Lisa M. Burleson

Lisa has more than 20 years of in-depth experience in the areas of law that have immediate impact, direct value, and tangible benefit to public schools. Lisa’s areas of experience in practicing education law include labor negotiations, labor relations, arbitration, grievance processing, mediation, employee discipline, reductions in force, employee termination and appeals, Title IX/harassment/bullying/hazing complaints and investigations, student issues (including student discipline and appeals), student enrollment/open enrollment, transportation, student custody and tuition obligation issues, special education, due process, trial and civil litigation, subpoena enforcement, competitive bidding and selection processes, sale/purchase/lease of real property, public records, public audits, Sunshine Law, ethics, booster organizations, constitutional issues (both employee and student), and administrative law. 

She also has extensive experience practicing before the Ohio Department of Education, Ohio Election Commission, local boards of revision, Ohio Department of Taxation, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights, State Employment Relations Board, and Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation and Ohio Industrial Commission.

Lisa is a frequent and regular presenter on a variety of education law topics for organizations throughout Ohio, including the Ohio School Boards Association, Buckeye Association of School Administrators, and the Midwest Regional Educational Service Center. Lisa also conducts customized trainings on a variety of education law topics for individual clients, including administrative team trainings, and school district staff trainings.  Below is a list of subject areas:

• Title IX
• Bullying/Harassment/Discrimination
• Collective Bargaining
• IDEA/Section 504
• School Support Organization/Compliance
• Collective Bargaining
• Student Dress Code
• Constitutional Issues – Employee and Student
• Staff Discipline
• Staff Evaluation
• Special Education
• Student Attendance Laws
• Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and Social Media
• HIPAA and Other Compliance Issues
• Custody, Enrollment and Parental Rights
• Ohio Medical Marijuana Laws
• Truancy Law and Attendance Compliance
• Student Discipline
• Employee Discipline and Investigations
• Harassment Investigations
• Sports Law
• Recruiting, Interviewing and Hiring Basics

Services

• Education Law
• Labor Relations
• Employment
• Equal Opportunity / Anti-Discrimination Law
• Employment Law Training
• Workplace Audits
• Employment Litigation
• Liability Defense
• Workplace Counseling and Policies
• Wage & Hour Compliance
• Construction Law
• Appellate
• Insurance Coverage
• Workers' Compensation
• Government Relations

Industries

• Education
• Insurance
• Construction

1. Capital University Law School, J.D.
2. Ohio Wesleyan University, B.A.

Bar Admissions

1. Ohio

Court Admissions

1. U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio

• Named to The Best Lawyers in America® for Education Law (2024)

Professional Affiliations

• Ohio State Bar Association, Member
• Ohio State Bar Association’s Labor & Employment Law Section, Member
• Columbus Bar Association, Member
• Ohio Council of School Board Attorneys (via the Ohio School Boards Association), Member
• Upper Arlington Civil Service Commission, President & Commissioner
• Ohio State Bar Association’s Education Law Committee, Past Chair
• Supreme Court of Ohio’s Lawyer to Lawyer Mentoring Program

Community Affiliations

• Ohio High School Mock Trial Competition, Annual Volunteer Judge
• Jones Middle School PTO, Immediate Past Treasurer
• Lifecare Alliance – Meals on Wheels, Volunteer
• Upper Arlington Lacrosse Association Girls Recreation League, Volunteer Coach