Katie Anderson
Partner
Katie Anderson provides legal solutions for public and private educational institutions and governmental entities, including housing authorities and cities, through counseling and litigation.
Katie supports housing authorities and municipalities in navigating a broad range of local, state, and federal fair housing and anti-discrimination laws, including the Fair Housing Act. She frequently defends clients nationally in fair housing litigation and complaints filed with HUD and state and local agencies across the country. Katie also provides training to these clients on practical considerations for complying with fair housing laws and regulations, including responding to requests for reasonable accommodations and disability and accessibility issues. Additionally, she provides guidance on laws and regulations for public housing, housing choice voucher programs, and desegregation and assists her clients in contract negotiation.
Katie also assists schools with employment matters such as employee leave, discrimination, grievances, investigations, discipline, and terminations. Her work with school districts and their governing bodies encompasses board fiduciary duties and governance as well as the myriad of laws that influence their activities, including the Texas Public Information Act, Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, Texas Open Meetings Act, federal and State Constitutions, and more. For private schools, Katie appreciates the challenges in providing an elite education and meeting the needs of key stakeholders to student success while complying with nonprofit rules and regulations. Because of her work for more than thirty years representing schools, Katie also assists other youth organizations and religious organizations in keeping children safe and performing safety audits for their programming.
In the ever-changing legal landscape concerning race and gender in government institutions, Katie develops and revises policies to ensure up-to-date compliance with all relevant laws. She assists clients in legally and thoughtfully attracting and retaining diverse talent and promoting an inclusive and equitable environment that complies with the law and follows best practices.
Katie is not only a skilled lawyer, but also a passionate advocate for her clients and tenaciously works to identify practical legal solutions that solve clients’ needs. She believes every client deserves the best possible legal service, and she strives to deliver it with dedication, creativity, integrity, and professionalism.
- Employment
- Litigation, Disputes, Appeals
Housing Authorities
- Advises on requests for reasonable acommodation policies and procedures, including responding to such requests and defending administrative actions and lawsuits in multiple jurisdictions.
- Assisting housing authorities with myriad issues regarding HCV Program and the federal regulations impacting them (f/k/a Section 8).
- Routinely represents clients in ensuring the identities of victims of domestic violence are protected when requested in Public Information Act requests, including by media, under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).
- Analyzes proposed legislation and updates housing authority clients and contacts on new legislation enacted. Consulting and advising clients regarding the acquisition and disposition of affordable housing, including compliance with HUD regulations, where applicable.
- Assisting clients with Low Income Housing Tax Credits offered by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs.
- Represented housing authority in litigation brought by an advocacy organization, resulting in a negotiated settlement to seek opportunities for tax credits that helped to create new units available for clients.
- Defended housing authority in contract disputes where the contract was never approved in an open session pursuant to the Texas Open Meetings Act.
- Represented public housing authority and obtained dismissal of a False Claims Act qui tam action where relators claimed the public housing authority defrauded the government of a billion dollars by falsely certifying it met its affirmatively further fair housing obligations, resulting in complete dismissal for the housing authority.
- Represented public housing authority in dispute regarding the calculation and enactment of payment standards, including calculations using Small Area Fair Market Rents.
- Counseled public housing authority on fair housing obligations and the impact of proposed changes to the administrative plan and occupancy standards.
- Hosts annual Housing Authorities of Texas Symposium (HATS) with industry leaders presenting on topics to keep housing authorities apprised of recent applicable legal developments.
Educational Institutions
- Conduct investigations of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation brought by employees.
- Guide Human Resource leaders in implementing leave policies and procedures for employees in unique and varied situations, including where there are pre-existing job performance concerns and disputed facts.
- Regularly advise Administrations and/or Boards on handling of grievances filed by employees, parents, and community members against teachers, administrators, board members, and district police officers.
- Advise School Boards on use of social media in light of First Amendment concerns.
- Represent ISDs in administrative grievances before Texas Education Agency.
- Provide guidance on family law orders impacting students and advised on legal requirements of residency, admissions, enrollment, attendance, and more.
- Draft local policies, procedures, and guidelines in every aspect of day-to-day operations.
- Provide advice to school on handling criminal allegations and investigations impacting students and staff, including making reports of suspected abuse or neglect.
- Prepared a Facility Use Agreement for an independent school district.
- Represented a client in the termination of an employee who failed to advise supervisor before leaving campus during scheduled shift.
- Conducted training on creating and maintaining documentation and complying with Texas Public Information Act, Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, and the record retention schedule promulgated by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
- Represent clients in the drafting, editing, and/or negotiation of contracts that meet requirements of procurement.
