Education Law

Education law covers a wide array of practice areas that impact public and private colleges and universities, private elementary and secondary schools, and public school districts. Our attorneys have extensive experience in the following areas:

Governance and Supervision 

Our attorneys provide legal counsel to our education clients on matters such as non-profit and corporate law, risk assessment, board governance, and the proper conduct of board meetings. We are also well-versed in drafting and revising board and school policies and procedures; advise the leadership team and fiduciaries on their responsibilities to each other and to the institution, and can provide training and oversight on all relevant matters.


Labor and employment 

We advise our education clients on hiring, discipline, terminations, tenure and promotion issues, discrimination and harassment complaints, and immigration and visas. We have substantial experience drafting, reviewing and revising employment policies and procedures and faculty handbooks. Our attorneys also negotiate union contracts and handle all issues surrounding union employees such as discipline and grievances.

Student matters 

There are a variety of issues that impact students in attendance colleges, universities and schools. These include discipline and misconduct, privacy laws (such as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act), athletics, and student immigration and visa issues. We also advise draft, review and revise student policies to ensure compliance with all applicable laws and provide assistance with conducting investigations such as those required by Title IX and pursuant to complaints filed with the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights.

Constitutional issues 

We provide advice on constitutional issues such as academic freedom and other First Amendment matters.

Compliance

Our attorneys have substantial experience advising on all compliance matters, including ensuring that applicable federal and state laws are enforced and providing advice on internal and external audits. This includes advising on federal financial aid laws and Department of Education audits. We also advise on compliance with open meetings and public records laws, as applicable to public institutions.

Contract review

We have experience drafting, reviewing, and revising a variety of contracts applicable to educational institutions such as contracts for real estate, capital projects, service providers, study abroad programs, and procurements

Litigation

Our attorneys handle all steps of litigation for our education clients, including hearings, mediations, arbitrations, and court matters.

Training

We are available to provide training to our education clients on topics such as privacy and confidentiality, discrimination and harassment, Title IX and Enough is Enough, and fiduciary duties and obligations.

In addition to being reactive, our firm prides itself on being proactive by addressing any potentially problematic issues as soon as possible to obtain favorable outcomes for our clients.


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Who We Are
GDWO is committed to providing excellence in legal representation.

Located in New York's capital – Albany, our highly skilled and experienced attorneys are admitted to all state and federal courts in New York, as well as Connecticut, and the United States Supreme Court. We have the experience, knowledge and integrity to represent our clients in a competent, vigorous and professional manner.

Client success is our mission.