Lathrop & Gage has a strong tradition of providing outstanding legal services to schools and universities throughout the Midwest. We offer a complete array of legal services as counsel and defense for public and private schools and school districts, universities and other governmental and quasi-public bodies.   

The depth and scope of our practice and our multi-disciplinary approach allows us to effectively and efficiently address the broad range of legal needs unique to education clients.

We offer the largest and most experienced school law department in the Midwest. Add to that expertise the labor and employment attorneys, litigation attorneys and attorneys from other departments that make up the Education Law teams and you have a valuable asset at Lathrop & Gage. We have attorneys with the experience needed to handle everything from the most complex issue to the simple contract.

We represent both large and small school districts and universities and understand the often conflicting demands which must be addressed within the context of decreasing resources, the increasingly stringent regulatory environment imposed by federal and state laws, and insistence on higher and higher levels of student achievement and staff accountability.  These and other competitive challenges facing school districts demand highly skilled administrators, supported by broad-based legal expertise which a multi-specialty firm such as ours is especially well-suited to provide.

Because your needs are diverse, our Education Law attorneys have various specialties, including student issues, labor and employment law, charitable trusts, employee benefits, property and personal injury defense; real estate, zoning and development; corporate and public finance; insurance; negotiation, arbitration and alternative dispute resolution; and civil and business litigation. For recent examples of our litigation success, visit www.beentherewonthat.com.

We have experience in the various specifics related to education law — critical issues our clients deal with day in and day out:

• Student issues such as discipline, expulsion, suspension, violation of law, dress code, special education, disability and handicap laws, sexual abuse and molestation, confidentiality of records, Title IX
• Employment discrimination charges, administrative hearings and litigation, including race, age, gender, disability and other discharge, retaliation, compensation, terms and conditions and sexual harassment cases
• Grievances, arbitration, mediation, due process and all administrative hearing proceedings and appeals of these hearings
• Disability claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act and state workers’ compensation laws
• First Amendment issues, including free speech, prayer and association, confidentiality of records, access issues
• General functioning of a political subdivision including application of the Sunshine Law, elections
• Claims made under ERISA pension and benefit plan establishment, termination, amendment and administration
• Wage and hour claims and litigation, including retaliation cases
• Immigration matters
• Personnel matters such as EEOC, retirement, employee action advice or representation, tenure, discrimination, compliance
• Real estate transactions such as leasing or selling underutilized facilities, renovation to accommodate new uses
• Laws of the State specifically relating to school districts such as drafting of bills as required, issues related to redistricting
• Charitable giving programs including the preparation of legal documents necessary for the design, planning and execution of successful deferred giving programs (e.g. charitable remainder trusts, gifts of stock of closely-held corporations, life insurance)
• Title II ADA and Rehabilitation Act compliance
• Borrowing and financial matters such as tax anticipation notes, future bonding, levies
• Insurance coverage issues
• Contracts and agreements

Our experience, combined with active memberships in professional organizations such as the National Association of College and University Attorneys, the National School Board Association Council of School Attorneys, the Kansas School Attorneys Association and associate member of the Missouri School Boards Association, enables us to remain on the cutting edge of developments in education law and school governance and to assist our school district clients in resolving these conflicting demands.

Our attorneys regularly speak at training seminars on a variety of issues, including interviewing and screening job applicants; sexual harassment prevention; effective performance reviews; termination procedures; avoiding discrimination charges; and developing personnel manuals and procedures.  We believe in-house training is an effective way to reduce litigation and potential legal expense.

Additionally, our members gain a greater understanding of the needs of education law clients through serving on the boards of many schools and colleges including the University of Missouri in Kansas City, Park College, the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, Johnson County Community College, Shawnee Mission School District, and Rockhurst High School.