Public Sector Practice
From their office in Cleveland, Ohio, the attorneys at Nicola, Gudbranson & Cooper, LLC represent many public sector clients including municipalities, school districts, and a foreign government. Dealing with state and local governments requires knowing not just constitutional and administrative law, but also the whole body of civil and criminal law, including employment law, real estate law, and probate. Besides enacting and enforcing laws and providing social services, the government also interacts with its citizens as an employer; a buyer and seller of goods, services, and real property; and an overseer of the distribution of trusts and estates through the probate process.
Municipal Practice
The firm's work for local governments includes providing advice and counsel to cities, towns, and villages regarding their roles as employer; stewards of public lands; handling citizen complaints, rules violations, and criminal offenses; and regulating local businesses and public utilities in their conduct with the public and impact on the environment.
- Cable television franchise
- Eminent domain
- Labor and employment
- Zoning
- Land use
- Civil rights defense
- Misdemeanor prosecution
School Districts
School districts employ a wide range of occupations, from skilled and unskilled laborers in transportation, custodial and maintenance, food service, and groundskeepers, to certificated professionals with advanced degrees including teachers, principals, and superintendents. In addition, school districts are responsible for the safety, well-being, and education of minor children from pre-kindergarten to teenagers. School districts are in the business of educating children, and must operate like a business in many respects, including management of public funds and public property. All of this must be done under scrutiny from parents, the media, and taxpaying residents of the school district. A school attorney must have an in-depth understanding of a wide variety of fields, with the specialized knowledge of how these areas of law differ when public schools and schoolchildren are involved.
- Labor and employment
- Student rights
- Student discipline
- Board policy
- Special education
Foreign Government
Foreign governments may wish to operate within the United States in a number of ways, including doing business, investing, and owning property. A foreign government's conduct may be regulated by any number of individual treaties or international law in general, and the application of state and local laws to foreign governments requires a thorough understanding of government relations, federal laws, and the U.S. Constitution, including the Supremacy Clause and the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act.
- Real estate
- Probate
- Treaty interpretation
- Treaty enforcement
