Hunton’s higher education team stands apart because we are led by attorneys with extensive in-house higher ed experience—including a former General Counsel of the University of Massachusetts, a former Associate General Counsel at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and a former civil rights compliance administrator at the University of Massachusetts Boston and Harvard University.

Our team understands the pressures, priorities, and complexities unique to colleges, universities, and independent K-12 schools. We know how leaders and in-house counsel of these institutions think about risk and legal strategy, and how outside legal counsel can best support them and their goals. We’ve been trusted advisors on campus ourselves and bring firsthand knowledge of higher ed governance, crisis and risk management, regulatory, ethical, and compliance obligations, and the nuances of student, faculty, and administrative life on campus.

We work with our clients to leverage the breadth of our experience and the depth of our legal knowledge to develop individualized, workable solutions to problems facing the industry and its institutions. 

We also couple our vast experience in non-higher ed areas to bring great value added to solving the myriad problems that schools are confronted with that require subject matter knowledge across a broad range of disciplines beyond the conventional higher ed space. 

Empowering Institutions to Protect Their Mission, People, and Reputation

Our team partners with campus leaders and in-house counsel to anticipate issues, manage risk, and respond to legal challenges across all aspects of campus life. We have worked with large public universities, small private institutions, independent K-12 schools, and everything in between, carefully considering the precise needs of each client.

Why Choose Hunton’s Higher Education Team? 

We provide experienced and informed judgment, decision making, and problem solving:

• Insider Perspective: We’ve been in your shoes, which qualifies us to render legal advice and insights that are strategic, practical, and tailored for the realities faced by institutions of higher education and K-12 independent schools today.
• Intentional & Responsive: Our approach is proactive, collaborative, and responsive. We work seamlessly with campus leadership to prepare for and solve problems before they escalate and to respond efficiently when urgent issues arise. We do not apply a “one size fits all” approach, but rather customize our solutions to each campus’s distinct concerns and profile.
• Full-Service Capability: Our attorneys are known for their effectiveness in compliance counseling, policy development, risk analysis and crisis management, investigations, litigation, employment and labor relations, and athletics and NIL, among other legal areas that impact higher education and K-12 independent schools.

Trusted Advisors, Real World Solutions

Whether it’s guiding institutions through an uncertain regulatory environment, helping shape campus policy and training to ensure ongoing compliance, advising during a high profile crisis, defending against litigation, or adapting to changes in athletics, real estate and construction, higher education finance, and industry models, our team brings real world experience, strategic perspective, and a commitment to results-oriented counsel.

Comprehensive Legal Counsel Across Campus

We deliver actionable legal solutions on a broad spectrum of issues, including:

Risk, Crisis, & Reputation Management

• Litigation avoidance, dispute resolution, and climate assessments
• Media, government, and public relations strategies
• Crisis response and image management
• Campus safety and security

Campus Compliance & Investigations

• Title IX, Title VI, Title VII, Clery Act, protest and free speech, civil rights, and state law compliance
• Investigations of discrimination, harassment, sexual misconduct, and faculty/staff/student discipline
• Title IX, Title VI, student conduct, and other faculty/staff/student disciplinary hearings
• Policy development, compliance training, privileged audits, and best practices

Employment & Labor Relations

• Employment policies and handbooks, faculty and staff contracts, and employee benefits
• Tenure, promotion, faculty relations, and academic freedom
• Workplace investigations, compliance training, privileged audits
• Collective bargaining and union matters
• Faculty and staff visa and immigration matters

Student Affairs

• Student discipline, conduct, and academic honesty
• Student handbooks, policy developments, privileged audits, and trainings
• Admissions, financial aid, and scholarship guidance and legal compliance
• ADA and Section 504 compliance and accommodations
• Student support and student well-being and mental health
• Student visas and immigration matters

Athletics & NIL

• NIL and post-House settlement guidance
• Athletics compliance and investigations
• Title IX assessments and risk management
• Student-athlete well-being and mental health

Privacy, Data, & Technology

• FERPA, HIPAA, and data privacy compliance
• Cybersecurity, data breach response, and social media issues
• Intellectual property management and protection

Finance, Business, & Campus Operations

• Construction, real estate, and facility development, including public-private partnerships and multi-faceted campus projects
• Tax, finance, and endowment matters
• Mergers, acquisitions, strategic partnerships, and campus dissolutions
• International and global campus issues
• Accreditation