David D. Garner

Dave Garner is a respected thought-leader, whose experience and influence in education law reaches from the classroom, to the boardroom, to the courtroom and beyond.

For over 20 years, Dave has developed ongoing, long-term relationships with traditional public schools, charter schools, private schools, as well as private and public post-secondary educational institutions of all stripes. Dave’s expertise is frequently sought in an outside general counsel role for compliance training, policy-shaping, day-to-day advice, and on-call responsiveness to emergencies and inquiries about everything related to school law – including FERPA, public records, open meeting law, student discipline, employment issues, third-party contracts, 1st Amendment issues, regulatory compliance, etc.

Dave has played a significant role in shaping and implementing policy in schools across Arizona and the rest of the country. Staying on top of emerging legal developments, Dave issues client alerts and assists schools in developing policies and procedures and in training administrators and school staff to ensure legal compliance and to avoid litigation and other legal pitfalls.

Having earned a formidable reputation representing business clients in trial and appellate courts, Dave is also prepared to assist when regulatory disputes arise or litigation is necessary. Bringing his business litigation skills to bear, Dave helps schools navigate regulatory complaint procedures before ASBCS, ADE, OCR, OAH, as well in the courtroom. Dave regularly represents clients in litigation, administrative hearings, regulatory investigations, compliance reviews, and investigations.

Dave is particularly knowledgeable in addressing issues relating to students with disabilities, frequently representing schools in due process complaints, and in advising schools in responding to state administrative complaints and complaints filed with the Office for Civil Rights.

A prolific presenter on educational law issues, Dave travels across the country to present on issues ranging from disabilities and discipline to student records and religious expression, as well as topics running the gamut in between.

Dave has been recognized by Best Lawyers® since 2021 for his experience in Education Law, and he was recognized by his peers as 2025 Lawyer of the Year in Education Law in Phoenix.