Colleges, universities, and K-12 schools are determining how to continue operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Institutions must protect employees, students, residents and the community at large while delivering education in a way that complies with quickly changing federal, state and accreditor regulations. Duane Morris’ education attorneys are poised to aid these institutions on transitioning to a temporary distance education model based on guidelines set by the Department of Education and various regulatory bodies, and also other fronts, such as:

  • protecting civil rights of students and employees while implementing new processes and policies;
  • advising on employer responsibilities and employee rights;
  • creating temporary work-from-home policies;
  • assisting with student housing concerns, including leases, construction bonds, and funding;
  • financial restructuring;
  • advocacy with government agencies;
  • ensuring appropriate and timely communication is sent to the college community; and 
  • steps to take if a student or employee tests positive for COVID-19.

Educational institutions operating in the United States, from K-12 to postsecondary, are facing unprecedented challenges on many fronts related to technology, economics, demographics and increasing domestic regulation. For years, Duane Morris has served all sectors of education, along with the various businesses that support them. Our attorneys provide these organizations with deep experience and trusted guidance regarding complex issues that impact school decision-making on operations, finances and strategic planning for the future.

  • Universities and Colleges. Duane Morris attorneys have a long history representing Ivy League universities, state universities, technology institutes, law schools, medical schools, business schools, small colleges, community colleges and other institutions of higher learning.
  • Proprietary Colleges and Vocational Schools. Duane Morris attorneys have decades of experience with the unique regulatory landscape and challenges faced by proprietary schools and colleges.
  • Pre-K through 12. Our lawyers have provided a broad range of services to individual charter, virtual and private schools, charter school networks, charter and education management organizations, school districts and other education organizations that partner with pre-kindergarten, elementary and secondary schools.
  • EdTech. A multi-disciplinary team of lawyers from our Education group, our Corporate practice and our nationally recognized Intellectual Property practice provides regulatory, general corporate, M&A, financing and litigation services to this quickly emerging and rapidly growing education sector.
  • Ancillary Providers and Participants. Our lawyers represent higher education associations, accreditors, investors, lenders and other ancillary business that support the education sector and other companies that provide goods and services to educational institutions.

Clients want lawyers who understand their business and can help them to achieve their goals while managing risks and anticipating future trends. Our clients tell us that our strength is in our practical knowledge. This process encompasses listening with an experienced ear, understanding a client’s organizational needs and objectives, and then fully evaluating appropriate strategies and tactics to meet defined client goals. As our Education practice grows, we continue to amplify our depth of skills and services, technical acumen and delivery capabilities to ensure that prompt responses and resources are available to clients.

The collective capabilities of our lawyers and firm are both broad and deep. Because the needs of educational institutions are diverse and involve nearly all areas of the law, our Education group brings together lawyers in the firm practicing in multiple disciplines and offices of Duane Morris who work together to best and most efficiently represent clients’ interests. This allows us to assemble teams of highly accomplished lawyers with particularized technical practice backgrounds, as well as individual industry experience.

Our lawyers understand the unique needs of academic institutions by being involved with them. Duane Morris attorneys have chaired and served on boards of various types of academic institutions. They have also served as general counsel and as senior executives in companies that own and operate colleges. In addition, attorneys in the firm are members of the National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA).

Duane Morris provides a broad range of education legal services in the areas of accreditation advices and advocacy, corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, student relations, student litigation, regulatory investigations, personnel matters, litigation and insurance, finance, deferred giving, estates and taxation, constitutional law, real estate, construction and environmental law and intellectual property.

Areas of Concentration

Related Practice Areas

Related Industries

For More Information

For more information, please contact Anthony J. Guida Jr., Katherine D. Brodie, Edward Cramp, Lisa T. Scruggs or any of the group members referenced in the Attorney Listing.

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