Clark Hill Attorneys Jennifer A. Buckley and Sarah A. Geddes presented “The Nuts and Bolts of Conducting Efficient, Effective and Thorough Investigations” to the Metro Bureau, Nov. 15

DETROIT, MICH. –

Clark Hill attorneys Jennifer M. Buckley and Sarah A. Geddes presented the workshop, “The Nuts and Bolts of Conducting Efficient, Effective and Thorough Investigations,” to the Metro Bureau on Thursday, Nov. 15, 2012 at Wayne State University in Detroit, Mich. The workshop covered best practices for school districts to follow when investigating student or staff misconduct within a number of scenarios, including financial misconduct, reports of bullying and special education considerations.

Buckley is a member of Clark Hill’s Employment Law Practice Group and is based in the firm’s Detroit office. She has defended employers for more than 25 years in state and federal court actions brought by employees and former employees. She has created and revised numerous employment policies, including employee manuals, applications, sexual and other unlawful harassment policies, drug testing, and FMLA/absenteeism policies. Buckley has presented at seminars for American Society of Employers in the past, as well as the Institute of Continuing Legal Education, Society for Human Resource Management and its Detroit Chapter, and the Human Resources Association of Greater Detroit. In addition, Buckley was named one of the Best Lawyers in America in 2012 and a Michigan Super Lawyer in 2011 and 2010.

Geddes is an associate in Clark Hill’s Education and Municipal Law Practice Group in the firm’s Birmingham office. She has experience in government relations, education law and litigation, and has represented clients in special education, student discipline, FERPA, and FOIA disputes. In addition, Geddes has experience representing clients in contested student discipline hearings and special education matters. Sarah also served as a regular advocate before the Virginia General Assembly and the Virginia Board of Education, providing frequent testimony and expertise on issues related to special education law, student discipline, mental health, and school finance law and policy. Geddes has published in numerous periodicals and legal journals on education law. She has also provided client, service provider and lawyer trainings on special education and student discipline law.

The Metro Bureau, organized in 1946, is a voluntary organization of public school systems, community colleges and universities in southeastern Michigan. The central purpose of the Bureau is to fulfill its mission in supporting member districts to: improve student learning; enhance the development of leadership skills; understand diversity to provide access, respect, inclusiveness, and community; create cost-effective and efficient practices for school operations, and provide accurate data for negotiations and operations of member districts.