Education lawyers in Kentucky

Regina Jackson

Firm: English, Lucas, Priest & Owsley, LLP

1101 College St , Bowling Green , Kentucky 42101 Zip code: 42101

Practice Areas: Education

Regina Jackson believes law to be the merger of several of her passions. She likes solving puzzles, seeking answers to problems and analyzing results. “I like the logic of it,” Regina says. “I like analysis. You start with a question, and you have to find the best solution. It’s like putting together a puzzle.”. Regina worked for Wyatt Tarrant & Combs in Lexington, primarily practicing employment law, before joining ELPO in 1993. “There was opportunity here,” Regina says. “I was coming from a large firm, and I wanted something similar on a smaller scale. I got the professionalism of the attorneys here and the challenge of the work. I would put ELPO lawyers against any of the lawyers from the large firms.”. Since coming to ELPO, she’s used her extensive knowledge of employment law every day in working with clients. Regina is considered extremely knowledgeable regarding the Family Medical Leave Act. This law requires employers of a certain size to allow employees to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to care for a sick family member or their own serious health condition, recover from childbirth, or other similar reasons. The law was changed recently to accommodate the needs of active military personnel. “Certainly, any employer wants to try to accommodate employees who have serious health conditions,” Regina says. “But there seems to be a handful of people who abuse the good intentions of the FMLA, and do so often enough that the business is really hampered because the employee is missing a lot of work time. I can advise them as to the best methods to handle the situation that are fair and legal for all involved.”. She also applies her employment law knowledge in working with school districts, and that experience stretches all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1998, she filed an Amicus Brief on behalf of the Kentucky School Boards Association in the case of Gebser v. Lago Vista Independent School District (in Texas). In that case, a parent sued the school district after their child was sexually involved with a teacher, arguing that the district was responsible for the teacher’s behavior. The brief that Regina filed argued that a school district was only responsible if those with the power to change the situation knew about it and did nothing. The Supreme Court sided with the districts, agreeing with Regina’s position. The Kentucky School Boards Association hired ELPO to write the Amicus Brief to help protect the interests of school districts in Kentucky. “If the case had gone the other way, it would have allowed school districts to be held responsible for the actions of individual teachers in all types of situations, when, in almost all cases, the district’s administrators do not know that anything improper is taking place,” Regina said. “The responsibility lies with the individual teachers to behave properly with students, as administrators can’t be present in every classroom ensuring proper behavior.”. Bowling Green has become home to Regina. It’s a “big city on a small scale,” she says. She is married and has a daughter, Leah, who was adopted from China. “Having Leah adds a whole new level of interest for me in working with school systems,” Regina says. “I’m even more interested now in how the system operates and with helping students succeed.”

Contact: Not Available

W. Priest

Firm: English, Lucas, Priest & Owsley, LLP

1101 College St , Bowling Green , Kentucky 42101 Zip code: 42101

Practice Areas: Education

Cravens works primarily in the areas of employment law, school law and workers’ compensation law. While the three areas overlap, they are just different enough to challenge him. Cravens stays on top of the law in each area, and researches the latest changes of the law and how it affects his clients. “You constantly have to study the law because it is always evolving,” Cravens said. “That is why it is referred to as practicing law.”. Workers’ compensation law changes more frequently than the other types of law Cravens practices. Workers’ compensation proceedings are controlled by statutes and regulations established by the state legislature and are affected by state courts’ interpretation of the statutes and regulations. As a result, the law changes often. “The changes are far more frequent than any other type of law I practice,” Cravens said. “The statutes and regulations are very detailed. There are specific factors and formulas that you have to know how to apply to the facts of each case. A minor adjustment in the statutes and regulations can drastically affect your clients’ interests and can spawn a great deal of case law.”. The law in the employment area changes more with federal legislation and litigation. Cravens has followed employment law as it changed and transformed since he began practicing in 1992. The Americans with Disabilities Act has been particularly interesting to watch, as the definition of who qualifies as an individual with a disability under the Act has changed drastically throughout Cravens’ practice. Employment cases can be brought in state or federal court, venues in which Cravens enjoys working.. “I like the fact that my work involves advising clients in addition to representing clients in litigation,” Cravens said. “We do a lot of counseling with our clients in the employment and school areas to keep them out of litigation. Workers’ compensation is primarily litigation, so I am comfortable in a private meeting giving advice or in a courtroom representing my client.”

Contact: Not Available