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Practice Area

Education

Trusted counsel for Arkansas schools, providing strategic guidance in finance, governance, compliance, and litigation

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Friday, Eldredge & Clark has long served as trusted counsel to school districts, colleges, universities, and educational institutions across Arkansas. Our attorneys advise on every aspect of education law, including school finance, governance, employment, student rights, and compliance with state and federal regulations such as the Arkansas Teacher Fair Dismissal Act, Title IX, the IDEA, and the Equal Access Act. We are recognized leaders in school bond financing, representing underwriters and issuers in funding public school construction and improvements. Our team also represents clients in complex litigation, including constitutional and civil rights cases involving desegregation, public policy, and education funding. With decades of experience and a deep understanding of the education landscape, we help institutions operate efficiently, remain compliant, and serve their students and communities effectively.

 

Areas of Focus

Constitutional laws

We have represented clients in constitutional law cases before the Arkansas Supreme Court. We have testified before the legislature on the constitutionality of proposed rules regarding such varied areas as wage and hour, education, bond legislation, and property rights. We represent clients in matters regarding legislation, initiated acts, and constitutional amendments.

Bond Counsel

Our firm is among the leaders in bond financing for Arkansas school districts, representing underwriters and issuers as fiscal agents on behalf of the districts themselves. Much of our work is oriented toward bond issues to finance school construction, and we have advised virtually every school district in the state in financing their school facilities. We have also assisted major universities, including the University of Arkansas and Arkansas State University.

General Counsel

We offer to district administrators and boards of education a wide range of other services, from employee benefit and contract advice to courtroom representation in employment constitutional, civil rights matters (including complex school desegregation concerns) and other litigated matters.

Labor and Employment

Our firm represents school districts and administrators in employment hearings under the Arkansas Teacher Fair Dismissal Act and Public School Employee Fair Hearing Act.

Summary
  • Comprehensive Representation: Trusted counsel to school districts, colleges, universities, and education officials across Arkansas.
  • Regulatory Compliance: Guidance on federal and state education laws, including IDEA, Title IX, the Teacher Fair Dismissal Act, and the Equal Access Act.
  • School Finance & Bond Counsel: Leading firm in school bond financing, assisting districts and universities with facility funding and compliance.
  • Employment & Governance Support: Representation in employment hearings, board governance matters, and policy development for administrators and educators.
  • Litigation & Constitutional Advocacy: Proven experience in complex education-related litigation, including desegregation, civil rights, and funding cases.
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Experience

Little Rock School District v. Pulaski County Special School District, et al.,

2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12833 (E.D. Ark. Feb. 23, 2007) – This case began in 1982, when the Little Rock School District sued the other two Pulaski County school districts and the State of Arkansas in an effort to preserve desegregated public education in Little Rock and to improve educational opportunities for LRSD students, particularly African-American students. Friday, Eldredge & Clark became lead counsel on this case in 1987. After more than 20 reported decisions in federal district court and the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, this case has resulted in increased diversity through the voluntary interdistrict movement of students to magnet schools in LRSD and to other schools throughout Pulaski County, as well as the implementation of programs designed to improve academic achievement. In February 2007, the district court ruled that the Little Rock School District is a unitary school district, exempt from further federal court supervision. That decision was affirmed by the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals on April 2, 2009.

ake View School District v. Huckabee,

370 Ark. 139, 257 S.W. 3d 879 (Ark. 2007) – The lawsuit filed by the Lake View School District alleged that public school funding was inequitably distributed, but did not allege that the statewide level of school funding was constitutionally inadequate. The Little Rock School District intervened, in this case, contending that students in Little Rock and throughout the state were not receiving an adequate education as required by the Arkansas Constitution. After years of litigation, the Arkansas Supreme Court agreed, finding “that public school funding was inadequate and that substantially equal educational opportunity was not being afforded to Arkansas students.” The Lake View case led to substantial education reform, including increased funding for pre-kindergarten programs and for students living in poverty.

recognition

2025 Recognized by Best Lawyers