Since 2008, Laurie R. Bishop, partner at Hirsch Roberts Weinstein LLP in Boston, has dedicated her legal career to tackling matters surrounding Education Law. Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® since 2019, Bishop is currently being honored as “Lawyer of the Year” for Education Law in Boston for 2024, previously being honored in 2020 for the same practice area.
Of her legal career and recent recognition, Bishop stated: “As both the General Counsel of Berklee College of Music and a partner at Hirsch Roberts Weinstein, my days are filled with new and interesting matters. Over the past summer, I helped Berklee through several complex matters and worked to guide the institution in the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling on affirmative action, assessing its reach to other areas of higher education, including employment, financial aid and scholarships. The aspects of the field that are most rewarding are also the most challenging. Having the ability to not only know the law but to be deeply involved in the field, understand your client, their risk tolerance, values and goals will only bring you success in the long run.”
As well as taking on the role of General Counsel at Berklee College of Music, Bishop has garnered a wide range of experience in an array of legal issues fully unique to the education law practice area, including institutional policies, student handbooks, campus safety and security, reputational risk management, faculty misconduct, student affairs and much more.
Additionally, Bishop has represented companies and non-profit institutions on various employment, compliance and risk management issues, including privacy laws, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Massachusetts Equal Pay Act. With nearly 16 years of legal experience, Bishop is well attuned to guiding clients through a plethora of complex and often sensitive legal issues. By working to strategize with a client and advocate aggressively on their behalf, Bishop’s goal constantly remains the same: fix her client’s legal issue at hand.
“Education law requires navigating a constantly changing regulatory landscape while keeping in mind varied stakeholder perspectives and needs, including students, parents, trustees, employees and faculty. I think it’s rare for a field of law to offer the opportunity to do things like opine on international expansion, address student conduct and mental health issues, and discuss how to best promote diversity, equity and inclusion goals, all in one day,” concluded Bishop.
