Christopher Tracey advises schools and public school districts in diverse areas of school law, with particular experience in special education, education reform, and budgetary and finance matters, including issues related to Connecticut’s statutory “Minimum Budget Requirement.”
Chris has become one of the firm’s go-to lawyers for school districts in the area of contracting. His work includes the development of business, enrollment, admissions, food service and transportation contracts. Chris assists districts who find themselves navigating the fast-paced and heavily regulated digital landscape, analyzing and drafting contracts with educational software and app developers that comply with federal law and Connecticut’s nuanced Student Data Privacy laws. He works diligently to ensure compliance with important contractual requirements, thereby minimizing risk of unwanted legal exposure for his clients. When necessary, Chris facilitates client access to the collective experience of a cross-disciplinary group of lawyers across the firm who advise on contractual issues.
Chris also maintains a thriving special education practice. Chris advises a variety of schools and school districts in all areas of legal compliance related to the education of students with disabilities, including representation in dispute resolution activities and due process proceedings.
Prior to practicing law, Chris worked as an educational policy researcher. As a researcher at Harvard University and several other prominent research organizations, he studied the impact of educational reform plans on students. Chris also taught at an alternative high school for at-risk Yup’ik youth in Southwestern Alaska.
- J. Braxton Craven Moot Court Competition, National Finalist
- J. Braxton Craven Moot Court Competition, Best Brief
- John J. and Mary Daly Curtin Fellow, 2006
- Fairfield County Bar Association
- National School Boards Association: Council of School Attorneys, Law Student Outreach Committee