K-12 Education

Our team members are honored to partner with boards, leadership teams, and in-house counsel to address legal challenges in a way that aligns with the entity's organizational values and goals.

We understand the importance of delivering excellent, responsive, and practical legal advice that considers the complex daily work of school districts and independent schools, and we approach each matter with the goal of providing high level legal services in a cost‐effective manner. We also embrace the equity mission of schools and districts and work closely with clients in implementing legal strategies that reflect and support their equity initiatives.

Our education team attorneys manage a wide array of legal matters for schools and are highly knowledgeable about traditional legal issues, such as employment and labor relations, including educator rights, discipline and dismissal; legal issues concerning students including special education; civil rights issues, including Title IX and other anti-discrimination laws; public records, meetings, and governance issues; major personal injury claims; and data and information management. Our experience includes representing institutions facing claims or addressing compliance issues under all major statutes impacting educational institutions, including the ADA, Section 504, the IDEA, FERPA, and the host of federal and state regulatory schemes affecting entities serving K-12 students.

We also serve schools and districts in a myriad of other areas, including election law; insurance recovery; land use permitting; public contracting and procurement, including construction contracting; public finance; and environmental compliance and toxic tort claims. 

Our work includes representation before administrative agencies, including the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and comparable state agencies. We also represent institutions when they are sued in state and federal courts. We are aware of the environment in which schools operate and have significant experience in resolving legal challenges in a manner that preserves important relationships and promotes the values of public education.

Our education attorneys frequently provide trainings to clients and education industry groups across the region on a range of topics, including free speech, student discipline, religious freedoms, discrimination and harassment prevention, mental health issues in the workplace, diversity, equity and inclusion, and special education.