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Areas of Practice
Universities and Education
The Universities and Education Group at Sutin, Thayer & Browne provides comprehensive general counsel representation to the firm's university and educational institution clients. Lawyers who practice in the Universities and Education Group regularly advise clients on matters of tort liability, employee evaluation, discipline and termination, the New Mexico Procurement Code, FERPA, the Open Meetings Act, the Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA) requests, student rights and discipline, first amendment issues, discrimination law and board governance issues. We have established corporations under the University Research Park and Economic Development Act. We also counsel public school clients on the School Personnel Act and election law. We serve as general counsel to Eastern New Mexico University, Western New Mexico University, New Mexico Highlands University and Santa Fe Community College, and we provide outside counsel services to the University of New Mexico.
Representative Experience:
•Routinely provide governing boards of educational institutions with regard to their rights and responsibilities under the Open Meetings Act and Inspection of Public Records Act.
•Regularly represent colleges and universities before the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) and the New Mexico Human Rights Commission.
•Successfully defended a public school district against the termination of its Head Start Program.
•Successfully defended a state university in connection with a bid protest action filed by an electrical contractor in connection with a public-works project that was resolved by the Supreme Court.
•Routinely advise colleges and universities regarding the Procurement Code and bidding matters.
•Represented a state university with the development and construction of two residential housing complexes and another in purchasing real property for campus expansion.
•Drafted many educational institutions' policies and regulations.
•Represent colleges and universities in the issuance of general obligation bonds and system revenue bonds as issuer's counsel and as bond counsel.
Related Practice Areas
Employment and Employee Benefits
Intellectual Property
Public Finance
Real Estate
State and Local Government
