Franczek attorneys have decades of experience representing public and private research institutions, community colleges, liberal arts and graduate schools, academic medical centers, and for-profit higher education institutions. We work closely with in-house counsel on a wide range of higher education law issues, from day-to-day counseling to high-stakes litigation.
Our approach is two-fold: to help clients prevent risk when possible and manage risk when it cannot be prevented. To help clients prevent risk, we draft and revise policies, procedures, internal compliance programs, and dispute resolution procedures. We also audit and update existing policies and procedures to incorporate best practices, replace unworkable procedures, and eliminate the informal “unwritten practices” often used within higher education. We provide high-quality, interactive, engaging training for campus constituencies about their rights and responsibilities under the institution’s internal procedures and applicable law. Our unmatched labor and employment team also helps higher education clients with the full range of labor and employment issues they may face.
When complex, sensitive disputes do arise, we represent institutions in internal processes and hearings, agency actions, litigation, and dispute resolution proceedings. We help institutions communicate appropriately about these disputes with their constituencies, including employees, students, parents, alumni, donors, other members of the campus community, and the public. We have assisted with some of the most difficult and sensitive issues higher education entities have faced in recent years, including litigation, administrative investigations, and internal investigations involving sexual harassment and violence, employment discrimination, other harassment and retaliation, student disability rights, civil rights, and implied breach/breach of contract.