The Education Law team at Critchfield has decades of experience representing and advising colleges and universities, along with local school districts, on a multitude of legal issues.
When it comes to the “business” of operating an educational institution or school district, our attorneys have advised clients on matters as diverse as bond financing, board governance, real estate, construction, and contract negotiation. We also regularly provide counsel on the full range of employment matters, including policy development and review, employment investigations, employee discipline, compensation and benefit matters, and faculty tenure issues. Our litigators provide expert assistance in all types of litigation.
Every college, university, and K-12 district is also confronted with compliance issues generated by multiple federal statutes, including the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act, and the Clery Act. Our skilled education law attorneys provide guidance to administrators to ensure that their school’s practices and procedures conform to all applicable laws and regulations.
Our attorneys are also adept at assisting our clients with Title IX compliance, including the rules promulgated by the U.S. Department of Education that became effective in August 2020. The U.S. Department of Education set forth proposed rules in June 2022 that would alter the current Title IX process; those rules are not yet effective, but we are monitoring them closely and anticipate they may go into effect before the 2023-2024 school year. We’re here to educate our clients regarding the rules and assist with policy formation and the training of decision makers and investigators. Critchfield attorneys are also available to serve as Title IX investigators, hearing officers, and hearing advisors, in addition to providing representation to our school clients in any Title IX-related litigation.
Critchfield is also an active member of the Council of Law on Higher Education, an organization on the cutting edge of higher education legal issues.
Representative clients include, Ashland University, The College of Wooster, and Mount Vernon Nazarene University.
Services include counseling and representation on:
- Acquisition and Divestiture of College Property
- Compliance with Federal Education Laws and Regulations
- Corporate Governance
- Employee Benefits Compliance
- Employment Policy Development and Disciplinary Matters
- General Business Transactions
- Intellectual Property
- Litigation in State and Federal Courts and Administrative Agencies
- Local/Municipal Regulatory Matters
- Planned Giving and other Development Strategies
- Real Estate and Construction
- Retirement Plan Administration
- Student Disciplinary Matters
- Taxable and Tax-Exempt Financings
- Title IX
