Ms. Shea joined the firm in 2013 and became a partner in 2022. She focuses primarily on the firm’s education law practice, counseling school clients around day-to-day issues that arise relating to student discipline, compliance with special education regulations, and conducting investigations into allegations of harassment, hazing, and bullying. She works closely with school clients to ensure legal and regulatory compliance.

Ms. Shea also advises clients around laws governing the maintenance and confidentiality of records, including responding to requests for student education records under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and requests for public records under Vermont’s Public Records Act.

Ms. Shea regularly defends public entities following administrative complaints made to agencies including the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Vermont Human Rights Commission, the Vermont Attorney General’s Office, and the Vermont Agency of Education. She provides thoughtful and effective representation in investigations conducted by federal and state agencies, as well as in adversarial matters including special education due process hearings and litigation.