Schools & Education

Schools and other educational institutions often have to contend with diverse legal issues that encompass policies and compliance; student matters; employment and labor issues; employment benefits; immigration and real estate and corporate finance. That’s why it’s critical that educational institutions have an experienced legal partner with a broad breadth of experience and expertise.

Dickinson Wright has a longstanding tradition of providing superior legal services to schools, colleges and universities throughout the Great Lakes region. Our team serves as general counsel to both public and private educational entities, including: public school districts, private schools, colleges, universities and other governmental and quasi-public bodies.

Some of the areas of expertise within the schools & educational institutions practice area include:

• Policies and compliance on general school matters, including school board, schools administration, Open Meetings Act, No Child Left Behind/ESEA, Freedom of Information Act and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. 

• Student matters, including: codes of student conduct, residency, student discipline/expulsion special education, student record access, abuse and neglect, First Amendment, financial aid/assistance, immigration and duel enrollment. 

• Preventative counseling on labor and employment matters. 

• Employment claims, including: wrongful discharge and discrimination lawsuits; defamation and other workplace torts; injunction lawsuits, administrative claims, teacher tenure, appeals and alternative dispute resolution. 

• Labor relations, including: collective bargaining; contract administration and arbitration, MERC matters and representation elections. 

• Employee benefits, HIPAA-related matters and ERISA-related issues. 

• Immigration, including: international movement of personnel, non-immigrant business/work visas green cards, labor certifications and employment eligibility. 

• Real estate and school finance, including state school aid and property tax matters and acting as bond counsel for voter-approved issues.