Holly James
Senior Associate
Holly’s professional career is defined by her twin passions—education and the law. Holly is a former elementary-school teacher with a boots-on-the-ground perspective concerning the needs and challenges faced by Texas school districts. Prior to becoming a school lawyer, Holly practiced for several years in the areas of general civil litigation and insurance coverage matters. As a lawyer for school districts, Holly advises clients about student and employment matters and also represents districts in litigation and administrative proceedings. Due to her litigation experience over the years, Holly is able to counsel districts from a risk-management perspective to help them identify and resolve issues early on to minimize litigation risk. Examples of Holly’s experience representing Texas school districts include the following:
- Title IX regulatory compliance for sexual-harassment claims
- Investigations
- Employee terminations and nonrenewals
- Student disciplinary issues
- Student and employee grievances, including presentations to school boards on behalf of district administration
- Discrimination claims
- Representation of districts in disputes before the EEOC, TEA, and TWC
- Representation of districts in lawsuits:
- First Amendment claims
- Title VII employment-discrimination claims
- Title IX sex-discrimination and sexual-harassment claims
- Section 1983 claims
- ADA and Section 504 disability-discrimination claims
- Training and compliance
- Development and guidance concerning policies and procedures
- Open government
- Contract review and negotiation
Areas Of Practice
Education Law, Litigation, General Counsel, Constitutional Law, Employment Law, Student Rights & Responsibilities, Board Governance, Special Investigations, Contracts, Training & Compliance, Process Development, Open Records, Administrative Law, Appellate
Education
B.S., Texas A&M University, 2002
J.D., South Texas College of Law, 2006
- Varsity Moot Court Advocate & Brief Writer in STCL’s nationally renown advocacy program
- South Texas Law Review
- Multiple Top-Grade Awards
ADMISSIONS/AFFILIATIONS/BAR MEMBERSHIPS
National Council of School Law Attorneys
Texas Council of School Attorneys
United States Supreme Court
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
United States District Courts for the Northern, Eastern, and Southern Districts of Texas
All Texas State Courts
State Bar of Texas, School Law, Litigation, and Employment Law Sections
Bar Association of the Fifth Federal Circuit
