69ý

Law & Courts Federal File

Ex-Secretary Riley Gets a New Position: Capital Rainmaker

By David J. Hoff — May 06, 2008 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

Former Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley has always acted more like a soft-spoken Southern lawyer than a busy Cabinet officer in the limelight of the nation’s capital.

Now, he’s expanding his law practice to Washington.

Mr. Riley announced last month that he would head a new section of his law firm that will focus exclusively on education law, specializing in federal issues facing states, school districts, and nonprofit groups.

Mr. Riley said he would be active in advising the team of 12 lawyers—many of whom worked for him when he was education secretary under President Clinton from 1993 to 2001.

“I’ll be spending more time [in Washington] and advising them when called upon,” Mr. Riley, 75, said in a phone interview from Greenville, S.C., where he lives. “I’ll mostly be in an advisory role, meeting with top clients and lawyers, and talking about strategy and tactics.”

See Also

For more stories on this topic see our Federal news page.

The new office will be called EducationCounsel and will be affiliated with Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough—the Atlanta-based firm that in 1987 merged with the firm founded by Mr. Riley’s father.

EducationCounsel will be led by Arthur L. Coleman and Scott R. Palmer, both of whom worked in the Education Department’s office for civil rights during Mr. Riley’s tenure as secretary, which lasted all eight years of the Clinton administration.

Since leaving the federal government, Mr. Coleman and Mr. Palmer have built a practice advising state education agencies and nonprofits on federal education policy and legal matters. They have most recently been with the Washington office of the Holland & Knight firm, also based in Atlanta.

Mr. Palmer has worked closely with the Council of Chief State School Officers and several states individually on No Child Left Behind issues.

“This is an opportunity to expand to the next level in terms of service capacity,” Mr. Palmer said in an interview.

Mr. Riley’s leadership role in Nelson Mullins and his prominence in education circles are two of the reasons Mr. Palmer and his colleagues decided to form the new alliance, he said.

Events

School & District Management Webinar Crafting Outcomes-Based Contracts That Work for Everyone
Discover the power of outcomes-based contracts and how they can drive student achievement.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
Harnessing AI to Address Chronic Absenteeism in 69ý
Learn how AI can help your district improve student attendance and boost academic outcomes.
Content provided by 
School & District Management Webinar EdMarketer Quick Hit: What’s Trending among K-12 Leaders?
What issues are keeping K-12 leaders up at night? Join us for EdMarketer Quick Hit: What’s Trending among K-12 Leaders?

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

Law & Courts The Uncertainty Ahead for Title IX and Transgender 69ý in Trump's New Term
Trump may not be able to withdraw the Title IX rule on "Day 1," but advocates on both sides expect it to go away.
7 min read
Marshall University students hold a protest to voice concerns over the handling of Title IX-related issues at the university on Nov. 18, 2022, in Huntington, W.Va.
Marshall University students hold a protest to voice concerns over the handling of Title IX-related issues at the university on Nov. 18, 2022, in Huntington, W.Va.
Sholten Singer/The Herald-Dispatch via AP
Law & Courts Ten Commandments Law for Public 69ý Is 'Impermissible,' Judge Rules
The Louisiana law would require displays of the Ten Commandments in every public school classroom.
4 min read
Photo of Ten Commandments poster on school wall.
Getty
Law & Courts Supreme Court Weighs High-Stakes Fraud Issue for E-Rate Program
The justices appear to lean toward a ruling that could help keep schools from being overcharged by telecommunications companies.
8 min read
Image of students working on a computer.
Carlos Barquero Perez/iStock/Getty
Law & Courts Court Battles and Presidential Election Have Big Implications for Title IX Regulation
A federal appeals court heard arguments about whether some provisions of the Title IX regulation should be allowed to go into wider effect.
4 min read
Image of a gavel
iStock/Getty