Deborah L. Mains

Deborah L. Mains is a shareholder in the firm.

Deborah graduated from the State University of New York at Albany in 1992 with a Bachelor of Arts in Russian Studies and obtained her J.D. from Rutgers School of Law - Camden in 1995.

After completing a judicial clerkship with the Honorable Mary E. Colalillo in Camden, New Jersey, Deborah joined the labor department of a large South Jersey union-side litigation law firm, exclusively representing unions and employee benefits funds before state and federal courts. In addition, she represented individual workers in a variety of state and municipal court actions, assisting them with everything from unemployment benefits to criminal charges.

Deborah, of course, continued to also represent unions, benefit funds, and individual workers in labor and employment matters.

Deborah joined Costello & Mains, P.C. as a partner after her tenure as Associate General Counsel of the largest property services union in the United States. As Associate General Counsel, Deborah provided legal counsel to the union on organizing campaigns and strikes; represented the union before the federal courts and before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and, most importantly to her, arbitrated hundreds of grievances on behalf of individual members of the union who had been unjustly discharged, disciplined or otherwise deprived of benefits.

Ms. Mains is licensed to practice law in New York and in New Jersey. She is also admitted to practice before the United States District Courts for the District of New Jersey, the Southern District of New York and the Eastern District of New York. Deborah is a member of the Board of Governors of the New Jersey Association for Justice, a member of the New Jersey State Bar Association and a former member of the Executive Committee of the Labor and Employment section of the New Jersey State Bar Association. For the New Jersey Association for Justice, she is also a co-chair of the Women's Trial Caucus.

Ms. Mains continues her practice at Costello & Mains, P.C. exclusively representing workers and their families in a variety of employment law actions, including workplace harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, Fair Labor Standards Act violations, wage and hour violations, Family Leave Act violations, whistle blower actions and other matters. Deborah also chairs the firm's class and collective actions, Prevailing Wage Act and Fair Labor Standards Act practices.

Education:

Rutgers School of Law - Camden, Camden, New Jersey, 1995
J.D.

State University of New York at Albany , 1992
Bachelor of Arts
Major: Russian Studies

Professional Associations and Memberships:

New Jersey State Bar Association

Member, Labor and Employment Section Executive Committee: member, GLBT section

New York Bar Association

Member

New Jersey Association for Justice

Member, Labor and Employment Working Group, member, Women’s Trial Caucus

Camden Bar Association

Member

Camden County Bar Association

Member

Past Employment Positions:

Honorable Mary E. Colalillo in Camden, NJ, Judicial Clerkship