Education

Schools and other organizations across the country are grappling with complex civil rights issues that threaten their mission, reputation, and financial integrity. These include difficult questions about diversity, equity, and inclusion; admissions and recruitment practices; the relationship between prohibitions on discrimination and free speech on campus; religious and academic freedom; transgender students’ access to school programs and activities; and the role of religion in public schools, among others.

Salvatore Prescott Porter & Porter represents educational and other mission-driven institutions, including public and private colleges, universities, and K-12 schools, as they confront these emerging legal issues. Drawing on our team’s substantial government experience and deep subject matter expertise, we guide clients through federal government investigations, challenging compliance matters, and all stages of civil rights litigation involving the federal government. We also conduct internal investigations for educational institutions and offer co-counsel and expert consultant services and training.
In addition to our institutional work, we also represent students and employees of educational institutions in employment and civil rights matters, ensuring their rights are protected and their voices are heard.

Affirmative Compliance Counseling and Representation in Government Investigations

With multiple former Department of Justice lawyers at our Firm—including two former top officials in the DOJ Civil Rights Division’s Educational Opportunities Section—SPPP offers deep institutional knowledge about how government investigations and enforcement actions work. Our team brings insight into the evolving enforcement priorities of the current administration and a nuanced understanding of how these shifts impact educational institutions.  

We help clients proactively navigate changing federal civil rights requirements, minimizing their exposure to liability and government enforcement action. When investigations do arise, we provide expert guidance throughout the process, protecting our clients’ procedural and substantive rights every step of the way. 

Government Litigation

SPPP attorneys are trial lawyers with significant first chair experience in federal court. We are also subject matter experts who have shaped the federal government’s litigation strategy in education-related civil rights cases in nearly every federal circuit court of appeals and before the Supreme Court of the United States.  

Our goal is to help our institutional clients avoid litigation. But when government litigation becomes a reality, our Firm has a deep bench of experienced, respected litigators with insight into government strategy. We are equipped to handle complex lawsuits of any size, in any forum. We also serve as co-counsel and expert consultants to other firms and legal organizations to ensure that education clients benefit from our specialized, in-demand expertise.

Trainings and Internal Investigations

We provide training on civil rights compliance issues for schools and their counsel, including administrators, staff, and students, General Counsel’s offices, and Offices of State Attorneys General. We also serve as outside investigators for colleges and K-12 schools on sensitive and high-stakes investigations. 

With experience conducting federal civil rights investigations and enforcement, serving on a local School Board, and litigating education cases in state and federal court, we understand the unique legal, reputational, and financial risks educational institutions face.  SPPP’s trainings and investigations are designed to help clients navigate emerging civil rights challenges and meet complex compliance demands with confidence. If you would like to talk about our training or investigative services, please call us.

Representing Students and Employees

Salvatore Prescott Porter & Porter attorneys represent and advise students and employees of educational institutions regarding internal administrative processes, in administrative complaints before federal agencies, including the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights and the Department of Justice, and in federal-court litigation. If you are a student or an employee who has been subjected to discrimination, or if you are facing other legal issues as a student or employee of an educational institution, we can help you understand your rights and navigate complex educational and federal agency processes. And when necessary to protect your rights, we will represent you at every stage of litigation in state or federal court.