YOLANDA GALLEGOS, Esq.

yolanda-gallegos

Yolanda Gallegos helps her clients understand complex regulatory schemes to make sound business decisions and prosper. She brings a sophisticated understanding of the intersection of law, business, and risk management to her work.

Practical insight for postsecondary educational institutions; legal guidance on regulatory compliance; litigation related to state and federal funding; representation in government reviews and audits; management of and response to student complaints; and much more.

Yolanda Gallegos, one of the nation’s most experienced education law attorneys,  takes pride in delivering hands-on personal attention to every client and every case.  When you retain the services of the firm, you can be confident that every detail of your case will be handled with the greatest care and attention.  The following include some of her professional accomplishments and credentials over the last three decades:

  • Counsels colleges and universities on Title IV of the Higher Education Act including regulatory compliance, obtaining and maintaining Title IV eligibility, program reviews and audits, litigation and much more
  • Advocates for the interests of institutional clients in regulatory rulemakings
  • Successfully represents postsecondary institutions before the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights to defend against student allegations of civil rights violations
  • Assists postsecondary institutions with effectively responding to and containing student complaints
  • Assesses risk in the modification and implementation of policies and procedures
  • Provides informative and engaging presentations on subjects such as:
    • Complying with the Gainful Employment Regulations
    • The Violence Against Women Act regulations
    • Negotiating Vendor Contracts
    • Creating a culture of compliance
    • What to expect with the US Department of Education’s new Whitehouse Scorecard
    • Effect of new laws and regulations on institutional operations
    • Sexual harassment
    • Student discipline

BIOGRAPHY

  • Recipient, District of Columbia Bar Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year Award, 1989
  • Hearing Officer, District of Columbia Board of Professional Responsibility, 1994–1997
  • Mediator, U.S. District Court, District of Columbia, 1995–1997
  • Member, District of Columbia Task Force on Civility in the Profession, 1993–1996
  • Languages: Spanish, English

EDUCATION

  • Law school: University of New Mexico, J.D. (1986)
  • Georgetown University Law Center, LL.M. (1989) (Fellowship)

ADMITTED

  • New Mexico Bar, 1986
  • District of Columbia, 1992
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit, 1987
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit, 1990
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, 8th Circuit, 1991
  • U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, 1993
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan, 1996
  • U.S. Court of Federal Claims, 2001
  • U.S. District Court, District of New Mexico, 2002
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit, 2003
  • Illinois Bar 2021
  • Navajo Nation Bar 2022

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

Hispanic Bar Association of the District of Columbia

  •      Director, 1989 – 1997
  •      President, 1997
  •      Vice-President, 1992 – 1995

New Mexico Hispanic Bar Association

  •      Director, 2007 – 2009

The District of Columbia Bar

  •      Member, Pro Se Litigation Panel, 1993 – 1996
  •      Publications Committee, 1997
  •      Nominations Committee, 1994

American Bar Association

  • Member, 1997 – present

REPORTED CASES

San Juan City College v. United States, 391 F.3d 1357 (Fed. Cir. 2004) (establishing for the first time the right of a for-profit institution to obtain consequential damages where US Department of Education breaches Program Participation Agreement

PUBLICATIONS

Gallegos, Y.R. (2015). The U.S. Department of Education Gainful Employment Regulations.  Durham, NC: AudioSolutionZ.

Gallegos, Y.R. (2015).  Inside the Minds: Emerging Issues in College and University Campus Security (Chapter on Violence Against Women Act Regulations).  Eagan, MN: Thomson Reuters/Aspatore.

RECENT & FORTHCOMING PUBLIC SPEAKING EVENTS

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