PARTNER
JOSEPH P. LILLY received his Juris Doctor degree from St. John's University School of Law in 1992 and his B.A. from Fordham University in 1989. Upon graduation from law school, he served as an Assistant District Attorney in the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office from 1992 to 1996, where he prosecuted numerous criminal cases involving a variety of criminal charges. In 1997, Joe entered private practice in Melville, New York, where he worked on behalf of a number of insurance carriers investigating and litigating cases involving insurance fraud, and defended personal injury lawsuits. From 1999 until 2008, Joe maintained a solo practice, working in the area of criminal defense. He has tried many cases in both the criminal and civil courts.
Joe joined Frazer & Feldman, LLP in 2008 and became a Partner in 2018. He oversees a wide variety of cases involving staff discipline pursuant to Education Law §3020-a and Civil Service Law §75, student discipline, student residency and general litigation. Joe conducts dozens of student disciplinary hearings each year and has successfully handled the defense of numerous appeals of disciplinary matters to the Commissioner of Education. Joe also counsels our school district clients at manifestation determinations. He has handled multiple complex proceedings pursuant to Education Law 3020-a relating to the discipline of tenured teachers and has also prosecuted many matters pursuant to Labor Law § 75, as well as litigated public sector union arbitrations. Joe also negotiates collective bargaining agreements for several of our clients.
Joe has published articles on numerous education law subjects, including “Executive Sessions and the Open Meetings Law” (November 2014) and “Reasonable Suspicion Must Precede Cellphone Search” (October 2017). He has conducted numerous presentations at school law conferences, and has provided training to school district personnel on topics including sexual harassment, student discipline, conducting investigations regarding student and employee misconduct, the Dignity for All Students Act, negotiating collective bargaining agreements, and concussion protocols for student athletes.