Matthew R. "Matt" Plain - Lawyer in Providence, RI

Matt concentrates his practice in labor and employment,professional liability, general liability, contract drafting and disputes, and administrativelaw. He devotes a considerable portion of his practice to serving clients inthe nonprofit and education communities.

Serving as general counsel for several nonprofits, Mattprovides advice on incorporation, governance, employment, contracts andcontract disputes, liability, and regulatory compliance, as well asrepresentation before state administrative agencies and state/federal courts.

Matt also maintains a significant education law practice,advising school boards and administrators on a myriad of education law issues,including special education, employment, student/staff discipline, governmentrelations, contract law and constitutional law. In addition to representingnumerous schools in a variety of matters before state administrative agenciesand state/federal courts, Matt also serves as outside general counsel to theMassachusetts Charter Public Schools Association and the Rhode Island League ofCharter Schools. He serves on the National Litigation Council for the NationalAlliance of Public Charter Schools and regularly presents substantive seminarson legal issues affecting charter schools.

Prior to law school, Matt taught 7th and 8th Grade in theNorth Carolina public schools for four years and has an Advanced CompetenciesTeaching License for Social Studies Education (Grades 6?12).

RepresentativeAccomplishments

• Persuaded the Rhode Island Supreme Court to order a local school district to reimburse the firms client, a local independent public charter school, for tuition payments the district had wrongfully withheld under a mistaken interpretation of state law.
• Obtained a Superior Court Judgment in favor of a career and technical school regarding school funding.
• Successfully defended in administrative appeals two schools facing closure by the Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
• Successfully defended a local education agency in an administrative hearing regarding school choice.
• Successfully defended a local education agency in an administrative hearing regarding school funding.
• Successfully defended local education agencies in special education due process hearings.
• Successfully defended local education agencies and nonprofits before the Department of Labor and Training.
• Successfully defended schools and nonprofit organizations in administrative hearings before the Commission for Human Rights.
• He served as one of the primary drafters of the current Rhode Island Charter Public Schools Act.
• Contributed to revisions to the Rhode Island Regulations Governing the Education of Children with Disabilities, current technical education.
• Contributed to the RI regulations governing career and technical education.
• Obtained a $1.2 million settlement on behalf of a client who suffered catastrophic spinal cord injuries while being transported in a wheelchair van to a medical appointment.
• Obtained a $1,300,000 jury verdict for Plaintiffs in a wrongful death case against a municipality.

Publications

• «LunchWith Legends» article series published by the Rhode Island Bar Journal, highlighting senior members of the RhodeIsland bar
• «ResultsAbove Rights: The No Child Left Behind Act's Insidious Effect on Students withDisabilities,» 10 Roger WilliamsUniversity Law Review 249
• PersonnelPractices article series published by the RhodeIsland Small Business Journal highlighting legal issues facing Rhode Islandemployers
• TheEducation Reform Primer a blog exploring the history of public schooleducation in America
• Variousarticles in the Barton Gilman School Law Bulletin, including topics:Massachusetts leave laws for victims of domestic abuse, the Rhode Island schoolfunding formula, approval of single-gender extracurricular school events inRhode Island, social media privacy for Rhode Island employees, and theverification requirements of student identification.

Awards and Honors

• Best Lawyers in America in Education Law (2018-2019)
• Rhode Island Monthly Excellence in the Law (2019)
• Wall of Honor, East Greenwich High School(2018)
• RhodeIsland Super Lawyer (2018)
• RhodeIsland Super Lawyers Rising Star(2011?2015)
• MortarBoard Award for advocacy efforts on behalf of the school community by the SegueInstitute for Learning (2013)
• 40Under Forty by Providence BusinessNews (2011)

Seminars

Mattregularly presents substantive seminars on a variety of education, employmentand liability issues. A sampling recent seminars include:

• IntellectualProperty Considerations for Charter Schools: Tips, Traps, and Mishaps
• EmploymentLaw Update for Massachusetts Charter Schools
• LegalConsiderations for Business Owners
• TheHiring Process: Dos and Donts
• Managing(Insurable) Claims Asserted Against Your School or Network: Tips, Traps, and aRoadmap
• PersonnelPractices
• AssistingRI Charter Schools with Their Legal Issues
• Newfangledand Old-Fashioned Legal Issues Facing Non-Profit Employers
• TopTen Best Practices for Non-Profit Employers
• AddressingLegal Issues Employers Face When Confronted with Sick, Injured, or DisabledEmployees
• Negligencein Schools: Lawsuits and Liability
• Legal Ethical Obligations of Charter School Governing Bodies

Clerkships

Mattwas law clerk to the Honorable George E. Healy Jr., Chief Judge, Rhode IslandWorkers Compensation Court, 2005?2006.

Professional and Civic Affiliations

• Member, East Greenwich School Committee(elected 2016)
• Advisory Board, Roger Williams UniversitySchool of Education
• Graduate, 2013 Leadership Rhode Island IotaII class
• Community Advisory Board, United Way ofRhode Island (2012-2018)
• Editorial Board, Rhode Island Bar Journal
• Board of Directors, Avenger Football AlumniAssociation (2003? Present)
• Advisory Board, Roger Williams UniversityPro Bono Collaborative (2008-2014)
• Board of Directors, Fund for UrbanCollaborative Accelerated Program (UCAP) (2011?2014)
• Delegate, Rhode Island Bar Association Houseof Delegates (2011?2012)
• Mentor, Year Up Providence (2010?2011)
• Board of Directors and Executive Board(2006?2013), The Manton Avenue Project
• Board of Directors, Blackstone AcademyCharter School (2007)
• Board of Directors, St. Thomas More Society(2005?2006)
• Member, Rhode Island Bar AssociationMember, Massachusetts Bar Association