Joshua E. Douglass

Partner

Areas of Practice:

Josh is a seasoned litigator focused on institutional compliance. From state licensing to special education, Josh assists his clients with preventing disputes through reasonable and practical counsel. However, when called upon, Josh defends his clients’ regulatory decisions to the fullest extent, including successfully arguing the nuances of the Sunshine Law at the Missouri Court of Appeals, defending a special education dispute from administrative hearing to the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals, justifying the imposition of student discipline arising from social media posts in federal court and defending state licensing denials in hundreds of administrative hearings. Josh specializes in helping large, institutional clients navigate their legal demands successfully.

Prior to joining Mickes O’Toole, Josh was one of twelve chief attorneys nationally at the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights and supervised civil rights compliance in seven states, including Missouri and Kansas. Josh led the office’s investigative and legal staff in the investigation and resolution of thousands of civil rights complaints arising from issues such as race or sex harassment, student discipline, special education, Title IX athletics, among many others. Calling on this experience, Josh is retained by organizations to conduct independent investigations, often due to the complexity of the allegations and volume of information required.

Before his time in federal service, Josh led the legal department at the Kansas City Missouri Public Schools. At the district, Josh worked with the special education director to improve the delivery of special education services and ensuring compliance, resulting in far fewer parent disputes. Josh also defended the district in dozens of internal grievances, developed and implemented the district’s discrimination and harassment policy and investigations, and refined the district’s contracting protocol, all during a period of accreditation turmoil. Josh also managed and successfully defended litigation arising from the district’s sale of surplus school buildings.

Josh is also an adroit negotiator, assisting clients with difficult and complex contract discussions. As an example, Josh recently assisted in the negotiation and drafting of an agreement between a neighborhood association and professional baseball team. Other negotiations include labor and construction agreements. Josh’s roles include behind the scenes drafting and guidance to lead negotiator.

Outside of his law practice, Josh is an avid tennis player, participating on multiple teams and often traveling to tournaments. He lives in Kansas City with his wife, Michelle.

 

Areas of Practice:

 

    • Complex Litigation
    • Investigations
    • Licensing
    • Administrative Law
    • Civil Rights
    • Special Education
    • Employment Law

Contact & Connect

Education

  • University of Missouri at Columbia, B.A.
  • University of Missouri at Columbia, J.D.

Bar & Court Admissions

  • Missouri
  • Kansas
  • United States Court of Appeals, 8th Circuit
  • United States District Court, Eastern District of Missouri
  • United States District Court, Western District of Missouri

Professional Affiliations

  • Council of School Attorneys, National School Board Association, American Bar Association
  • Education Law Committee, Missouri Bar
  • Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis

Honors

Featured Resources

News & Articles

Josh Douglass Shares Insights Regarding OCR Opening the OPEN Center in DC

In an interview by Special Ed Connection, Mickes O’Toole attorney, Josh Douglass, shares his insights regarding ...

Don’t Miss the Opportunity! ED’s CRDC Proposed Changes Open For Comment – By: Josh Douglass

The proposed 2019-20 iteration of the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) is currently available for notice and ...

Education Law Attorneys Presenting at 2019 LJ Hart School Law Workshop

Education Law Group attorneys, Tom Mickes and Josh Douglass, will be presenting at the 2019 LJ Hart & Company ...

Josh Douglass Shares Expertise and Insights Regarding OCR and Steps for Schools to Prevent or Resolve Complaints

Mickes O’Toole attorney, Josh Douglass, shares his expertise and insights regarding the OCR and what proactive ...

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