Best Lawyers in America for Education Law

Elizabeth A. Kaleva is an attorney in Missoula, Montana, focusing her practice on representation of public and private school districts throughout the state of Montana, as well as the Montana High School Association. Bea graduated from Boston College in 1991, and the University of Montana School of Law in 1995. After clerking for a year, Bea joined the Montana School Boards Association as a staff attorney. She rose to the General Counsel position and remained with the MTSBA until 2003, when s...

Jeffrey J. Nolan's litigation and counseling practice with Holland & Knight, LLP focuses on: representing employers and institutions of higher education before courts and administrative agencies in employment and student-related matters; advising employers and institutions of higher education on the resolution and legal implications of employment and student-related issues; and assisting employers and institutions of higher education in the development and implementation of appropriate po...

Scott Richardson is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Education Law. Scott, who practices law in Little Rock, Arkansas, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Scott is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Attorney Moses has practiced law with Berchem Moses PC and its predecessor firm since 1976. She is a senior partner and the firm’s managing partner. Attorney Moses received a B.A. from Miami University in 1970 and graduated summa cum laude from Wayne State University Law School in 1975. Her area of concentration is education law; Attorney Moses has been representing boards of education in all areas of regular and special education law since 1976 and she chairs the firm’s Education...

Kathleen represents both private and public educational institutions, as well as other private and public sector employers, in all areas of employment law, including hiring, discipline and discharge, wage and hour requirements, discrimination and wrongful discharge claims and family and medical leave requirements. She assists employers in the development of personnel policies and negotiating and drafting of employment agreements. Kathleen has represented employers in both state and federal co...

Michelle H. Basi practices primarily in the areas of education, special education, litigation, and labor and employment law. Michelle regularly advises school districts and charter schools on student matters, including special education and Section 504 compliance, First Amendment rights, Title IX compliance and student discipline. Michelle also advises schools districts and charter schools on employment matters, including Title VII, the ADA, the ADEA, the FMLA, and the Teacher Tenure Act. Mic...

Adrian D. Thompson is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Education Law, Labor Law - Management and Litigation - Labor and Employment. Adrian D., who practices law in Cleveland, Ohio, has been recognized since 2012. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Adrian D. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Richard E. Bump is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Education Law and Real Estate Law. Richard E., who practices law in Boulder, Colorado, has been recognized since 2009. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Richard E. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

For more than 30 years, Eric Herlan has been representing public school districts on a wide variety of legal issues, focusing on both special education and general school law questions. Eric gives clients practical guidance on how to resolve problems consistent with the law, often coming up with creative solutions to help them achieve their goals, even with the most complicated legal issues. He has represented Maine and New Hampshire school districts in more than 100 special education due pro...

Emily Runyon is a litigation and trial attorney who defends insurance carriers, corporations and health care institutions in personal injury, wrongful death, medical malpractice and bad faith lawsuits. Combining her years of experience as a litigator with her previous experience as an Arkansas Supreme Court clerk, Emily provides her clients with comprehensive counsel in litigation and insurance coverage matters. From the onset of any matter, Emily strives to understand her clients’ busi...

Matthew W. Wright is the managing member of MWW Law, LLC dba Wright Litigation Consulting. He holds a preeminent-AV rating, which is the highest rating in the Martindale-Hubbell national registry of preeminent attorneys. Mr. Wright has been named repeatedly to the list of Best Lawyers® Southwest Super Lawyers®. In addition to being a seasoned trial lawyer, Mr. Wright’s practice includes extensive appellate court experience with appearances before The United States Supreme Court,...

Char Eberhardt, a partner in the firm's Labor & Employment practice, focuses on public and private sector labor relations, and class action litigation. He provides counseling on administrative proceedings, grievance arbitration and wage-and-hour issues. He has extensive experience representing clients, such as The Boeing Company, in high-stakes arbitration matters, including subcontractor arbitration disputes. He also handles a wide range of public sector labor matters, including teacher ...

Alan Rose founded the firm in 1995. A former Assistant U.S. Attorney in Massachusetts, he represents clients in a wide variety of civil litigation matters and defends individuals and companies in governmental and regulatory investigations and prosecutions. Alan has been recognized as one of the Top 100 Lawyers in Massachusetts by Boston Magazine . From 2002 to 2006, he served, by appointment of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, on the Board of Bar Overseers, including serving as it...

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...

Melissa Hewey is an accomplished litigator with substantial experience across a broad range of practice areas, including insurance defense, school law, higher education law, employment matters, and complex commercial litigation. Melissa has represented a diverse set of clients, such as insurance companies, schools, colleges and universities, municipalities, law firms, hospitals, individuals, and businesses in a variety of industries. Melissa has tried a wide range of cases and argued signific...

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...