Joshua E. Douglass

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

Featured Resources