Description:
About the role:Jones & Spross, PLLC is seeking an experienced Education Law Attorney on an independent contractor basis to support private school and school operator clients operating in multiple states. This is a dual-focus role: education law (state compliance, private school registration and licensing, student and parent matters, waivers, and local counsel coordination) and HR and employment law for school workforces. Candidates with a deep HR and employment specialty are very strongly favored.
What You'll Do:
Education Regulatory Compliance
- Advise on state education codes, private school registration and licensing, and school choice and ESA program requirements as clients open schools in new states
- Identify, engage, and manage local counsel on state-specific compliance questions; build and maintain state-by-state compliance guidance
- Advise on federal education laws (FERPA, IDEA, Section 504, Title IX), accreditation, childcare licensing, health and safety, and mandatory reporting; support regulatory investigations and audits
- Advise on the full range of workforce matters for teachers, guides, and staff, from hiring through termination and separation
- Draft employment agreements, offer letters, independent contractor agreements, handbooks, and HR policies; advise on contractor classification
- Manage terminations, separation agreements, and employment disputes through pre-litigation resolution, EEOC proceedings, mediation, and arbitration
- Advise on accommodations and leave (ADA, FMLA), discrimination and retaliation (Title VII, ADEA), and wage and hour compliance
- Conduct and advise on workplace investigations and sensitive personnel matters, including allegations involving staff and students
- Draft and maintain enrollment agreements, liability waivers, parent-school agreements, handbooks, and codes of conduct
- Advise on admissions, discipline, withdrawal, special education and Section 504 matters, and incident response involving students
- Handle parent complaints and disputes; advise on student data privacy (FERPA, COPPA, and state student data laws) and vendor data privacy agreements
What you bring:
Required:
- J.D. from an ABA-accredited law school; active bar license in good standing in at least one U.S. jurisdiction (local counsel engaged as needed)
- 4+ years of education law experience serving private, charter, or independent school clients
- Substantial HR and employment law experience, ideally in a school context, including terminations, disputes, investigations, and workforce compliance
- Working knowledge of FERPA, IDEA, Section 504, Title IX, ADA, FMLA, and Title VII as applied to schools
- Proven ability to engage and manage local counsel across jurisdictions
- Exceptional work ethic; very timely in responses and highly efficient with tools, including AI and templates
- Able to operate as an independent contractor on a 1099 basis
Preferred:
- A deep HR and employment law specialty; candidates with this background are very strongly favored
- Experience supporting new school openings and multi-state expansion
- Familiarity with school choice and ESA programs, student data privacy, and EdTech contracting
What Sets You Apart:
You keep schools compliant and their workforces out of trouble. You are equally at home with a state registration packet, a liability waiver, an EEOC charge, and a difficult termination, and you know when to bring in local counsel and how to manage them. You answer fast, work efficiently with templates and AI, and hold your work product to a very high standard.
Engagement Details
- Independent Contractor Engagement (1099)
- Fully Remote
- Flexible Scheduling with Matter-Based Availability Expectations
- Compensation Commensurate with Skill and Experience, Structured to Reward Quality and Responsiveness Rather than Time Spent
- Bar Dues and Cle Reimbursement Considered for Longer-Term Engagements
