GrayRobinson, P.A.

Educational institutes have evolved into much more than single-campus schools catering to limited demographics. Today’s colleges and universities are also partners with hospitals, visual arts houses, and research think tanks hosting international faculty and students at global sites. With each educational institute embodying its own goals, mission, culture, heritage and core values, these institutes are impacted by a host of diverse problems every day.

As the realm of legal issues for these entities has expanded, GrayRobinson’s service to clients has as well. GrayRobinson’s Higher Education practice recognizes each school’s distinctive identity while confronting its unique legal challenges so that clients can remain focused on offering premier higher educational services.

GrayRobinson attorneys take a two-faceted approach to tackling higher education law. By being both proactive and reactive in helping clients plan their individualized legal strategies, our clients are met with the experience and know-how to face the multitude of issues surrounding campus life.

GrayRobinson’s proactive approach to higher education clients means we spend time tailoring policies, entities, appropriate due diligence, codes, compliance plans and agreements to eliminate vulnerabilities to future litigation. Risk assessment and management are part of how GrayRobinson protects its clients and develops a solid foundation moving forward with relevant legal issues. Properly structuring transactions and clearly defining relationships also assist in minimizing future conflicts.

In the event that a dispute or litigation arises, GrayRobinson’s deep bench and 12 offices around the state means it has a far reach when reacting to issues quickly. Whether disagreements about tenure, managing trusts and donations, protecting research and commercializing intellectual property, managing immigration issues or merging two educational institutes together in partnership, GrayRobinson focuses on effective and cost-efficient solutions for clients.

We assist higher education institutions with employment issues, collective bargaining and dealing with union matters. Our attorneys and government relations professionals also represent institutions in front of the Executive Office of the Governor, Cabinet offices, executive branch agencies and the Board of Governors of the State University System. Furthermore, our public finance attorneys serve as bond counsel, disclosure counsel and borrower’s counsel in tax-exempt and taxable bond financing and bank borrowings for colleges and universities. We have worked with our clients to structure modern financing arrangements for higher education institutions.

While legal matters for higher educational institutes are as varied as the people, departments and issues of campus life, GrayRobinson’s Higher Education practice group understands the ever expanding difficulties of our clients and dedicates itself to eliminating problems before they emerge and confronting others with a group of professionals as diverse as the host of issues faced.

Diversity Mission Statement

GrayRobinson is committed to excellence and we recognize diversity of ideas and experiences is critical to fulfilling our commitment. That commitment is demonstrated in many ways: by our employment practices and policies which ensure equal opportunity and foster a discrimination and harassment free workplace; opportunities for advancement to shareholder for women and minority lawyers; and our active recruiting efforts at law schools. GrayRobinson continuously reviews its recruiting, hiring, mentoring and training practices and initiatives.