Jaclyn M. Morgese

Jaclyn M. Morgese is a highly skilled and versatile attorney whose practice is devoted exclusively to representing New Jersey boards of education. Known for her comprehensive, hands-on approach, Jaclyn serves as trusted general counsel, negotiations counsel, construction counsel, and strategic advisor to school districts facing the full spectrum of legal, operational, and governance challenges. Her clients rely on her ability to deliver precise, pragmatic, and forward-thinking solutions in an increasingly complex educational landscape.

Jaclyn currently serves as counsel to the following New Jersey public school districts:

• Bellmawr Board of Education
• Cranford Public Schools (Labor Only)
• Evesham Township School District
• Kenilworth Public Schools
• North Caldwell Public Schools
• Pequannock Township School District
• Riverdale Public Schools
• Rockaway Township School District
• Sparta Township Public School District
• Trinity Hall School

Jaclyn advises on every aspect of school district operations, including board governance, policy development, public contracting, collective negotiations, construction and facilities, ethics compliance, personnel and student matters, and day-to-day operational decision-making. She regularly attends board meetings, provides real-time legal analysis, drafts and revises policies and regulations, and guides district leaders through issues ranging from routine questions to high-stakes, district-wide concerns. She prides herself as an accessible, deeply informed counselor with the judgment, poise, and experience needed to support boards through both urgent problems and long-term strategic planning.

Jaclyn brings extensive experience in labor relations and collective negotiations, areas in which she has developed significant expertise over more than a decade of practice. She is particularly well known for her work in salary guide development and restructuring, advising districts on how to design or modify guides to address financial constraints, promote internal equity, and support sustainable negotiations strategies. In addition to serving as negotiations counsel, she frequently consults with business administrators and superintendents on the broader fiscal and organizational impacts of proposed contract terms.

Her experience also extends deeply into school ethics, tenure and seniority analysis, construction law, and public procurement. She has conducted numerous comprehensive reviews of tenure, seniority, and certification issues, offering clear and defensible guidance on some of the most technical and consequential decisions a board may face. Her knowledge of the School Ethics Act and the Public School Contracts Law enables her to help districts navigate conflicts of interest, procurement compliance, and ethics obligations with confidence and transparency.

Jaclyn’s path to school law reflects her long-standing commitment to public service and advocacy. She is a graduate of Syracuse University College of Law, where her article, Proper Misuse: How Courts Should Develop Copyright Misuse to Protect Copyright Holder’s Brand Image and Reputation, was published in the 64th Volume of the Syracuse Law Review. During law school, she also served in the Criminal Defense Clinic, where she represented an individual seeking executive clemency—work that resulted in a 2017 Presidential Pardon issued by President Barack Obama.

Before joining Chasan Lamparello Mallon & Cappuzzo, PC, Jaclyn practiced with an education law firm and later with a mid-sized general practice firm as a member of its Education Law Group. These roles provided a strong foundation in both specialized school law and broader civil practice, shaping the well-rounded, solutions-driven perspective she brings to her current clients.

Today, Jaclyn is recognized for her depth of experience, her command of the legal and operational realities facing New Jersey public schools, and her unwavering commitment to providing boards of education with the highest level of representation. Districts turn to her not only to solve problems, but to anticipate them—to help protect their interests, support sound governance, and ensure that every decision advance their mission of serving students and communities.