Gloria M. Bruzzano, Esq.
Gloria M. Bruzzano, Esq.
Gloria Bruzzano has spent almost two decades working on behalf of children’s rights.
Gloria has been working in the field of child advocacy since 2004 and has over 10 years of experience working in special education. As Partner at the Law Office of Elisa Hyman, she handled all aspects in representing parents of children with special needs – including initial intake, case strategy, participation in IEP meetings, representing families in impartial hearings, and appeals to the State Review Officer and Federal Court system.
Before starting her career representing parents and children, Gloria was a supervising attorney for the New York City Department of Education (“DOE”), providing legal services and trainings on special education and litigating fair hearings on behalf of the city to best assist children. Gloria also served as a compliance officer and then Director of Compliance there.
Prior to embarking on her career in special education law, Gloria was a leader in the field of child and domestic violence prevention.
Gloria ran the Child Protection Project at Sanctuary for Families. There she assisted survivors of domestic violence and their children in obtaining orders of protection, custody, and child support.
Gloria’s first law position was at the Administration for Children’s Services (“ACS”) in New York City, where she litigated child abuse and neglect cases and then became part of the legal compliance team, training caseworkers on the law and on best practices working with families who had their children removed.
Gloria has created and hosted nationwide trainings on interviewing child clients and domestic violence in the court system. She has worked with government agencies to consult on best practices to address benefits to mothers and children who have faced domestic violence and homelessness. She has trained staff members at private agencies providing services to special education students and coached hundreds of families across NY to prepare them for their IEP meetings. She also co-authored a policy manual for a major city educational agency to best prepare students with special needs entering preschool.
Gloria is the recipient of the American Bar Association Child Advocate of the Year Award, The Westchester Women's Bar Association Scholarship, and the New York State Bar Association President's Pro Bono Service Award.
Outside of work, Gloria is also dedicated to volunteering her time for children’s rights. She spent a summer living and volunteering in Ngong Hills, Kenya at an orphanage for HIV positive children.
Gloria has a J.D. from Pace University Law School and is admitted to practice in New York, New Jersey, the Southern District of New York, the Eastern District of New York and the Federal Courts of New Jersey.
Gloria lives in Rockland County, NY with her husband and two girls.