Lisa A. Brown
Partner
Laura Speer
713.223.2300 x2478
Lisa A. Brown represents school districts, public and private colleges, counties and other governmental entities. She regularly handles lawsuits, appeals and grievances involving state and federal constitutional issues, civil rights law, employment law, education law (including student discipline), sexual harassment and child abuse law, and local government law, including issues relating to public information and open meetings laws.
In addition to her litigation practice, Ms. Brown also assists clients with policy manual development, preparation and review of contracts, and compliance with ethics and conflict of interest laws.
Representative Matters
Morriss v. Concordia University at Austin, 2006 WL 1347918, W.D. Tex. 2006. Granting summary judgment in age discrimination case.
Knight v. Houston Community College System, 2006 WL 3227329, S.D.Tex. 2006. Granting summary judgment in First Amendment case.
Zolbrod v. Texas Dept of Protective & Regulatory Services et al, 137 Fed.Appx. 625, 5th Cir., 2005. Affirming summary judgment of claims brought by parents who claimed that their children were unlawfully placed in foster care.
Ward v. Santa Fe Independent School District, 393 F.3d 599, 5th Cir. 2004. Affirming that school district's voluntary payment of nominal damages to plaintiff in school prayer suit effectively mooted case.
Elk Grove Unified School Dist. v. Newdow, 524 U.S. 1, 2004. Submitted amicus brief on behalf of National School Boards Association in case involving constitutionality of Pledge of Allegiance.
Davis v. Monroe County Board of Educ., 119 S.Ct. 1661 (1999). Submitted amicus brief on behalf of National School Boards Association in student/student sexual harassment case.
Gebser v. Lago Vista Indep. Sch. Dist., 118 S.Ct. 1989 (1998). Submitted amicus brief on behalf of National School Boards Association in teacher/student sexual harassment case.
Becerra v. Asher, 105 F.3d 1042, 5th Cir. 1997. Affirming summary judgment in favor of school district in civil rights case involving alleged abuse of a student.
Fowler v. Szostek, 905 S.W.2d 336 (Tex. App.--Houston [1st Dist.] 1995, no writ). Interlocutory appeal reversing denial of educators' motion for summary judgment in wrongful death case.
Massey v. Houston Baptist Univ., 902 S.W.2d 81 (Tex. App.--Houston [1st Dist.] 1995, writ denied). Affirming summary judgment in breach of employment contract case.
Publications and Speeches
Legal Issues Regarding Grading Practices, University of Texas School Law Conference, 2007
"Legal Issues Involving Grading Practices," Inquiry & Analysis, National School Boards Association, Oct. 2006
"Employment Law Issues Affecting Higher Education," Texas Association of Community College Attorneys, 2006.
"Recent Developments in Employee Privacy Law and the Fourth Amendment," Inquiry & Analysis, National School Boards Association, Dec, 2005.
Attorneys' Fees in Civil Rights Cases: Issues, Ethics, and Strategy, National School Boards Association Advocacy Seminar 2005
"Student Privacy on Trial: Complying with FERPA During Litigation and Other Adversarial Contexts," Inquiry & Analysis, NSBA, May 2005
Ethics for Government Lawyers, State Bar of Texas Government Lawyers Section, 2005
Employment Law Issues Affecting Higher Education, University of Texas Advanced Employment Law Conference, 2005
Ethics Boot Camp, State Bar of Texas Suing & Defending Governmental Entities Seminar, 2004
Sexual Harassment Prevention, National School Boards Association Convention, 2004
Update on Ethics for School Lawyers, University of Texas School Law Conference, 2003
"Gay Rights on Campus," Texas Lawyer, Oct. 27, 2003
"Schools, God, and the Pledge of Allegiance," Texas Lawyer, August 19, 2002
Co-author, "Prayer on Campus: Thirty Years of Litigation and Counting," Striking a Constitutional Balance, 2001, NSBA.
Education
J.D., with honors, The University of Texas School of Law, 1989
B.A., with honors, The University of Texas at Austin, 1986
Bar Admissions
Texas
Court Admissions
U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit
U.S. District Court for the Northern, Southern and Eastern Districts of Texas
U.S. Supreme Court
Affiliations
Texas Council of School Attorneys, Chair, 2006-2007
State Bar of Texas School Law Section , Chair, 2002-2003
National School Boards Association Council of School Attorneys, Amicus Brief Committee, 2007-Present
State Bar of Texas Government Lawyers Section and Appellate Section
Houston Bar Association President's Award for Outstanding Service, 1992
Noteworthy
Texas Super Lawyer, 2003-2007
Frequent speaker on education law topics and legal ethics at legal conferences sponsored by the University of Texas School of Law, the National School Boards Association Council of School Attorneys, and the Texas Council of School Attorneys