Mayer Brown establishes Higher Education Task Force to support academic institutions at critical time

CHICAGO – Mayer Brown is pleased to announce the launch of its Higher Education Task Force, a multidisciplinary team that will provide strategic legal counsel to public and private colleges and universities and related entities confronting increasingly complex legal, compliance, governance, and reputational challenges. Recent additions such as Ken Wainstein and Tom Perez add to the firm’s longstanding experience in the education sector at a time when academic institutions are facing unprecedented challenges.

With decades of experience advising a wide range of educational institutions, associations, governing bodies and other sector-adjacent entities, Mayer Brown’s Higher Education Task Force brings together lawyers across various practice groups to offer comprehensive support—from proactive risk management and regulatory compliance to high-stakes investigations and litigation. The team includes former senior officials from the White House and the US Departments of Labor, Commerce, Health and Human Services, Justice, Homeland Security, Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service, as well as senior congressional staff.

“We recognize that colleges and universities today face unprecedented challenges that demand both deep legal knowledge and a nuanced understanding of the higher education landscape,” said Raj De, member of the Mayer Brown global Management Committee. “By bringing together a multidisciplinary team with firsthand experience working with higher education institutions in crisis management, litigation, investigations, employment, and other areas of expertise, we are committed to helping our clients anticipate risks, respond to emerging issues, and advance their missions with confidence. Our goal is to serve as a trusted partner to higher education leaders as they navigate this complex and rapidly evolving environment.” 

The Higher Education Task Force offers a full spectrum of legal services tailored to the unique needs of colleges, universities, and across a broad range of issues, including government and congressional investigations, antitrust, athletics compliance, employment and ERISA matters, governance and institutional strategy, government contracts and grants, tax-exempt activity compliance and advocacy, and cybersecurity and data privacy.

Learn more about Mayer Brown’s Higher Education Task Force here.

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