Cheryl, a Shareholder in our Austin office, has an encyclopedic
mind when it comes to school law. Her extensive knowledge stems
from more than sixteen years with the Texas Association of School
Boards before attending law school, coupled with a career-long
practice with the firm that began as a law clerk while attending
law school at The University of Texas School of Law. She now is one
of the firm's experts in drafting and reviewing briefs for state
and federal courts, local policies, and employment contracts.
We rely on Cheryl's expertise in student, governance, and
personnel issues, specifically Chapter 21 contract analysis and in
both authoring and editing the firm's training materials in all
areas of law. As primary author of the firm's Model Student
Code of Conduct, Model Student Handbook, and Model Employee
Handbook, she provides the distinctive "voice" of the firm's
materials.
Cheryl's experience also serves clients in her representation
before the Commissioner of Education in appeals of grievances,
nonrenewals, and detachment/annexation controversies and her
successful defense of a taxpayer lawsuit challenging a board's
decision on an expenditure. Cheryl is a frequent drafter of "friend
of the court" briefs for the TASB Legal Assistance Fund and speaks
on various employment issues at conferences of the School Law
Section of the State Bar of Texas, The University of Texas Law
School's School Law Conference, TASA/TASB Convention, and other
education law conferences.
Cheryl graduated with a J.D. from The University of Texas School
of Law in 1997. In addition to admission to all Texas courts, she
is admitted to practice in the following federal courts: U.S.
District Court, Northern, Southern, and Western Districts of Texas;
U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit. Cheryl is a member of the
School Law Section of the State Bar of Texas, the National Council
of School Attorneys, and served as the 2009-2010 Chair of the Texas
Council of School Attorneys.
