Practice Areas

School Law

Our attorneys have been representing Texas school districts since 1998. Our firm offers a well-rounded team of education attorneys in both our Dallas and Houston offices, who are strategic, aggressive, knowledgeable and resourceful, having handled over 200 lawsuits filed against our government clients, including one of the largest school districts in the United States. And, we have dramatically reduced the number of lawsuits filed against our government clients on an annual basis. Our law firm has saved our government clients hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars, which may now be dedicated to the core missions of these agencies instead of being spent on lawsuits.

We represent public school districts, private schools and post-secondary institutions across the state in all areas of education law:

Employment litigation
Civil rights litigation
Student litigation
Student investigations and discipline
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and Texas Workforce Commission charges of discrimination
Internal grievances
Texas Education Agency administrative hearings
Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission administrative hearings
Board counsel
Texas Open Meetings Act
Texas Public Information Act/Open Records Act
Legal compliance

Our team has handled some of the largest cases in the state against school districts. We help develop and follow through with internal processes for resolving employee, student and parent complaints. We advise on internal grievance procedures and internal investigations. We also provide counseling and training across departments to ensure legal compliance.

Our comprehensive knowledge and experience in areas such as employment law, constitutional law, business law and construction law enable us to provide sound legal advice, guidance and representation on any school law issue. We routinely represent school districts in Chapter 21 contract disputes and appeals before the Texas Commissioner of Education.

We have represented school districts, school board members and school district employees in litigation and appeals in state and federal courts in Texas in the following types of matters:

Employment discrimination and retaliation
- Title VI
- Title VII
- Americans with Disabilities Act
- Rehabilitation Act
- Age Discrimination in Employment Act
- Texas Labor Code Chapter 21
- Family and Medical Leave Act
- Fair Labor Standards Act
- Texas Whistleblower Act
Civil rights litigation/42 U.S.C. § 1983
- 14th Amendment
- Equal protection
- Due process
- First Amendment — free speech, freedom of religion and freedom of assembly
- Fourth Amendment, including illegal search and seizure
- Privacy issues
Student litigation
- Bullying and harassment
- Student discipline
- Special education
- Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
- Students' rights
- Assault and bodily integrity cases
- Illegal search and seizure
Open government
- Texas Public Information Act
- Texas Open Meetings Act
Governance
Employment contract disputes
Procurement and contract disputes
Construction
Tort claims
- Motor vehicle-related issues
- Discipline and assault cases against school district employees
- Wrongful death

Recent Notable Cases

Watson v. Dallas Independent School District, 2014 WL 1008059 (Tex. App. — Dallas Feb. 28, 2014, pet. denied)
Delcom Group, LP v. Dallas Independent School District, No. 05-11-01259-CV, 2012 WL 3552672 (Tex. App. — Dallas, Aug. 17, 2012, no pet. filed)
Mullins v. Dallas Independent School District, 357 S.W.3d 188 (Tex. App. — Dallas 2012, pet. denied)
Wilson v. Dallas Independent School District, 376 S.W.3d 319 (Tex. App. — Dallas, Aug. 13, 2012, no pet.)
Harris v. Dallas Independent School District, 435 F. App'x 389 (5th Cir. 2011)
Moore v. Dallas Independent School District, 557 F.Supp.2d 755 (N.D. Tex. Nov. 24, 2008)aff'd 2010 U.S. App. LEXIS 5432 (5th Cir. March 12, 2010)
Learners Online Inc. v. Dallas Independent School District, 333 S.W.3d 636 (Tex. App. — Dallas 2009, no pet.)