School & Education
Our School & Education Law Team has an extensive history representing public school divisions across Virginia. With 100+ years’ combined experience in education law, our attorneys have a genuine concern for the well-being of students and educators throughout the Commonwealth.
With significant background both in education and the law, our attorneys have a unique ability to efficiently advise school clients regarding the complexities of governing and operating public school divisions. Whether helping school divisions analyze potentially complicated personnel situations, navigate issues related to disability rights, or understand school board governance, we offer support with a deep understanding of the challenges posed to public bodies and school divisions.
The members of our School & Education Law Team are frequent and regular presenters at state and national conferences for the Virginia School Boards Association, VASS, VAESP, VASSP, VCASE, VASBO, VASPA, NSBA, LRP, CEC and others.
Our Practice
Our lawyers currently represent approximately 100 Virginia public school divisions on a variety of matters, including:
Administrative Law
As school and education attorneys, we counsel Virginia school divisions each day on administration law compliance matters, including open records and meetings compliance, conflicts of interest, and public records management. Our experience includes:
- Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) including litigating claims for alleged violations
- Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA)
- School division governance, Board policy development, Board bylaws, and administrative regulations
- Interpretation and responses to subpoenas and court orders
- All forms of administrative hearings, including personnel grievance hearings, IDEA hearings, Section 504 hearings, and student discipline
- Internal investigations under Title IX, Title VI, the ADA, and Section 504
Construction Law
Our education lawyers are experienced in the full range of construction law issues that affect local governments and other public bodies. We provide assistance with:
- Public procurement
- Contract drafting and review
- Public construction finance
- PPEA guidelines and project support
- Public project litigation and disputes
Employment Law
Our school and education attorneys can help your school division navigate the myriad employment laws that impact the workplace. We routinely:
- Handle employment contracts
- Represent school divisions in teacher and support staff statutory grievance proceedings, including before the Virginia Employment Commission and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
- Counsel public schools on the Fair Labor Standards Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 and other state and federal laws relating to discrimination and accommodation, as well as civil rights, free speech, and state and federal constitutional law issues
Finance Law
For more than 25 years, our education lawyers have helped localities navigate complex financial matters. We regularly act as bond counsel for Virginia localities, school districts, regional authorities and commissions across the Commonwealth and have been involved in well over 1,500 financings totaling more than $4 billion in tax exempt and taxable borrowings.
Public Procurement Law
Our school and education attorneys have extensive knowledge of State of Virginia procurement laws and regulations, including the Virginia Public Procurement Act. We often support public school boards in all aspects of governmental contracting, bidding, and procurement.
Special Education Law
Our school and education law team focuses specifically on special education law, and we support the majority of Virginia public school divisions with their special education legal needs. We assist school boards with every aspect of special education law, from compliance training and proactive prevention to providing legal support during IDEA and § 504 meetings. In addition, we regularly handle special education due process proceedings. Although we successfully resolve many cases through the required resolution sessions, mediation, or through direct negotiations with student/family counsel, we also argue these cases in administrative due process hearings, as well as in state and federal court.
Members of our team are regularly asked to speak about special education law issues before organizations including the National School Boards Association, the Virginia School Boards Association, the Virginia Council of Administrators of Special Education, and the LRP Media Group.
Related School & Education Attorneys
