Contacts:
Karen McAndrew, Jeff Nolan
Practice Profile
Dinse, Knapp & McAndrew, P.C. has extensive experience in representing Vermont colleges and universities, and private secondary schools. We provide counsel on the broad array of legal issues affecting institutions of higher education, including governance issues, institutional relationships with students, faculty, and staff, public finance, contractual relationships, and compliance with state and federal law. We have particular sensitivity to the institutional values of our education clients, and seek to reflect these values in addressing legal issues.
Areas of Concentration
Our education law practice includes the following areas of concentration:
- Faculty and Student Relations
We counsel colleges, universities and schools on the complex legal issues that affect faculty, employee and student relationships. We encourage clients to be proactive in approaching these issues, and provide compliance audits of educational policies and practices affecting employees and students. We also offer training to faculty and staff on the legal issues affecting their roles as supervisors. We consult regularly with human resource managers on employment matters, with risk managers on potential liabilities, with administrative officials and student affairs personnel on student discipline and accommodation issues, and with security personnel on campus management issues.
Public Finance
The firm has extensive experience in assisting nonprofit educational organizations in obtaining tax exempt financing, particularly through bond issues of the Vermont Educational and Health Buildings Financing Agency.
Tax Issues
We counsel tax exempt colleges, universities and schools on the complex tax issues affecting their organization and operations, and have assisted educational institutions in building organizational structures which enhance their mission, while preserving their tax status. We also have particular expertise in the local property tax issues and exemptions affecting colleges, universities and schools.
Campus and Facilities Planning
We assist our education clients in resolving the complicated zoning, environmental, and land use issues which affect facilities planning and campus development. The firm is highly experienced in Vermont's intensive local and state land use permitting process, including Act 250. We have also worked closely with our college and university clients in resolving the "town/gown" issues which affect residential campuses.
Immigration
The firm provides specialized advice to our education clients on immigration law issues affecting faculty and students.
International Programs
We assist our education clients in addressing the legal issues arising out of sponsorship of programs abroad.
Intellectual Property
The firm advises colleges and universities on the array of legal issues related to intellectual property law, technology transfer, copyright and trademark law, and use of the Internet.
Litigation
Our Litigation Group has extensive experience defending claims against educational institutions. We have represented our higher education clients in suits involving faculty tenure, employment discrimination, student disciplinary matters, institutional governance, fraternities and social organizations, premises liability, contracts, and intellectual property.
Public Education and School Systems
While the firm's education law practice emphasizes the concerns of colleges and universities, the firm also handles matters for elementary and secondary schools and public school districts. The firm has extensive experience defending municipalities in civil rights, employment and personal injury claims, and its expertise in these areas is brought to bear on similar issues confronting public schools.
Client Resources
For additional resources concerning educational institutions and education law in Vermont please contact the following sites:
NACUA.WEB (Home Page of the National Association of College and University Attorneys)
Internet Resources for Institutional Research
The Chronicle of Higher Education (providing daily news summaries)
Vermont Colleges and Universities
Bennington College
Burlington College
Castleton State College
Champlain College
College of St. Joseph
Community College of Vermont
Goddard College
Green Mountain College
Johnson State College
Landmark College
Lyndon State College of Vermont
Marlboro College
Middlebury College
Norwich University
Saint Michael's College
Southern Vermont College
University of Vermont
Vermont Law School
Vermont Technical College