News

Candice Jackson, Former Deputy General Counsel for U.S Department of Education, Joins FMG

3/29/21

Freeman Mathis & Gary, LLP, a leading nationwide litigation law firm, is pleased to announce that Candice Jackson has joined the Firm as a partner. Ms. Jackson will chair the Firm’s Education Team and also practice in the Firm’s Labor and Employment Law and Government Law Sections. She will work in the San Rafael (Marin County) and San Francisco offices.
 
Ms. Jackson joins FMG after serving as Deputy General Counsel, and Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, in the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, D.C. In those roles, she developed federal regulations focused on sex discrimination and sexual harassment in schools, colleges, and universities, applicable to students and employees, and supervised hundreds of administrative enforcement investigations under federal civil rights laws.
 
As Chair of the Firm’s Education team, Ms. Jackson will lead an interdisciplinary group of over 20 attorneys nationwide who represent universities, private schools and colleges, charter schools, and local school districts in a myriad of legal matters confronting educational institutions and governing bodies including representation in private litigation and government agency investigations under Title IX (sex and gender identity discrimination, including sexual harassment and assault), Title VI (race, color, national origin discrimination including disparate impact claims and affirmative action policies) and ADA (disability discrimination including website accessibility claims), IDEA and special education, free speech, Section 1983, funding, accreditation, student discipline, FERPA, and related privacy laws, tenure denials, governance disputes, school safety plans, and tort issues.
 
Ms. Jackson also brings nearly two decades of experience, including practicing at one of the West Coast’s largest firms, in handling all types of employment law disputes including discrimination, harassment, failure to accommodate, retaliation, wrongful termination, wage and hour disputes, and Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) representative actions. Also, her practice will include advice and counsel to employers on California, Oregon, and Washington state laws, as well as federal employment laws and regulations, including strategic advice regarding employment policies, handbooks, agreements, best practices for conducting investigations, engaging in the interactive process, and disciplining or terminating employees.  
 
As a seasoned business litigator and advisor, Ms. Jackson also has represented a variety of clients in a range of commercial litigation and transactional matters ranging from restaurants to medical clinics, and from authors and musicians to independent filmmakers and record labels. Ms. Jackson’s experiences in private practice and government service give her keen insight and dedication to helping educational institutions, and employers in other industries, navigate the complex and evolving legal and regulatory landscape of today’s challenging climate.
 
Ms. Jackson is a graduate of Stanford University and received her law degree from Pepperdine University.
  
Ben Mathis, FMG’s Managing Partner, said, “Candice is one of the country’s foremost education and employment law attorneys. Her accomplishments in Washington and track record in private practice are just remarkable. She is extraordinarily bright and a fierce advocate for her clients. We are honored Candice chose to join FMG and take a leadership position with our firm.”