Practice Areas

Photo Credit: Nasser Eledroos at Unsplash.com
Labor and Employment Law

We assist school districts with collective bargaining, grievances, statutory arbitration, employee evaluation systems, employee disciplinary matters, labor relations hearings, and individual employment contracts. We have also served as special investigators for reports of harassment and discrimination.

 
School and Education Law

We advise and represent school districts on a number of school law issues, including special education, Section 504, student discipline, civil rights, bullying prevention and intervention, Office for Civil Rights matters, Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Program Quality Assurance Investigations, physical restraint, school transportation and school athletics.

Municipal Law

Our firm advises municipalities and school districts on a wide range of municipal law matters, such as public employee health insurance, public employee retirement matters, open meeting law, public records, Civil Service Commission matters, Office for Campaign and Political Finance issues, ethics law matters, procurement, and municipal finance and school district budgets. We also routinely draft and review school committee policies on all school law topics.

Administrative Law Hearings

We have represented public school districts before several administrative agencies, including the Bureau of Special Education Appeals, Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, Civil Service Commission, Division of Administrative Law Appeals, Contributory Retirement Appeal Board, American Arbitration Association, Division of Unemployment Assistance and Department of Labor Relations.

Appearances Before State and Federal Court

Our attorneys represent school districts on matters before State and Federal Courts on a wide range of issues, including labor law, arbitration, FMLA, student discipline, special education, civil rights, regional school district agreements, procurement laws, and student athletic eligibility requirements.

Professional Development and Educational Materials

Our attorneys frequently conduct professional development workshops for administrators and teaching staff on a wide range of school law topics. We also have served as featured speakers at conferences on school law and municipal topics, including MASBO Annual Conference, MCLE Annual School Law Conference, Joint MASS/MASC Conference, and MASS Executive Institute. Our attorneys have authored chapters featured in MCLE’s School Law publication.