For more than seven decades, Ice Miller and its higher education client institutions have worked together on virtually every level. Labor and employment matters have long been an important component within these special relationships.
Helping you “build a better workplace” is our continuing commitment. We want to know “what keeps you up at night” as you consider that delicate balance between being first and foremost an educational institution and also an employer. The challenges have never been more front and center:
And those are the obvious ones. The more nuanced matters are the ones you never see coming. A great part of our practice is to anticipate issues on your behalf and to keep you advised so that you are not blind-sided if and when they arise. And that is why understanding your culture keeps us up at night too. There is a lot more to building and protecting a respectful and productive work environment than pure legal advice may provide. Legal and extra-legal solutions that fit and can be built upon are to be created. Cobbling together solutions by actively working together with our higher education clients is second nature.
Summary
It is plain that colleges and universities are employers too. As such, higher education must deal with nearly all of the statutory/regulatory burdens associated with being an employer. We look to lighten that burden.
In addition to providing advice and counsel on traditional labor matters and employment issues of all kinds, our lawyers also have experience in assisting with the selection of university leaders and negotiating employment agreements; developing HR policies; conducting internal investigations and responding to external investigations; providing training and in-service programs; handling issues related to foreign national employees and students, as well as sending students and faculty abroad; advising on student discipline and faculty due process concerns; and addressing student athletics matters.