Debra Osofsky
“One of the things I learned when I was negotiating was that until I changed myself, I could not change others.”
— Nelson Mandela
Negotiator, Trainer, Workplace Issues and Contract Expert
My Services
- Negotiate on your behalf or advise you on how best to negotiate for yourself.
- Analyze contracts, educate you on what they require, advise you of the areas of concern, advise you on how to address power differentials and help you revise and enforce contracts to your benefit.
- Train you or your employees, individually or in small or large groups.
- I can teach anyone how to negotiate, or negotiate better, using traditional and/or collaborative techniques.
- I provide prepackaged or customized training in negotiations, representation, advocacy, sexual harassment and other workplace and legal areas.
My Background
I have worked many years as a labor-relations lawyer and I am a negotiator, administrator, problem-solver and teacher with a diverse portfolio. With a Harvard Law degree and more than 25 years experience, I can provide the highest quality negotiation, contract and workplace advice and assistance, as well as pre-packaged or tailored training for you or your staff, without the big-firm mark-up. I have taught at Rutgers University and currently teach for the Scheinman Institute at Cornell University. I provide direct services, counsel and advice to organizations small and large, as well as to individuals.
References
“In my former roles as President of the Newark Chapter of the AAUP (American Association of University Professors) , President of the Council of Chapters, and Chief Negotiator for RBHS-AAUP it has been my pleasure to work closely with Debra Osofsky for a period spanning nearly a decade. During my period of involvement with AAUP, Debra served variously as our Executive Director and later as Special Counsel. Her years at AAUP were especially challenging and tumultuous as AAUP attempted to negotiate a contract first with UMDNJ (The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey) and then Rutgers University and Rowan University as portions of our bargaining unit were merged with those two universities.
Debra displayed both extraordinary skills as an Executive Director and as a negotiator during this particularly difficult period. She managed an organization that incorporated representatives from eight schools and colleges representing a diverse range of professionals from physicians and dentists to librarians and spanning the entire State of New Jersey. She managed our negotiations with three separate University Administrations and representatives if the State. She trained faculty and staff in the art and science of negotiations and served as my right hand and chief counsel as we attempted to settle our contracts.
In each of her roles with AAUP Debra displayed incredible skill, patience, and insight. She provided extraordinary leadership during a period that had no historical precedence. She displayed unmatched flexibility and dedication to the organization in meeting the needs and demands the appeared to be infinitely expanding and unpredictable.
In summary, I cannot praise Debra enough for the work she did during her tenure with AAUP. “
Dr. Joseph Holtzman, Professor (Ret)
Department of Community Health,
Rutgers School of Dental Medicine
President, JMH Research, LLC