Thompson Coburn LLP is pleased to announce that Grace H. Lee and Janice P. Gregerson have joined as partners in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. Their arrival expands the firm’s education law services and adds a dedicated pre-K-12 independent school law capability to its national platform. Both join from Venable LLP, where they advised independent elementary and secondary schools nationwide on employment, student safety, governance, and compliance matters.
Lee is a trusted advisor to independent schools across the country and will chair the firm’s independent school practice. She collaborates with heads of school, business officers, trustees, and human resources professionals to advance institutions’ missions while meeting business needs and mitigating risk. Her practice encompasses legal issues including employee relations, student matters, investigations, wage and hour compliance, leave and accommodations, executive contracts, training, risk management, and general compliance and regulatory matters.
Gregerson draws upon her employment litigation experience to focus her practice on employment counseling and independent school law. In addition to counseling schools on employment relations, student safety and discipline, abuse and misconduct, and appropriate boundaries, she regularly represents independent elementary and secondary schools before state and local agencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, in response to claims brought by employees, students, and students’ families. Gregerson works closely with clients to ensure compliance with best practices and applicable laws, including nondiscrimination laws, wage and hour compliance, and licensure regulations.
“Grace and Janice’s extensive experience advising independent K-12 schools and their deep understanding of how these institutions operate is accretive to our practice group, and we look forward to expanding our services to private elementary and secondary institutions across the country,” said Aaron Lacey, co-chair of the firm’s Higher Education Practice. “Their arrival builds upon our work with educational institutions and nonprofit organizations, and we are thrilled to welcome them to the firm.”
Grace has worked with independent schools for over 20 years, both in private practice and as Vice President of Legal Affairs at the National Business Officers Association (NBOA), where she helped more than 1,300 member schools address legal and compliance priorities. During her tenure, Lee developed and taught online courses, contributed to NetAssets Magazine, and co-authored the book Culture Meets Compliance: The NBOA Guide to Assessing Human Resources at Independent Schools.
“Thompson Coburn’s nationally recognized higher education practice and deep employment law capabilities provide an excellent platform to grow our ongoing work with independent schools,” said Lee. “I look forward to collaborating with colleagues across the firm to help schools manage their most significant legal challenges and operational priorities.”
Gregerson serves on the Board of Directors of the Association of Independent School Admission Professionals, a global membership community serving enrollment professionals at independent and private schools. Earlier in her career, she handled employment litigation in the private and federal sectors.
“Grace and I have built our approach around becoming trusted extensions of our clients’ teams,” said Gregerson. “Thompson Coburn’s broader education and employment capabilities give us the depth to address the interconnected employment, student safety, governance, and compliance issues that independent schools navigate every day.”
Lee and Gregerson join a deep bench of education lawyers that includes Higher Education practice co-chairs Emily Murphy, Tres Cleveland and Aaron Lacey, and Lobbying & Policy practice chair Chris Murray. The firm advises institutions nationwide to address interconnected matters involving M&A, litigation, labor and employment, governance, and regulatory compliance. Lee and Gregerson also add industry depth to the firm’s Labor & Employment practice, which recently has seen significant growth nationally.
Lee earned her J.D. from The George Washington University Law School and her B.A. from Northwestern University. Gregerson earned her J.D. from George Mason University School of Law, where she served on the George Mason University Law Review, and her B.A., cum laude, from Boston College.
