Samuels Miller serves institutions of higher education, both public and private. Our goal is to be responsive to the changing needs of the leaders of these institutions and to be proactive in managing risk. We take pride in developing long-term professional relationships with college leaders and in being relied upon to give sound advice in difficult situations. We also provide legal services for charter schools at the primary and secondary education levels.
Higher education involves a broad range of issues governed by numerous and sometimes complex federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Our firm handles the many issues facing colleges and universities today, including:
- Governance issues and the relationship between a college and its trustees and officers;
- Employment issues, including nondiscrimination and affirmative action;
- Faculty-related issues, including faculty contracts, promotion, tenure and reduction-in-force;
- Student issues, including admissions, housing, campus security, free-speech/speech codes, grades and degrees (including degree revocation), Greek life, athletics, international travel and disciplinary proceedings;
- Real estate issues, including buying, selling, development, zoning and land use regulation;
- Issues between a college and the business community, including the purchase of goods and services, private/public partnerships and intergovernmental research and other projects;
- Financing, including structuring, documentation and closing of tax exempt and taxable financing;
- Compliance with various laws, such as the Freedom of Information Act, the Campus Security Act and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act; and
- Institutional advancement, including the collection and enforcement of gifts, the rejection of gifts, formulation of a gift policy and endowment management issues.
Samuels Miller litigates on behalf of colleges and universities in state and federal courts, as well as at all levels of administrative proceedings.
Samuels Miller Attorneys practicing in this area: