Douglas maintains a diverse statewide practice counseling public and private sector employers on a range of matters that impact the workplace and the workforce. He serves as general counsel, special counsel and public sector labor counsel to a wide range of clients, including some of the most complex public sector labor clients in the State. He also represents some of the largest school districts across New York state, advising and counseling school boards, teachers and administrators on general education matters, labor and human resources.
Douglas frequently advises clients on complicated employment issues, student matters, First Amendment free speech issues and common business practices. These include federal and state anti-discrimination laws, wage and hour classification issues, the Family and Medical Leave Act and other leave laws and disability accommodation matters. Douglas is integrally involved in counseling on new laws and rules impacting educational institutions and is a frequent lecturer on legal issues affecting school districts, public employers and labor relations.
Douglas also works with not-for-profit corporations on a range of solutions, from day-to-day legal issues to more nuanced matters involving governance and policy development. He has formed numerous not-for-profits, successfully navigating the Internal Revenue Service’s 501(c)(3) charitable exemption process.
An integral aspect of Douglas’s practice is his extensive experience drafting and negotiating contracts for public and private sector clients. Douglas is frequently called upon to take the lead and work with others in the firm on these matters.
Douglas is familiar with representing clients in litigation in multiple forums including courts as well as before a variety of state government agencies, including the New York State Division of Human Rights, New York State Education Department, the state Liquor Authority, the Attorney General’s Office and Comptroller’s Office.
Having worked as a registered lobbyist for more than 15 years, Douglas helps clients navigate the intricacies of New York State government. He interacts with a range of agencies including the Attorney General’s office, Office of the State Comptroller, New York State Liquor authority and many others. With contacts in a range of agencies he successfully assists clients in problem-solving and representation in official proceedings. Douglas taught education law for many years, first at the Thelma P. Lally School of Education at The College of St. Rose and more recently at Union Graduate College, now part of Clarkson University. In 2019, Douglas completed advanced coursework in cybersecurity at the Albany Law School.
RECENT PUBLICATIONS + SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
- Spoke at the MASLA annual conference on Diversity, Inclusion and Implicit Bias to attorneys and labor relations experts. (July 2021)
- Conducted anti-harassment and anti-discrimination training to statewide organization Board of Directors (July 2021)
- With a colleague, presented at the New York State School Attorney’s Association conference, examining school board policy development including best practices for boards developing policies and school attorneys advising them on same (June 2019).
- Spoke at a Council of Industry seminar on Wage and Hour Law compliance. (June 2019).
- Presented on Cybersecurity and the Law as part of the Harris Beach North Country Education Law Seminar Series in Plattsburgh New York (March 2019).
- Presented at the NBI conference titled "School Law: Social Media and Apps, Cyberbullying, Privacy and Other Technology Issues" (February 2019).
- “Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association and its Effect on Public Sector Unions in New York,” panelist, Long Island Chapter of Labor and Employment Relations Association Annual Spring Conference (May 2016).
- “Impacting Schools and Communities with F-1 Students,” 1st Northern New York F-1 Conference for Public School Administrators and Coordinators (May 2016).
- “Impact of the 2016 Presidential Election on Labor Law,” Sterling Education Services Law Seminar,
(February 2016). - “Employment Issues with Social Media,” North American Association of Educational Negotiators Annual Conference (March 2015).
- Social Media Issues, North American Association of Educational Negotiators Annual Conference (March 2014).
- Co-author “Inside the Minds: Negotiating and Drafting Employment Agreements, 2014 ed.,” published by Thomson Reuters.
