Fogarty & Hara, Esqs.

What Fogarty & Hara, Esqs. does

Fogarty & Hara, Esqs. (now operating as Fogarty, Hara, LaPira & Cherry, LLC) is a boutique New Jersey law firm founded in 1984 and headquartered at 21-00 Route 208 South, Fair Lawn, New Jersey. The firm represents management — specifically boards of education and school districts — across all major areas of education law, including school law, employment and labor relations, special education (IDEA, Section 504, FERPA), construction, and litigation defense. Its ten-attorney roster (3 partners, 5 associates, 2 of counsel) brings multi-jurisdictional bar admissions including the U.S. Supreme Court, Third Circuit Court of Appeals, and New York, alongside multiple state and federal court clerkships.

The firm operates through five interconnected practice areas: school law (school budgets, public school contracts, elections, lands and buildings, student discipline, attendance, transportation, Tort Claims Act); employment and labor law (contract negotiations, grievance arbitration, policy formulation, representation before PERC, EEOC, and the Division on Civil Rights); special education law (eligibility, FAPE, IEP, placement, due process); construction law (bid documents, contract drafting, dispute resolution, mediation, arbitration); and litigation in federal and state courts and administrative agencies. Revenue is generated through professional legal fees on direct engagements with school district clients, with no alternative fee structures disclosed.

The firm's go-to-market is built on direct legal services sold to school district clients in New Jersey, supplemented by thought leadership through articles in New Jersey Lawyer Magazine and presentations to the New Jersey School Boards Association, county school business officials associations, and other professional education law organizations. The firm is privately held as an LLC, with no institutional investors, parent company, or external ownership identified. Membership in professional associations including the National School Board Association Council of School Attorneys and the New Jersey Association of School Attorneys supports its position in the niche.

Name

Fogarty & Hara, Esqs.

Legal name

Fogarty, Hara, LaPira & Cherry, LLC

Website

https://fogartyandhara.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Fogarty & Hara, Esqs. (now Fogarty, Hara, LaPira & Cherry, LLC) is a New Jersey-based boutique law firm founded in 1984 that represents school districts in education law, employment, special education, construction, and litigation matters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Law Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Employment & Labor Law (BPAHAAAD)

Keywords

• Education law services
• School district representation
• Special education law
• Labor relations counsel
• Construction law services

Headquarters

HQ city

Fair Lawn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Professional Fees: The firm generates revenue through professional legal fees for representing school districts in education law matters including school management, employment, labor negotiations, special education, construction, and litigation defense.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Fogarty & Hara, Esqs. (now Fogarty, Hara, LaPira & Cherry, LLC) is a New Jersey-based law firm that represents school district Boards of Education in education law, employment law, special education law, labor relations, construction law, and related litigation matters. The firm provides legal counsel, contract drafting, policy preparation, training, negotiation, administrative agency representation, and litigation defense to public school districts.

Product overview

Fogarty, Hara, LaPira & Cherry, LLC is a law firm offering legal services to school districts and public entities. The firm provides five interconnected practice areas: School Law Services (covering all aspects of public school operations), Employment and Labor Law Services (representing management in labor negotiations and employment matters), Special Education Law Services (counseling and litigating IDEA and Section 504 matters), Construction Law Services (full-service legal support for school construction projects), and Litigation Services (representing clients in federal and state courts and administrative agencies). The firm was founded in 1984 and specializes in education law.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• School Law Services Comprehensive legal representation and advisory services for Boards of Education covering management of schools, staff personnel, the Open Public Meetings Act, the Open Public Records Act, public school contracts law, school budgets, school elections, school lands and buildings, student disciplinary matters, attendance and transportation, and Tort Claims Act matters. Intended for Boards of Education and public school district administrators in New Jersey.
• Employment and Labor Law Services Legal services for Boards of Education including contract negotiations, administration of labor agreements, disciplinary procedures and hearings, grievance and public-sector interest arbitrations, policy formulation and counseling, and representation before PERC, EEOC, the Division on Civil Rights, and federal and state courts. Intended for Boards of Education and public school district human resources leadership.
• Special Education Law Services Counsel and litigation for Boards of Education on matters arising under IDEA, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, FERPA, and related state regulations, covering eligibility, FAPE, evaluation, IEP, placement, related services, LRE, inclusion, preschool programs, compliance, student discipline, and due process procedures. Intended for Boards of Education, Special Education Directors, and school district administrators responding to special education disputes.
• Construction Law Services Legal services for Boards of Education covering construction projects including bid document preparation, contract drafting with architects and construction managers, bid review, contract award challenges, dispute resolution, lien review, construction contract termination, and representation in mediation, arbitration, and litigation. Intended for Boards of Education undertaking school construction and capital projects.
• Litigation Services Litigation representation in federal and state courts including the U.S. Supreme Court, Third Circuit Court of Appeals, Federal District Court, New Jersey Supreme Court, and Superior Court, as well as before agencies such as the Office of Administrative Law, Commissioner of Education, EEOC, and PERC. Intended for Boards of Education and public entities defending education, employment, labor, and special education claims.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Schenck, Price, Smith & King, LLP: New Jersey-based law firm with a dedicated school law practice group representing public school districts in education, labor, employment, and special education matters — overlapping clientele and practice area coverage.
• Kingsbury, Hebert & Reed, LLC: New Jersey law firm with a school law practice serving boards of education in education, labor, and special education matters — comparable niche client focus in the same geography.
• Comegno Law Group, P.C. New Jersey law firm specializing in education law on behalf of boards of education, including special education, labor, employment, and student discipline — closely comparable niche specialization.
• Cleary Giacobbe Alfieri Jacobs, LLC: New Jersey law firm exclusively dedicated to representing boards of education in education law, labor, special education, and construction matters — the most direct comparable to Fogarty & Hara in scope, geography, and client base.
• Adams, Stern, Gutierrez & Lattiboudere, LLC: New Jersey-based education law firm representing school boards across labor, employment, special education, and student matters — directly comparable client base and practice scope.
• DiFrancesco, Bateman, Kunzman, Davis, Lehrer & Flaum, P.C. New Jersey law firm with a longstanding school law practice representing boards of education in education, employment, labor, special education, and construction matters — highly comparable niche and region.

Others

• National School Boards Association Council of School Attorneys (NSBA COSA): Professional association of attorneys representing school boards nationally — listed as a membership organization for the firm's attorneys and a peer bar association rather than a law firm competitor.
• New Jersey Association of School Attorneys (NJASA): State-level professional association of attorneys representing New Jersey school boards — a peer professional body in which the firm's attorneys hold membership, used for networking and thought leadership rather than direct competition.

Broad incumbents

• Porzio, Bromberg & Newman, P.C. Large New Jersey law firm with a broad practice portfolio that includes a dedicated education law group serving school districts — a broader incumbent offering overlapping services alongside many other practice areas.

Regional players

• Florio, Perrucci, Steinhardt, Cappelliello & Belardinelli: New Jersey-headquartered law firm with a school law practice group serving public school districts in labor, employment, and special education matters — overlapping services with a multi-office regional footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fhlclaw

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fogarty & Hara, Esqs.