Best Lawyers in America for Education Law

Eric Paley is a member of the firm’s Employee Benefits team and practice group co-leader of the Labor & Employment practice group. He advises clients on how to comply with the laws governing their employee benefits programs. What do you focus on? Three hallmarks distinguish my practice. Representing nonprofit organizations I work primarily (though not exclusively) with a wide range of nonprofit organizations—hospitals/health systems, colleges/universities, iconic arts/cultural...

Mr. Seale has 45 years of experience and represents the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners, boards of education, including five as general counsel, construction companies, contractors and architects, in a variety of legal matters including labor employment/Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), business contracts, and civil rights matters. Additionally, he regularly serves as an arbitrator and mediator, representing clients in arbitration and mediation disputes. He is admitted to practice in all St...

Nathanya G. Simon is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Education Law. Nathanya G., who practices law in Little Falls, New Jersey, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Nathanya G. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Originally from Michigan, Carolyn Murchison moved to North Carolina after obtaining her undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley. She received her law degree with honors from the University of North Carolina, where she was an editor of North Carolina Journal of International Law and Commercial Regulation, a Daniel H. Pollitt Fellow and a member of the James E. and Carolyn B. Davis Society. Prior to joining Tharrington Smith in 2000, Ms. Murchison was a policy analyst f...

Meg Alli has focused her practice on the representation and counseling of management concerning the umbrella of employment laws and regulations affecting corporate clients, not-for-profit organizations and educational institutions. She has defended employers, schools and colleges in state and federal courts, administrative agencies and arbitration proceedings. Meg has also served as select counsel for employment practices liability insurance carriers and represented employers in wage/hour lit...

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, pol...

Mr. Pennington is the Managing Shareholder and a founding member of the Birmingham Office of Ogletree Deakins. For more than two decades, he has represented employers in a wide range of labor and employment law matters, including administrative agency charges, federal and state court litigation, union campaigns and collective bargaining. Mr. Pennington strives to help employers achieve peaceful, productive workplaces. He helps employers avoid workplace disputes by providing management trainin...

Jason Clagg is a labor and employment lawyer who also serves as vice chair of the firm's Higher Education group. Jason is personally dedicated to providing his clients with prompt attention and clear, definitive guidance. With a practice focused exclusively on management interests, Jason routinely represents employers in state and federal court, before administrative agencies such as the Department of Labor (DOL), the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), and the Equal Employment Opportunity...

Ann Manning is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Education Law. Ann, who practices law in Lubbock, Texas, has been recognized since 2018. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Ann is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Kimberly S. Croyle is a partner in the Morgantown office of Bowles Rice and a member of the Energy and Real Estate Development practice group. Ms. Croyle provides guidance and counsel in the areas of mineral energy production, including property acquisition, litigation matters involving real estate, curative action, title examinations and other issues generated by the mining industry. She is active in the areas of land use and development, representing developers in commercial and residential...

Bill Nolan serves as managing partner of the firm’s Ohio office, which he opened in 2009. Bill works to bring attentiveness and clarity to bear on employment, contract and other disputes, but is most passionate about helping clients build teams, policies and processes to minimize the frequency, cost and severity of disputes. Bill's litigation and trial work includes covenant not to compete and trade secret cases in many states. He regularly represents employers in discrimination and dis...

Rochelle S. Eisenberg is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Education Law and Litigation - Labor and Employment. Rochelle S., who practices law in Columbia, Maryland, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Rochelle S. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Dave Pauole is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Civil Rights Law and Education Law. Dave, who practices law in Phoenix, Arizona, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Dave is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

John F. Cafferky is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Education Law. John F., who practices law in Fairfax, Virginia, has been recognized since 2008. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which John F. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Alison Minutelli is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Education Law. Alison, who practices law in Manchester, New Hampshire, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Alison is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Nicole Proesch is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Education Law and Employment Law - Management. Nicole, who practices law in Des Moines, Iowa, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Nicole is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area. With over 20 years of experience, Attorney Nicole Proesch has a practice that focuses on Employment L...