Joel D. Buckman

Joel’s practice focuses on the education regulatory triad: state licensure, accreditation, and the government strings that attach to government dollars (such as Title IV, Title VI, Title IX, Section 504 and the ADA, and FERPA, to name a few). Joel levers deep knowledge of higher education policy, the U.S. Department of Education, and the wider higher education context to help clients achieve their goals. For example, he helps institutions and education technology companies identify, obtain, and maintain the approvals they need. He represents them in contested matters and when facing regulatory scrutiny in the context of compliance reviews and internal and government investigations. In the transactional context, he helps institutions and investors shape deals and opportunities, such as mergers and acquisitions and strategic alliances and relationships.  

Joel’s education practice has involved a wide range of issues, including First Amendment and academic freedom, faculty labor and employment, Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act, and governance. Joel has presented on higher education topics at the National Association of College and University Attorneys and has co-authored amicus briefs for higher education associations, including Fisher v. University of Texas (II), Houston Community College System v. Wilson, and NCAA v. Alston.  

While in law school, Joel worked in the Children's Law Clinic on student discipline and special education matters, and was also an editor of the Duke Law Journal. Joel served as a judicial clerk to the Honorable Gerald Bard Tjoflat of the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals.