Derlys Maria Gutierrez, a founding member of Adams Gutierrez & Lattiboudere, has been an attorney for over 20 years, representing public school districts in matters involving employment issues, public sector bargaining, special education law, and general school law. She commenced her legal career representing public sector clients at the firm of Murray, Murray and Corrigan where she represented numerous public school districts and municipalities throughout the State of New Jersey. She subsequently moved to Sills Cummis where she continued to represent public school districts in the areas of general school law, labor and employment law and special education. She has represented her school board clients in all areas including employment discrimination, special education, construction arbitration, grievance arbitration, and labor negotiations. She successfully tried numerous tenure dismissal cases and teacher seniority cases before the Office of Administrative Law, as well as special education cases before administrative agencies and in federal court.
From 1997 through 2007, she was the Director of Human Resources for the Passaic Public Schools, a large public school district in New Jersey, where she handled negotiations with 5 employee bargaining units, as well as countless grievance arbitrations. She also successfully handled an Abbott school district budget appeal on behalf of the Passaic Public Schools. As a member of the Superintendent’s Cabinet, Ms. Gutierrez worked diligently in preparing whole school reform budgets and gained experience in the inner workings of a school district that gives her a unique perspective as an attorney representing boards of education. As a former adjunct professor with Caldwell College, she taught school law and human resources management to aspiring school principals.
Martindale Hubbell has given Ms. Gutierrez a Preeminent AV rating, the highest possible rating in legal ability and ethical standards. Ms. Gutierrez has been a Trustee of the New Jersey Association of School Attorneys and is currently the President-Elect. She is also a member of the North American Association of Educational Negotiators, the New Jersey State Bar Association, the American Bar Association and the Hispanic Bar Association. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the NJ Sharing Network Foundation Board.
A graduate of Barnard College, Columbia University, and of Rutgers University School of Law, Ms. Gutierrez has dedicated her professional career to providing school districts with advice that proactively seeks solutions.
Ms. Gutierrez is fluent in Spanish.
