- Council of the Great City Schools
- 2017 Press Releases
Husch Blackwell Education Team and the Council of the Great City Schools Win Award for “Best Brief” from the Education Law Association
FOR RELEASE
November 9, 2017
Contact:
Steve Renau Henry Duvall
816.983.8783 202-393-2427
steve.renau@huschblackwell.com hduvall@cgcs.org
Husch Blackwell Education Team and the Council of the Great City Schools
Win Award for “Best Brief” from the Education Law Association
WASHINGTON, Nov. 9 – A team of Husch Blackwell attorneys and the legal and legislative team from the Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS) today won the 2017 August Steinhilber Award for “Best Brief” from the Education Law Association (ELA).
The Husch team and the Council of the Great City Schools wrote and filed an amicus curiae brief in the Supreme Court of the United States in the case of Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District. The brief was submitted on behalf of Husch client CGCS in support of the Respondent School District. The Council is a non-profit coalition of 69 of the largest urban public-school systems in the United States.
In a March 22, 2017 in a unanimous ruling, the Court clarified the legal standard that federal courts must apply in evaluating individualized education plans (IEPs) for students with disabilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The ruling and discussion in the Court’s opinion significantly reflect the legal arguments set forth in the brief.
The brief-writing team was comprised of John W. Borkowski, Derek Teeter, Michael Raupp, Aleksandra O. Rushing, and Katie Jo Luningham, members of Husch Blackwell’s Education practice; and the CGCS team, Julie Wright Halbert, legislative counsel, Jeff Simering, Manish Naik and Sue Gamm. The criteria for ELA’s award included Quality of Writing (including logical structure of argument, paragraphs and
sentences; conciseness and clarity; emphasis of key points; use of headings and quotations) and Quality of Analysis (including presentation of the theory of the case and its limits; presentation of the doctrinal context; focus on points relevant to the Court; use of precedent; inclusion of relevant authority; discussion of relevance to education generally).
The team received the award today during ceremonies at the ELA’s Annual Conference in San Diego.
# # #
About Husch Blackwell
Husch Blackwell is an industry-focused, full-service litigation and business law firm with locations in 17 U.S. cities. The firm represents national and global leaders in major industries including energy and natural resources; financial services and capital markets; food and agribusiness; healthcare, life sciences and education; real estate, development and construction; and technology, manufacturing and
transportation. For more information, visit huschblackwell.com.
About the Council of the Great City SchoolsA
It is the special mission of America’s urban public schools to educate the nation’s most diverse student to the highest academic standards and prepare them to contribute to our democracy and global community. The Council brings together 69 of the nation’s largest urban public school systems in a coalition dedicated to the improvement of public education for our nation’s urban public school
children. See www.cgcs.org
About the Education Law Association
Established in 1954, the Education Law Association (ELA) is a national nonprofit 501(c)(3) member association with headquarters located at Cleveland State University, Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. ELA promotes interest in and understanding of the legal framework of education and the rights of students, parents, school administrators, school boards, and school employees in public and private K12 educational institutions, as well as higher education, through publications, seminars, webinars, and an annual conference.
Media Contact:
Contact Name
Contact@email.com
(000) 000-0000
Contact Name
Contact@email.com
(000) 000-0000
Contact Name
Contact@email.com
(000) 000-0000
Media Contact:
Contact Name
Contact@email.com
(000) 000-0000
Contact Name
Contact@email.com
(000) 000-0000
Contact Name
Contact@email.com
(000) 000-0000