Higher Education Practice

Charles S. Johnson has for many years led a team of lawyers who have served as a principal outside law firm for an Atlanta-based single-gender historically black college. This representation has included the following:

• served as the College's Interim General Counsel from 1999-2001

• served as the College's Interim General Counsel from 2004-2005

• represented the College in connection with its Revenue Bonds, Series 2000

• represented the College in connection with its Student Housing Bonds, Series 2002

• represented the College in the defense of internal administrative proceedings and litigation relating to student discipline and dismissal

• represented the College in the defense of employment litigation involving claims of religious and nationality discrimination

• represented the College in the defense of claims of disability discrimination initiated with the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights

• obtained a Special Use Permit for the on-campus interment of the remains of a leading figure in the College's history

• counseled the College in connection with reductions in force and staff realignments

• counseled the College in loss-prevention issues related to student-on-student assault and on-campus violence

• counseled the College with respect to the management of diversity, the management of gender-preference differences, and the development of civility codes, campus harassment policies and training aids

• counseled the College with respect to institutional research and intellectual property policies

• counseled the College with respect to the confidentiality of reports of internal investigations

• counseled the College with respect to the organization of its in-house law department and the interface between its personnel and other College personnel

• counseled the College with respect to a multi-institution policy on reciprocal tuition waivers

• represented the College in connection with the division of property previously held by multi-college consortium

• conducted employment practices training for the College's faculty and staff

• counseled the College with respect to compliance with the Polygraph Protection Act

• negotiated and developed investment management contracts for the management of the College's endowment

• negotiated and developed a contract for the management of the College's mailroom

• counseled the College in the development of a Hazardous Materials Policy and a Mold Policy

• counseled the College with respect to air quality disclosure

• counseled the College in connection with its formal relations with other institutions of higher learning

• counseled with the College in connection with the maintenance of its deferred compensation plans, tuition reduction plan and other employee benefit plans

• counseled the College with respect to the acquisition of a major archival collection

• represented the College in the housing and maintenance of its archival material

• represented the College in with respect to the use by third parties of images from its archival collection

• counseled the College with respect to the exhibition of its archival material by third-party institutions

• counseled the College with respect to its assumption of the assets of a predecessor trust

• represented the College with respected to the lease of property not owned by the College

• represented the College in the defense of an ERISA claim, vendor claim, and an off-campus drowning claim