Higher Education Legal Conference

About the Event

Wednesday, March 12, 2025
9:00AM – 6:00PM
Aloft Hotel, Boston

The Boston Bar Association’s 2025 Higher Education Legal Conference brings together college and university in-house lawyers, administrators, and firm practitioners to discuss the complex legal needs of higher education institutions in a changing world.

Detailed agenda and speaker information to follow. 

Agenda

9:00am – 10:15am

Day 51: Higher Education Under the New Administration and What Lies Ahead

Moderators:

  • Alexandra A. Mitropoulos, Senior Counsel, Hirsch Roberts Weinstein LLP
  • Denise Barton, Chief Deputy General Counsel, University of Massachusetts

10:30am –11:45am

Trending Now in Higher Ed

11:45am – 1:00pm

Leadership Perspectives

Lunch (15-20 min) + Panel (50-60 min)

Moderator:

  • Christina Royal, President-in-Residence, Harvard Graduate School of Education

Speakers:

  • Dr. Pam Eddinger, President, Bunker Hill Community College

1:15pm – 2:15pm

College Athletics: Navigating a Changing Game

Moderator:

  • Gerard Leone, Special Counsel, Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP

Speakers:

  • Janet Judge, Partner, Education & Sports Law Group LLC
  • Brigid Harrington, Senior Attorney, Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP
  • Maria Sheehy, Associate General Counsel, University of Massachusetts OGC

1:15pm – 2:15pm

AI and Higher Education Contracts – Practical Advice for In-House Counsel

Moderator:

  • Amy Fabiano, Senior Attorney, Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP

Speakers:

  • Guilherme Costa, General Counsel and Secretary of the Board, Bentley University
  • Marc De Saint Maurice, Associate General Counsel, Boston University
  • Christina M. Graziano, General Counsel and Vice President for Strategy, Assumption University
  • Esther C. Haley Walker, Associate General Counsel, Dartmouth College

2:30pm – 3:30pm

Student Accommodations: Collective Action & Emerging Trends

  • Abra Francois, Associate General Counsel, Tufts University
  • Philip Catanzano, Co-Founder, Education & Sports Law Group and University Lecturer, Harvard University
  • Stephanie Charles, Associate General Counsel, Boston College
  • Kirsten Behling, Associate Dean of Student Accessibility and Academic Resources, Tufts University

2:30pm – 3:30pm

Navigating Partnerships with Foreign Countries of Concern

Moderator:

  • Martin A. Oppenheimer, Associate General Counsel, Boston University

Speakers:

  • Mark Barnes, Partner, Ropes & Gray
  • Andrew Karberg, Associate Counsel, University of Massachusetts Boston – Office of General Counsel

3:45pm – 4:45pm

Post-Chevron and What’s Next for Higher Ed

Moderator:

  • Destinee Waiters, Senior Associate General Counsel, Suffolk University

Speakers:

  • Matthew Connolly, Partner, Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP
  • Timothy Casey, Chief, Constitutional & Administrative Law Division, Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office
  • Constantia T. Papanikolaou, Chief Legal Counsel, Massachusetts Board and Department of Higher Education

3:45pm – 4:45pm

Preparing for Congressional Hearings

Moderator:

  • Lilly Huang, Associate General Counsel, Boston University

Speakers:

  • Daniel F. Donovan, Partner, King & Spalding
  • Rachael Dane, Vice President, Issues Management Group

4:45pm – 6:00pm

Networking Reception

Steering Committee

Denise Barton

Denise Barton
Deputy General Counsel
University of Massachusetts

Alyssa Cherubino

Alyssa Cherubino
Associate Counsel
University of Massachusetts

Amy Fabiano

Amy Fabiano
Of Counsel
Bowditch & Dewey

Abra Francois

Abra Francois
Associate General Counsel
Tufts University

Lilly Huang

Lilly Huang
Associate General Counsel
Boston University

Gerard T. Leone

Gerard T. Leone
Special Counsel
Hunton Andrews Kurth

Alexandra Mitropoulos

Alexandra Mitropoulos
Senior Counsel
Hirsch Roberts Weinstein

Karen Petrulakis

Karen Petrulakis
General Counsel
Wellesley College

Destinee Waiters

Destinee Waiters
Senior Associate General Counsel
Suffolk University

Gina Yarbrough

Gina Yarbrough
General Counsel
Massachusetts Community College System

Sponsorship

For more information on sponsoring this conference, click here or contact Asha Kanadia at akanadia@bostonbar.org.

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