Advancing Legal Goals Of Universities

At Isicoff Ragatz, our attorneys have over 35-years of experience representing large university systems, colleges and other educational institutions in a wide range of legal matters involving faculty, student and staff issues, premises liability and on-campus misconduct.

Higher education law is unique in that Universities are regulated on local, state and federal levels. Further, university systems often have numerous manuals and publications that govern faculty, student and staff conduct. When legal problems arise, any or all of these levels of law and documents must be considered.

Due to the nature of university charters and organizational structures, large universities are somewhat like small governments unto themselves, complete with thousands of employees, unique hierarchies and special infrastructures such as on-campus law enforcement and health care organizations. Thus, legal problems affecting institutions of higher education are often complex and the outcomes may dramatically affect the long-term prospects of the people and departments that are involved.

Types Of Matters That We Handle

The higher education lawyers at Isicoff Ragatz help institutions of higher education resolve a wide range of issues, including:

• Business-related matters, including but not limited to, business disputes, IP issues and organizational re-structuring
• Investigations
• Tenure revocation matters
• Discrimination and harassment claims involving faculty, students and staff, including claims arising under Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972
• Student-related problems, such as lawsuits over suspension or expulsion
• COVID class action lawsuits, arising from the partial or complete closure of on-campus facilities during the pandemic
• Premises liability defense when students, faculty or visitors are injured on campus

Thanks to our many successful case outcomes and our strong attorney-client relationships, we have developed long-term connections with large universities in South Florida and beyond. We treat our clients like partners.

Our lawyers derive much professional satisfaction from the process of helping these institutions get through legal challenges while keeping their educational missions on track.

Our Strong Track Record On Behalf Of Higher Education Institutions

Some of our firm’s notable case results on behalf of public and private universities have included the following:

• We successfully represented a public university in a lawsuit brought by a former medical student who alleged disability discrimination.
• We successfully represented a private university in a lawsuit – involving claims under Title IX and the Rehabilitation Act – that was brought by a former student.
• We successfully represented a private university and a program director in a wrongful termination lawsuit brought by a former employee.
• We successfully represented a public university in a certiorari proceeding brought by an undergraduate student.
• We successfully represented a public university and several of its officials in a wrongful termination lawsuit brought by a tenured professor.
• We successfully represented a private university in a wrongful termination lawsuit brought by an assistant professor who was denied reappointment.

Let Us Hear About Your Institution’s Legal Challenge

We are always open to hearing from educational institutions for the first time. We will share with you the wealth of knowledge that has been accumulated from over 35 years of representation of several of South Florida’s most respected educational institutions.

To schedule a consultation with one of our higher education attorneys, call 305-373-3232.