Natasha Baker

My Approach

I am passionate about higher education and feel fortunate to work in this area. I provide proactive, efficient legal and practice advice to institutions of higher education as they navigate the changing regulatory landscape. I am committed to staying abreast of trends and helping my clients get ahead of their compliance obligations so that they can focus on their essential mission of education.

Practice Areas

In my role as of counsel to Dinse, I focus on Title IX compliance and other areas of higher education law related to discrimination and harassment.

Experience

• I regularly advise and train institutions of higher education around the country on conducting an effective response to campus sexual violence and harassment. I conduct program and policy reviews and answer day-to-day questions on the implementation of Title IX and VAWA.
• I also serve as a neutral investigator and hearing officer for cases involving senior administrators and faculty.
• I was a contributor to the SUNY Joint Guidance on the 2020 Title IX Regulations, having provided comments to the Department of Education for several organizations during the notice and comment period.
• I am the co-founder of Title IX ASAP—a training program for campus administrators and I regularly tweet Title IX updates and resources at @titleixasap.
• I am currently an instructor for the National Association of College & University Attorneys course “Conducting Effective Internal Investigations.”
• I was a faculty member at the “Investigating and Adjudicating Sexual Misconduct Cases,” National Center for Campus Public Safety Trauma-Informed Sexual Assault Investigation and Adjudication Institute.
• I frequently speak for NACUA, the Council of Independent Colleges and other higher education associations.

Professional Affiliations

• Managing Attorney, Novus Law Firm, Inc. (a California law firm focusing on California higher education, labor and employment)
• Member, American Bar Association
• Co-founder, Title IX ASAP (Awareness and Sexual Assault Prevention) Training for Campus Administrators
• Member, Board of Directors, National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA), (2013-2017); CLE Committee, Strategic Planning Committee, Committee on Board Governance
• Past Board Member, Co-Chair Strategic Planning Committee, Employment Law Alliance
• Past Co-chair, Higher Education Council of the Employment Law Alliance (composed of ELA member firms who specialize in higher education law)

Publications

I have co-authored several amicus briefs to the United States Supreme Court, the Ninth Circuit and to the National Labor Relations Board on issues affecting institutions of higher education. I also co-authored an article for the Journal of College and University Law “Where in the World are Your Employees? Institutions as Global Employers: Employment Law Considerations in the Age of International Programs.”