Our education law practice group represents both public and private schools in a variety of legal matters. Drawing on the Firm’s more 100 years of experience, Lewis, Rice & Fingersh is a full-service law firm providing the highest quality legal representation to education clients. Our attorneys offer a broad range of expertise and experience in representing and advising public and private schools in all aspects of school operations.
The focus of the education law practice group is on developing a pro-active approach to serving the needs of our education clients. To this end, our education law attorneys strive to help our clients prevent and minimize legal expenses and liability by focusing on regular, systematic training designed to continually advise our client of changes in the laws affecting educational institutions and employers. Helping our clients incorporate current best practices into their policies, procedures and regulations is a top priority for our attorneys.
Although the education law practice group focuses on implementing and developing proactive strategies to minimize litigation and liability for our education clients, our attorneys are well equipped to defend our education clients in a variety of contexts. Our attorneys have defended public and private employers in both federal and state courts, as well as represented their interest in various administrative proceedings. We have extensive experience in litigating employment discrimination claims based on race, sex, age, disability, religion, national origin, and pregnancy, including harassment claims.
Over the years, our practice has expanded to include the defense of class action discrimination claims. Our litigation experience also includes actions against employers under the Family Medical Leave Act and the Fair Labor Standards Act.
In addition to our representation of clients in litigation, we also represent clients before administrative agencies on employment-related disputes. Our education law practice group draws on the expertise of attorneys that specialize in the field of education law, and the collective experience that comes from a strong history of providing quality legal services to our clients.
We at Lewis, Rice & Fingersh never forget that the purpose of an educational institution is to provide its students with a quality education that prepares the students for productive futures. To assist educators in achieving these important goals, our attorneys offer a full range of legal services including, but not limited to:
- Regular legislative updates (local, state, and federal);
- Prepare and review board policies and procedures, including student and personnel handbooks;
- In-service training for administrators and staff;
- Special education, including IDEA and Section 504;
- General employment and personnel matters;
- Labor relations, including elections and negotiations;
- Civil rights (student and staff) with employee/student speech, religious expression and discrimination;
- Student discipline with regards to due process and board hearings;
- Tenure teacher dismissal with regards to due process and board hearings;
- School Finance including bonds and property tax;
- School construction as it relates to property acquisition and bid procedures;
- Public elections; and
- Litigation concerning employment, construction, student civil rights and vendor disputes.
Our attorneys are committed to assisting our education clients in creating an environment where students and staff can focus on the job of securing brighter futures for the population they serve.