Widely regarded as one of the most respected attorneys in New Jersey education law, Ms. Blackburn has decades of experience providing legal representation to dozens of public and private school boards, charter schools and school administrators. She is well regarded for her background in handling matters related to public procurement and contracting, labor and employment, contract negotiations, board governance, and litigation.

Prior to joining The Busch Law Group, Hope served as General Counsel for the Jersey City Public Schools and the Newark Public Schools, during which she provided advice and counsel to those school boards in all areas of school district operations, and assisted both districts in their transition back to local control. Ms. Blackburn is the former Director of Purchase and Property for the State of New Jersey, a former Assistant Counsel in the Office of Governor’s Counsel, and was Special Assistant for Policy and Planning to the Commissioner of Education. As the Director of the Bureau of Controversies and Disputes for the Department of Education, she managed the Englewood School District regionalization study and co-authored the Commissioner’s decision creating the State-operated Newark Public Schools.

Ms. Blackburn is a Trustee of the Educational Leadership Foundation of New Jersey (ELFNJ), Past President of the New Jersey Association of School Attorneys, and a member of the New Jersey State Bar Association, the New Jersey Women Lawyers Association, the National Association of Women Lawyers and the Asperger’s Parents Education Network. She is a graduate of Princeton University and Villanova University School of Law.

Past President, New Jersey Association of School Attorneys (NJASA), New Jersey School Boards Association, 2016-2018

General Counsel of the Year Finalist, New Jersey Biz, 2016

New Jersey Super Lawyers®, Top Rated Schools & Education, 2007, 2010

New Jersey Law Journal Women and Minorities in the Profession Recognition

Association of Black Women Lawyer’s Mother and Daughter Practitioners Honor

National Hook Up of Black Women Distinguished Service Award

Princeton Prize in Race Relations Committee Member

Member, New Jersey Education Leadership Foundation Board of Trustees Member, New Jersey School Boards Association

New Jersey Law Journal Women and Minorities in the Profession Recognition

Association of Black Women Lawyer’s Mother and Daughter Practitioners Honor

National Hook Up of Black Women Distinguished Service Award

Princeton Prize in Race Relations Committee Member

Member, New Jersey Education Leadership Foundation Board of Trustees Member, New Jersey School Boards Association

The School Funding Reform Act Impact on the Jersey City Public Schools

Requirements for Lead Testing in Public Schools

Religion in Schools and the Duty to Accommodate, New Jersey School Boards Association

OPRA and FERPA requirements regarding Student Records Disclosure, Lease Purchase Financing, Balodis, D. and Blackburn, H. Keypost, 2013

Select Published Decisions of the Commissioner of Education, editor and author

Contributing Author, “Report to the Governor on the State of New Jersey’s Enhanced Motor Vehicle Inspection Contract with Parsons Infrastructure & Technology Group”, 2002

Model Request for Proposals for Energy Savings Procurements in Cooperation with the State of New Jersey, Department of Community Affairs, Division of Local Government Services

Shared Services as a Cost Savings Measure, New Jersey School Boards Association

New Jersey State Bar Association, Education Law and Women in the Profession Subcommittee

New Jersey Women Lawyer’s Association, In-House Counsel Subcommittee

National School Boards Association (NSBA), Council of School Attorneys and Council of Urban Boards of Education

New Jersey Association of Black Women Lawyers

New Jersey Association of School Administrators (NJASA)

New Jersey Association of School Business Officials (NJASBO)

Aspergers Syndrome Parents Education Network

Association of Black Women Lawyers

New Jersey School Boards Association Annual Workshop, Atlantic City, NJ, Topic: Making Alternative Revenues a Realistic Part of Your Budget Solution – October 23, 2024

Guest Lecturer, Kean University Graduate Education Program, Educational Procurement

Business and Procurement Ethics, New Jersey Association of School Business Officials, Seminar Series 2013-2014

Department of Community Affairs approved Provider for Continuing Education Training in Ethics for Government Officials

The Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Franklin Township Celebration, Keynote Speaker, 2014

The Impact of Brown v. Board of Education in New Jersey, Porzio, Bromberg & Newman Associate Training

“To Bid or Not to Bid” Seminar Purchasing Fundamentals Seminar for the New Jersey Association of School Business Officials

College Experiences for Students with Asperger’s Syndrome, Parent Panel Discussion, Asperger’s Syndrome Parent Education Network

“Going Green” Seminar on Contracting and Financing for Energy Services

Equity in Education, Panel Mediator, American Association of Affirmative Action Officers 2011

Law Day Equity in Education, Title IX, New Jersey Women Lawyers Association, 2013

Diversity for Professional Women of Color, American Association of Affirmative Action Officers, 2012