Attorneys Brian B. Garrett and Linda S. Johnson will be speaking at this year's National Business Officers Association's (NBOA) Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia and the National Association of Independent Schools' (NAIS) Annual Conference in St. Louis, Missouri.

Linda will be speaking at the National Business Officers Association'sAnnual Meeting on Wednesday, February 28 from 10:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Her session, "Managing Custody Issues: Setting Expectations At the Outset," will discuss when parents divorce or separate the questions that can sometimes arise in the school setting about parental rights, including questions about a parent's rights regarding student contact, access to records or decision-making for the student.

Brian will be speaking on a panel at the National Association of Independent Schools' Annual Conference on Thursday, February 29 from 1:45 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. For his session, "Hot Legal Topics for Independent Schools," the panel will provide the latest legal insights and practical advice on the hottest independent school topics, including the U.S. Supreme Court's decisions on the use of race in admissions, campus safety and security, and student and employee mental health.

Brian is the Chair of McLane Middleton's Education Law Practice Group and focuses his practice on understanding and serving the needs of PreK-12 independent day and boarding schools. Brian consults with many of the country's leading independent schools to provide comprehensive advice on all aspects of school operations, including student and parent issues, employment matters, school governance and leadership, and general risk management. He partners with board chairs, heads of schools, financial officers, and other senior leadership members provide practical solutions to complex matters affecting their communities. He can be reached at the firm's Portsmouth office at (603) 334-6934 or brian.garrett@mclane.com.

Linda is the Vice Chair of the Education Law Group of McLane Middleton, P.A. For the past 30 years, Linda has been advising independent schools throughout the United States and internationally on all aspects of risk prevention and crisis response with a focus on promoting healthy relationships through the management and oversight of a healthy school culture. She assists schools in drafting policies and procedures to deal with all aspects of school operations but is especially known for her work regarding educational awareness on setting and maintaining appropriate boundaries with students. Linda often serves as a consultant to schools experiencing critical incidents relating to misconduct which has harmed students or employees, including coordination and oversight of third-party investigations. She advises administrators and boards on how to respond to complaints of misconduct responsibly, considering transparency, accountability, compassion and equity. Overall, Linda helps to guide schools to "do the right thing, the right way." She can be reached at the firm's Manchester office at (603) 628-1267 or linda.johnson@mclane.com.