Babbitt & Melton LLP represents colleges, universities, academic medical centers, and other institutional clients in a variety of complex litigation and counseling matters. We also serve as appellate counsel and outside independent investigators of sensitive internal disputes.

Our extensive experience in higher education law includes student and faculty claims; tenure denials and terminations for cause; discrimination claims under Titles VI, VII, and IX; ADA claims and requests for accommodation; agency proceedings in the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, the EEOC, and other state and municipal agencies; privacy issues and compliance with FERPA; and litigation arising from institutional affiliations and program closures.

We also help our clients avoid litigation. Our clients often involve us in the earliest stages of a legal problem so we can counsel decision-makers every step of the way and assist in public relations efforts. We audit employment practices, employee and student handbook language, and other campus policies and procedures. Our attorneys conduct customized training sessions on issues of importance to higher education.

Like our clients, we view our commitment to education as more than a business. We serve as adjunct faculty, teaching appellate advocacy, trial practice, and the law of higher education. We write and speak nationally about higher education law, litigation techniques, and risk management on campus. We are active members of the National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA), and we serve as Illinois Select Counsel for United Educators Insurance.

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