Pearce Durick PLLC’s Education Law Group has been representing public school districts and other education-related entities throughout North Dakota since the 1980s, when Gary Thune joined the firm. Thune, and now his successors, chose to dedicate their careers to school law. Over the past few years, our Education Law Group attorneys have assisted over 80 public school districts, special education units, regional education associations, and CTE centers across the state, counseling on preventative and routine matters – including negotiations, personnel and employment issues, IDEA and Section 504 compliance, and open meetings and records compliance – to more complex matters, including defending districts in hearings, administrative proceedings, court proceedings, and defending claims brought before the Department of Labor, the EEOC, and the Office for Civil Rights.

Attorneys in our Education Law Group understand the budgetary restrictions impacting public schools, and the time-sensitive nature that accompanies many of the issues public schools and administrators face. Our attorneys are committed to providing timely, effective counseling and litigation services, and make it a priority to stay well-informed in this rapidly evolving and complex area of law. The Education Law Group attorneys annually attend state and national school attorney seminars, and otherwise stay abreast of issues impacting public schools and the related legal considerations. The attorneys routinely speak to small and large groups and provide trainings on various matters, with the mindset that knowledge and prevention result in financial savings and positive outcomes.

Legal services provided by Pearce Durick PLLC’s Education Law Group attorneys cover all areas of school law including, but not limited to, the following: