All crises — whether arising from an organizational emergency, a catastrophic event, or negative publicity — require a coordinated response on an expedited timeline. Sidley has a proven track record helping clients manage non-profit and education crises requiring the quick action, strategic insight, and litigation know-how critical to protecting an institution and its reputation. Working closely with our clients in both responding to and handling crises in non-profits and education, we provide tailored solutions to address a variety of circumstances.
Sidley Ranked Band 1 (Global-wide) Every Year Since the Guide’s First Edition.
Chambers Crisis & Risk Management (Global), 2021 - 2025
Sidley’s Crisis Management team has demonstrated commitment to the representation of colleges, universities, and non-profit institutions nationwide. Our representation of these institutions is enhanced by our preeminent national practices and deep experience in trial and appellate litigation, government investigations and litigation, compliance, and governance. We are able to draw upon the significant education and non-profit experience of our lawyers across numerous practice areas to deploy swift, well-planned responses. Major institutions, organizations, and their boards seek our counsel in an emergency because we provide thoughtful, seamless advice for multi-faceted crisis situations.
Comprehensive, Multidisciplinary Experience
We have decades of experience serving as our clients’ first response team in the face of public crises affecting colleges, universities, and other non-profit institutions to establish and manage both the initial and long-term legal strategies, and assist with remediation efforts. Our work includes advising management, boards, audit, and special committees on:
- Whistleblower complaints and anti-discrimination mandates including VI, Title IX and ADA Sexual misconduct and other employment-related allegations
- Antitrust and competition issues
- Internal investigations, including board-driven investigations Investigations and regulatory initiatives by the U.S. Department of Education (ED), U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), other federal agencies, state Attorneys General, and other oversight bodies
- Congressional inquiry or subpoena response
- Legal, policy, political, and public relations implications related to an investigation, inquiry or other crisis
- Compliance, governance, litigation risks, and potential exposure arising from alleged misconduct, investigative findings, and negative publicity
- Cybersecurity breach incidents response and prevention
Why Sidley?
We regularly assist clients in conducting sensitive investigations, including those involving whistleblower and other internal employee complaints, and dated factual allegations. Our lawyers provide critical, pro-active legal advice to clients on issues that can emerge in any investigation regardless of the subject matter, including mitigating risk of retaliation claims by current or former employees who raise complaints or participate in the investigation. In the context of undertaking these investigations, we regularly advise management, boards, audit committees and special committees on appropriate investigative processes, special committee formation, potential corrective action, and whether the findings should be shared on a voluntary basis with governmental or regulatory bodies or other stakeholders.
Clients say: “The Sidley team tackles issues head-on. Its depth of advice on high-stakes matters is great. We send them the most complex matters we face.”
Chambers Crisis Management 2025, Global-wide
Our team includes current and former university trustees and former U.S. federal and state prosecutors and officials, including Kenneth Polite, who was the highest-ranking attorney in the DOJ’s Criminal Division, and Lisa Miller, who was the third-highest ranking member of the DOJ’s Criminal Division. Many of our lawyers served at high levels within the DOJ, and other key investigative and prosecutorial arms of the government, as well as in the White House Counsel’s Office, and in other senior positions at government agencies. With firsthand knowledge of how government agencies conduct investigations and prosecutions, we are able to help clients navigate these processes efficiently and effectively.
While no crisis or situation is the same, Sidley’s extensive experience includes representation of the following:
- Several leading private universities in a high-profile government matter involving hundreds of millions of dollars in federal research funding.
- A non-profit organization on numerous crisis management issues and third-party involvement in congressional investigations involving its close ties with a number of U.S. based academic institutions.
- A private university in a putative antitrust class action alleging price fixing of financial aid. A highly favorable settlement was reached and all claims were resolved against our client. We also represent the university in separate ongoing putative class actions alleging that the university and numerous other colleges violated Section 1 of the Sherman Act through the use of binding early decision processes and by conspiring to fix, raise, and stabilize the amount of financial aid paid to applicants with noncustodial parents, respectively.
- Columbia University and Columbia University Irving Medical Center in an investigation regarding a high profile sex abuse case.
- A college’s board of trustees in a matter related to an individual’s relationship with a person involved in a sex trafficking scandal.
- A research university’s board’s special committee regarding oversight responsibilities with respect to leadership and crisis management.
- A former NFL coach regarding his termination and related crisis management issues.
- A prominent U.S. non-profit organization regarding employment decisions concerning the firing of its Executive Director, and various related allegations of financial fraud, racism and Board mismanagement.
- Human Rights Campaign and Human Rights Campaign Foundation for an internal investigation related to the inclusion of the organizations’ president, Alphonso David, in the New York Attorney General’s report of the investigation of Governor Andrew Cuomo.
- Laureate Education, one of the world’s largest higher education institutions, in connection with a qui tam action. Sidley successfully convinced DOJ to decline to intervene in the qui tam action and the relators subsequently dismissed the case.
Click here for a pdf of our Crisis Management and Strategic Response for Colleges, Universities, and Non-Profits brochure.
