Jennifer Becnel-Guzzo draws on 20 years of litigation and in-house experience to provide strategic legal advice to clients, including institutions of higher education and other entities. Jennifer’s former role as associate vice president and deputy general counsel at a major research university gives her a deep understanding of the expansive issues that in-house legal teams face, including matters involving students, employees, vendors, sponsors and donors. Jennifer advises colleges and universities on how federal, state and local laws and regulations apply to their operations and helps them fashion compliance solutions. She also helps clients minimize their legal risks by preparing and delivering educational sessions on topics including university charters, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), the First Amendment, Title VI, Title VII, Title IX and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Jennifer represents colleges and universities in active litigation, including cases ranging from class actions lawsuits to individual claims of discrimination enforced by federal and state agencies, including Title IX matters involving the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR).
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Prior to her in-house role, Jennifer was a litigator in private practice with a focus on representing Delaware entities in commercial disputes, as well as colleges and universities. She has handled matters including a wrongful death action brought by the parents of a deceased student, a negligence case brought by a student injured in a dormitory and a disability discrimination claim brought by a professor denied tenure. She also defended a variety of other employers in discrimination claims brought before the Delaware Department of Labor and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and in wage-and-hour cases under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
In addition, Jennifer has experience:
- Negotiating contracts, including employment agreements with Division 1 athletic coaches, Division 1 athletic apparel contracts, settlement agreements, licensing agreements and real estate leases.
- Drafting and revising institutional policies, including responses to claims of sexual misconduct and guidelines on the protection of minors.
- Responding to FOIA requests from reporters and the public and complaints filed with offices of attorneys general.
- Responding to legislation introduced by state lawmakers in partnership with government relations teams.