Lester E. Taylor III

Lester Taylor, Partner at Florio Perrucci Steinhardt Cappelli Tipton & Taylor, is Chairman of the firm’s Education Law Practice Group.  Lester represents boards of education in matters related to general counsel services, special education, litigation, labor, employment, and workers’ compensation. He also is involved with the firm’s labor & employment, litigation, municipal law, and redevelopment practice groups.

He has significant experience in all facets of education law and has represented a number of urban and suburban school districts throughout New Jersey. Lester presently represents the Camden City School District, Middletown Township Public Schools, Brick Township Board of Education, Union Township Board of Education, Union County Vocational & Technical School District, Long Branch Board of Education, Jersey City Board of Education, West New York Board of Education, Willingboro Board of Education, Elizabeth Board of Education, and Paterson Board of Education.

Lester also represents state, county, and municipal public entities including the Township of Irvington, Willingboro Township, Union County and Passaic County in labor and employment and litigation related matters.  He also represents housing authorities including Asbury Park and Phillipsburg.

Additionally, Lester is involved in redevelopment projects for both private and public clients.  He negotiates redevelopment agreements and handles related litigation.   Lester has a unique experience with Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) which subsidizes the acquisition, construction, and rehabilitation of affordable rental housing for low- and moderate-income tenants, as well as HOPE IV, program of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development that aims to revitalize public housing projects in the United States into mixed-income developments.

Lester served as Mayor of the City of East Orange, New Jersey from 2014-2017.  He has received numerous awards and recognition from various civic organizations and often volunteers his time speaking with students on the importance of education and developing leadership skills. Currently, Taylor serves on the Board of Trustees of the Montclair State University Foundation, the Board of Three Doctors Foundation, the Board of the United Way of Greater Newark, the Board of Sustainable Jersey, and the Board of Jersey Water Works. He served as a Trustee for the Northern Region of the New Jersey Association of School Attorneys. Lester frequently attends and conducts legal seminars to stay abreast of changes in the law.

Following graduation from law school, Lester served as a law clerk to the Honorable Zinora M. Mitchell-Rankin, Associate Judge, Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He then worked as an associate at a law firm in Newark, New Jersey in the areas of general civil and criminal litigation, with a focus on representing local boards of education and other public entities.

Recent Presentations:

• Jersey Water Works 2021 Membership Meeting, July 28, 2021 – Moderator, “Different Perspectives, New Opportunities, Win-Win Solutions” addressing New Jersey water infrastructure issues.
• NFN Radio News Podcast, June 22, 2021 – Speaker, “Water is the New Oil” a discussion with Former New Jersey Governor James Florio addressing how drinking water is an essential natural resource that is facing serious challenges.
• New Jersey State Bar Association Labor and Employment Law Section and the NJSBA School Law Special Committee Webcast, April 28, 2021 – Speaker, “Representing School Employees and Boards of Education in Employment Law Cases”
• WaterNow Alliance Virtual, April 8, 2021, Speaker, “Going Big on Resilience: The Mid-Atlantic Model for Regional Green Collaboration”
• Mt. Olivet Seventh-Day Adventist Church, February 27, 2021 – Speaker, “How to Create Black Wealth & Bridge the Wealth Inequality Gap”
• New Jersey School Boards Association’s Annual Workshop, October, 2020 – Speaker, “Virtual Labor Negotiations” addressing how to negotiate in a remote setting.
• New Jersey School Boards Association’s Annual Workshop, October, 2019 – Speaker, “One Strike, You’re Out” addressing teacher strikes, work stoppages, and slow-downs.
• New Jersey School Boards Association hosted Spring School Law Forum at the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association, June 12, 2019 – Speaker, “Harassment, Intimidation & Bullying (HIB)”
• Directors of Athletics Association of New Jersey Annual Conference, March 12, 2019 – Speaker, “School Law Update for Athletics”
• New Jersey Future Annual Redevelopment Conference, March 8, 2019 – Moderator, “Building the Infrastructure New Jersey Needs”
• 2019 Annual School Law Conference, February 5, 2019 – Panelist, “Legal Implications of Student Safety”
• New Jersey Future & Jersey Waterworks Collaborative Conference, December 7, 2018 – Panelist “Breaking Through: Overcoming the Water Funding Challenge”
• New Jersey School Boards Association Annual Conference, October 24, 2018 – Learning Lab, Topic “The Impact of the Janus Decision”
• Union County Schools Boards Association meeting, October 17, 2018 – Speaker, “Code of Ethics and Implications of Social Media”
• New Jersey School Boards Association Annual Spring School Law Forum, June 12, 2018 – Panelist, “Teacher Strikes”
• New Jersey Public Employment Conference presented by the New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, April 27, 2018 – Panelist, “Teacher Negotiations”
• New Jersey School Boards Association & Bergen County School Boards Association Roundtable, January 31, 2018 – Panelist, “Sexual Harassment”