Forty years of experience dedicated to the practice of education law makes Dannis Woliver Kelley uniquely qualified to provide expert advice in the full range of business, finance and facilities matters affecting school and community college districts and other public entities in California.
Business Matters
- Business contract drafting, negotiations, and review
- Counseling on purchasing and public bidding
- Consulting on food service, transportation maintenance, and risk management
- Assisting in the preparation of bid documents and resolution of bid protests
- Verifying that contractual terms and conditions meet applicable statutory requirements
- Obtaining the most favorable contractual terms possible
- Enforcing contracts, mandated costs, employment agreements, sales and service agreements, and energy contracts
- Prosecuting and defending contract actions
- Helping in the formation and operation of joint power agencies
Finance
- Imposing and collecting developer fees
- Advising on how to obtain local and state funding for school sites and capital projects
- Obtaining additional sources of funding for clients
- Advising clients on financing mechanisms available, including general obligation bonds, certificates of participation, financing leases, tax and revenue anticipation notes, Mello-Roos districts, maintenance assessment districts, and parcel taxes
- Providing legal opinions for privately placed lease financings
- Acting as bond counsel on tax-exempt findings
- Acting as liaison between school district and bond counsel or financial adviser
- Handling challenges to District financial management by the county grand jury, state auditor, or members of the public
Property Matters
- Advising on all matters that revolve around client’s decision to acquire land and build new facility
- Obtaining necessary state approvals for land acquisition and construction
- Assessing the applicability of federal, state, and local requirements
- Ensuring compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act
- Assisting in site acquisition
- Drafting and negotiating terms of purchase
- Utilizing eminent domain proceedings to obtain satisfactory settlement or successful judgment
- Dealing with the legal, practical and political issues raised by school closures and surplus property disposition
- Assisting clients in the removal of tenants
- Advising in joint ventures with private-sector developers or non-profit operations to obtain funding
- Negotiating joint use agreements, leases, licenses and other use agreements
