law and is the Past Chairman of the New Jersey State Bar Association Local Government Law Section, where he also previously served as its Vice Chairman and Editor of its newsletter. Mr. Bernstein has also served as a Vice President of the New Jersey Association of School Attorneys.
Education
J.D., University of Oklahoma College of Law, 1982
M.S., Industrial and Labor Relations, Cornell University/Baruch College, 1985
B.A., magna cum laude with honors, Drew University, 1979
Admissions
New Jersey Bar
District of Columbia Bar United States Supreme Court
Third Circuit (Federal) Court of Appeals
United States District Courts:
New Jersey
Eastern District of Arkansas
Western District of Arkansas
Nebraska
North Dakota
Eastern District of Oklahoma
Northern District of Oklahoma
Western District of Oklahoma
Eastern District of Texas
Eastern District of Wisconsin
Western District of Wisconsin
Awards
International Trial Lawyers Award, University of Oklahoma College of Law
Who's Who in American Law
Who's Who in the United States
Who’s Who in the World
Super Lawyer in the fields of Municipal and Labor/Employment Law and/or Administrative Law
Service
Mr. Bernstein is active in the Valerie Fund, a children’s cancer fund, which his wife, Merrie, serves as a member of the Board of Trustees and as previous Chair of its Board of Trustees. She also serves as President of MWB Consulting, LLC. |
