Trustees & Board Governance
SNLL attorneys regularly attend board meetings and provide legal advice on all manners of substantive and procedural issues, including compliance with the Texas Open Meetings Act, preparation of agendas, certified agendas and minutes, development of policies and operating procedures, motion language, executive sessions, governance, nepotism and conflicts of interest, administrative and grievance hearings, and negotiating and terminating employee contracts. The Firm’s attorneys regularly handle board-level grievance hearings, including preparation for the hearing and advising boards during closed session and/or serving as the presiding officer for the hearing. As a result of this experience, the Firm’s attorneys are well-equipped to both work with the administration to ensure that board meetings are successful and efficient and in exclusive representation of boards when the administration is separately represented. SNLL lawyers are experienced in tackling a variety of governance matters commonly faced by boards, including those presented during open session (sometimes unexpectedly).
The Firm’s lawyers are well-versed in parliamentary procedure and often provide on-the-spot guidance concerning application of Roberts Rules of Order during public meetings. SNLL also believes that legal consultation during executive session is an invaluable service offered to clients, as communication and problem-solving before a board acts often leads to the most advantageous decisions. The Firm also provides defense representation in litigation to trustees in both their individual and official capacities, as needed.
SNLL has a deep commitment to the preventative law approach, which espouses that thorough, effective, and engaging training is key to avoiding legal pitfalls before they arise. SNLL lawyers have conducted hundreds of trainings for public school board members, ranging from general team building and “Team of Eight” trainings to in-depth workshops on specific issues (e.g., purchasing methods, school safety, and elections). The Firm’s attorneys regularly provide board trainings on topics including governance, public information, team building, goal setting, and open meetings, and SNLL is certified as an “Authorized Provider” by the Texas Education Agency to provide board training on evaluating student academic performance, as required by Senate Bill 1566 to be completed by all school board trustees. When coupled with the Firm’s team-building trainings, a board can easily satisfy both its “Team of Eight” and SB 1566 requirements in one session with a SNLL attorney. Our attorneys also regularly assist school boards with the Superintendent evaluation process. Additionally, SNLL provides superintendent search services, including handling the search process start to finish – from accepting the applications, through the interview process, to negotiating a superintendent contract with the chosen candidate.