- Assisted post-secondary non-profit educational institution with certification from Texas Workforce Commission and later assisted in accreditation process.
Other Representative Matters
- Represented Girl Scout council in providing reasonable accommodations to girls and employees at summer camp.
- Conducted child safety audit for religious organization with numerous children’s ministries and made recommendations to enhance safety.
- Updated tutoring company’s employee handbook and agreement for services with parents.
- Provided training on Fair Housing Act to two local municipalities.
- Advised governmental risk pool for workers’ compensation insurance on remote work policy.
- Prepared employment agreement for CEO of youth organization.
Education
- Baylor Law School, J.D., 1994; Baylor Law Review
- The University of Texas at Austin, B.B.A., 1990; Member, Longhorn Band
Bar + Court Admissions
- Licensed in Texas
- U.S. Court of Federal Claims
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District, Texas
- U.S. District Court, Northern District, Texas
- U.S. District Court, Southern District, Texas
- U.S. District Court, Western District, Texas
- U.S. Supreme Court
- Best Lawyers in Dallas, Business/Commercial Litigation, D Magazine, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2022-2026
- The Best Lawyers in America® (BL Rankings), Commercial Litigation, 2024-2026
- Leading Litigators in America, Commercial Litigation, Lawdragon 500, 2024-2025
- Texas Super Lawyers, Super Lawyers by Thomson Reuters, 2019-2025
- JoAnna Moreland Outstanding Committee Chair Award, Dallas Bar Association Board of Directors, 2023
- Outstanding Director Award, Dallas Bar Association Board of Directors, 2023; Presidential Citation, 2022, 2024, 2025
- Vice-Chair, National School Attorneys Association, 2026; Founding Member, 2023-present
- Board of Directors, National School Board Association Council of School Attorneys, 2022-2023
- Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation
- Member, Dallas Women Lawyers Association, VP, Attorney Development, 2021
- Vice Chair, Board of Directors, Dallas Bar Association, 2026; Co-Chair, Allied Bars Equality Committee, 2022-2023; Member, Education Section, 2024-present; Committee Member, Law in the Schools and Community, through 2023; Chair, Education Symposium, 2016
- Member, St. Thomas Aquinas Lawyers’ Association
- Member, Texas Council of School Attorneys
- Former President, Texas Association of Community College Attorneys
- Member, Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas Alumnae Association, 2010-present
- Head Camp Leader, Cadette Girl Scout Troop, 2007-2015
- Former Board Member, Notre Dame School of Dallas
- Member, St. Thomas Aquinas; Co-Chair, Carnival, Fall 2008
- Speaker, If, When, Who, and How to Conduct An Investigation: Tales from the Trenches and Best Practices to Explore, with Lisa Ray, General Counsel, Garland ISD), National School Attorneys Association Fall Conference, 2025
- Speaker, Employment Law and Executive Orders: What Education Lawyers Need to Know, with Shelby Taylor, Dallas Bar Association Labor & Employment Section, 2025
- Speaker, DEI Did Not Die, but Employers Need to Take Heed in how to Lawfully Attract and Retain Diverse Talent, with Shelby Taylor, Dallas Bar Association Education Section, 2025
- Speaker, Legal Updates on Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion, with Shelby Taylor, NCTASPA, 2025
- Speaker, How to Attract and Retain a Diverse Workforce (Lawfully), with Shelby Taylor, Hot Summer Legal Topic Seminar, 2025
- Speaker, The Results Are In! How Using Tips from the DEI Toolkit Impact Firm Culture and Success!, Dallas Bar Association, October 16, 2024
- Speaker, What NOT to Say when Terminating an Employee, Texas Housing Association Conference, August 14, 2024
- Speaker, Status of Government MWBE Programs Post-Supreme Court Decisions in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College and Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. University of North Carolina, TexasBarCLE's 36th Annual Course on Advanced Government Law, July 25, 2024
- Speaker, Top Ten Things You Should Know about Employment Law, Texas NAHRO, March 27, 2024
- Speaker, Overcoming New Hurdles: Attracting and Retaining Diverse Talent, UNT Higher Education Conference, March 5, 2024
- Panelist, Emerging Issues in DE&I, North Texas Commission DEI Summit, February 21, 2024
- Panel Moderator, An Update on TOMA and TPIA with Newest Legislation and Pragmatic Tips, Texas Association of Community College Attorneys, January 25, 2024
- Panel Moderator, Girl Scouts Path to Law School, June 22, 2023
- Speaker, Book Bans and Censorship of LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC Identities, State Bar of Texas, LGBTQ Law Section, April 15, 2023
- Speaker, History and Future of Public Facilities Corporations, Housing Authorities of Texas Symposium, November 2, 2023
