Christine helps schools, colleges, and universities resolve legal challenges and find strategic, effective solutions so they can focus on what matters most: educating students. Her firsthand knowledge of federal civil rights enforcement gives her an uncommon perspective on the legal and regulatory landscape facing educational institutions. She practices from Chapel Hill, North Carolina as a member of our virtual office, The Link.
Raised in a low-income, rural community in southern West Virginia, Christine saw how education could break the cycle of poverty and change lives. That experience sparked her commitment to education and continues to shape her work today. Her decision to pursue litigation grew from a desire to extend her impact beyond policy work and help more students, teachers, and schools.
Christine brings a rare breadth of experience to her education law practice, having worked across the education and civil rights landscape. With an academic background spanning law, economics, and quantitative analysis, she began her career at the NAACP, advancing policies to strengthen economic opportunities for Black families. She went on to serve in the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, helping shape federal civil rights policies and guidance affecting educational institutions nationwide.
She subsequently pursued education equity through impact litigation and policy advocacy, leading litigation at the North Carolina Justice Center and both litigation and legislative efforts at the Southern Poverty Law Center, leading litigation and legislative efforts. She also served as an adjunct professor at Wake Forest University School of Law, teaching education law and policy.
Christine later joined the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division’s Educational Opportunities Section, investigating and resolving civil rights matters involving educational institutions nationwide. Her work included complex investigations, negotiated resolutions, litigation, and long-term compliance monitoring. Most recently, she practiced at a North Carolina law firm, representing public and private schools, and post-secondary institutions on a broad range of education law matters, including federal and state regulatory compliance, Title IX and Title VI, disability rights, student discipline, and institutional policies and procedures. She also advised institutions responding to federal civil rights investigations and complaints, conducted internal investigations, and handled education-related disputes and contested case proceedings.
Having worked on both sides of education-related legal matters, Christine understands how investigations and enforcement actions unfold, anticipates competing perspectives, and develops thoughtful strategies for navigating complex issues. Her experience representing a wide range of education stakeholders allows her to see the bigger picture while understanding the practical realities facing individual institutions.
Christine’s approach is grounded in understanding each client’s unique circumstances, priorities, and goals. She translates complex legal issues into straightforward guidance, helps clients assess and manage risk, and works efficiently toward practical results. She believes the best legal solutions aren’t necessarily those that involve the longest fight, but those that resolve problems effectively, minimize unnecessary expense and disruption, and allow clients to move forward. For Christine, the client’s goals are her goals.