Education

Our clients rely on our knowledge and experience in this area with respect to a host of legal matters distinct to the academic environment, including:

Education Law

• Admissions issues and diversity initiatives
• Enrollment contracts and tuition issues
• Student discipline
• Handbooks and manuals
• Student safety and supervision
• Student medical issues, including allergies
• Accommodating student disabilities
• Crisis management
• Bullying and peer harassment
• Social media policies and disputes
• Divorce/custody issues
• Child abuse and neglect
• Mandated reporting
• Student privacy
• Records retention
• Permission slips and release forms
• Educational malpractice
• Liability for off-campus misconduct
• Compliance with state and local education laws and regulations
• Title IX policies and compliance

Intellectual Property

• Web-user agreements
• Work-for-hire agreements
• Internet usage
• COPPA compliance
• Plagiarism
• Student art, plays and other creative endeavors

Litigation

• Tenure denial
• Tuition non-payment
• Contract disputes
• Student discipline and expulsion
• Abuse claims
• Bankruptcy issues

Employment Law

• Workplace harassment issues
• Head-of-School employment contracts
• Employment discrimination and compliance with Title VII, ADEA, ADA and other laws
• Separation agreements and severance negotiations
• Employee hiring and firing
• Reductions in force and termination of staff
• Leaves of absence policies and FMLA compliance
• Labor-management relations, including collective bargaining negotiations
• Employee handbooks and policies
• Employment contracts and offer letters
• Wage-and-hour law compliance, including independent contractor, volunteer and overtime issues
• Employee background checks 

Employee Benefits

• Fiduciary compliance and board governance
• Compliance with intermediate sanction requirements
• Compliance with IRS Form 990 reports
• Compliance with IRS Form 5500 reports
• Negotiation with IRS and DOL on 403(b) plan compliance matters
• Deferred compensation plans/457(b) and (f)
• Executive compensation
• ERISA compliance
• Retirement plans
• HIPAA compliance
• COBRA compliance
• Cafeteria plans
• Welfare plan compliance/Affordable Care Act
• Church plan issues

Charitable Contributions

• Foundation support
• Grants
• Gifts/Pledges
• Scholarships
• Fundraising and development 

Real Estate

• Acquisitions and dispositions
• Construction and architect agreements
• Leasing
• Zoning issues
• Air rights
• Development bonds 

Taxation

• 501(c)(3) organization issues
• Tuition assistance plans
• Intermediate sanctions
• Housing allowances
• Charitable contributions

Investments

• NYPMIFA compliance
• Endowments
• Operating expenses
• Alternative investments
• Investment policy statements

Governance

• Bylaws
• Conflict of interest policies
• Whistleblower policies
• Trustee disputes and misconduct
• Chartering of new schools and amendments
• New York State Regents, New York State Education Department, New York City Department of Health and New York State Attorney General issues