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Council of School Attorneys (COSA)

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Supporting Leadership in Legal Advocacy for Public Schools

The Council of School Attorneys (COSA) supports attorneys representing K-12 public school districts and state school boards associations. The work of the Council is widely respected and a resource for school board attorneys and state association counsel across the country. 

COSA provides a national forum for the discussion of legal issues and problems encountered by school attorneys in providing legal counsel, advice, and representation to public school boards and state school boards associations. It also promotes and helps develop a closer relationship and better understanding between school attorneys and their clients, school boards, and school boards associations.

NOW AVAILABLE! NSBA Legal Desk Reference on School Law

Written by the NSBA legal team and produced in collaboration with Lexis-Nexis, The Federal Public School Law Guidebook provides an overview of federal law affecting public school operations and policy development in many areas, including civil rights, employment, special education, and more.

Written in easy-to-understand Q&A format, this new desk resource is written in plain language, with legal citations to assist school lawyers. The Guidebook benefited from thoughtful editing by COSA members and Derek Black, professor of law at the University of South Carolina School of Law. It complements state-level texts produced by NSBA member state associations, such as School Law, produced by the New York State School Boards Association, now in its 39th edition. 

The Federal Public School Law Guidebook is now available from Lexis-Nexis in hard copy (softbound) and electronic form. Order yours online at the Lexis-Nexis storeNSBA/COSA members can save 20%! Please email us at memberservices@nsba.org, or check your latest member newsletter for the code!

Exclusive Benefits for COSA Members

By joining COSA, school board lawyers have access to a multitude of exclusive services, publications, and discounts. Benefits range from newsletters that keep you up-to-date with current events, discounts on professional development programs, and a network of experienced attorneys you can rely on for ideas. COSA membership directly connects you to an online community, where you can reference or actively take part in conversations on the discussion board, as well as search for insights via a vast library of school law resources.

What School Lawyers Do

School lawyers represent their school district in legal matters and are adept at preventative law as they focus on controlling legal issues whenever possible and anticipating problems and legal solutions before litigation happens.

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Leadership & Governance

COSA is guided by a seven-member Steering Committee, which is elected at the annual business meeting held each spring in conjunction with the NSBA Annual Conference and School Law Seminar. The COSA chair serves ex officio on the NSBA Board of Directors, giving our members a direct link to NSBA’s leadership.

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School Law Seminars & Webinars

COSA’s premier school law seminars and webinars offer invaluable professional development opportunities and CLE credit for school lawyers. These programs are presented by school law practitioners for school law practitioners and target your professional needs.

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Join COSA!

Membership is open to attorneys at law who are licensed to practice before the highest court in any state of the United States or before a court of record in the United States and who are (or have been within the last two years) attorneys for a local public school district, a state association of school boards or any public junior or community college.


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