Anne Marie Rizzuto

Anne Marie Rizzuto, Esq. has practiced law since 1986, concentrating for the past twenty five (25) years in the area of public entity law, including municipal representation, land use and planning, redevelopment and general municipal law. As general counsel, Ms. Rizzuto has gained extensive experience in many areas of entity practice, including drafting and passage of governing documents, ordinances and resolutions; drafting of personnel, employment and labor agreements and policies; attendance and handling of public meetings and daily/general entity representation; representation regarding privacy, confidentiality, records requests and OPRA; day-to-day representation of all sub-entity departments, including police, fire, health, tax, building and recreation departments; direct handling of varied litigation as well as supervision of outside counsel;      overseeing environmental claims and insurance coverage representation; drafting, consultation and filing for DEP compliance; and overseeing municipal issues related to Special Improvement Districts, Library Boards, Boards of Education and Planning Board and Board of Adjustment applications and appeals.

Experience

Ms. Rizzuo has experience in drafting many types of contracts and completing many types of transactional matters, including sale or lease of real property; construction, indemnity, insurance and other agreements; and position papers on entity matters. Contract experience includes drafting of RFQs and complete bid packages of many types; review, analysis and evaluation of responses to bid packages; client consultation with respect to awarding and litigation defense of a successful bid; and guidance in collection of contract and supplemental documents for legal and insurance compliance. She has liasioned with officials in the State Department of Community Affairs, the State Division of Local Government Services and other State and County agencies, when necessary to ensure compliance with statutory requirements. In her representation of local agencies, Ms. Rizzuto has worked with the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission, the State Department of Environmental Protection and other regional, County and State entities.  Ms. Rizzuto has gained extensive experience in entity representation and is a former Certified Civil Trial Attorney. She has negotiated, drafted and completed many types of agreements and transactions for individuals and estates and commercial and other private entities, including condominium association deeds, bylaws and public offerings, shareholder agreements, asset purchase agreements, labor contracts and settlement and service agreements.

Litigation

Ms. Rizzuto’s skills in Litigation include handling of all pre-trial motions and discovery, and trial of many varied criminal and civil matters, inducing labor and termination disputes and other human resource matters, planning and zoning matters, bidding and contract disputes and construction and surety disputes. Ms. Rizzuto has tried cases in New Jersey before many municipal courts, the Superior Court and the Tax Court, well as before the New Jersey Office of Administrative Law. She has handled appeals to the New Jersey Civil Service Commission and
the Appellate Courts.

Ms. Rizzuto graduated cum laude from Montclair State University with a double major in English and Political Science and received her juris doctorate degree from Seton Hall University Law School.  She has been admitted continuously to the practice of law in the State of New Jersey since 1986.