Nancy E. Potter, Esq.

Nancy Potter, founder of Potter Law, has spent more than a decade providing practical education law solutions to students and institutions across the country, empowering them with the tools they need. Nancy’s practice encompasses all major areas of education advocacy in and out of the courtroom, with a focus on giving voice to the most vulnerable students. 

Through her trauma-informed approach, Nancy provides legal representation to students and families from early intervention through post-secondary education, and serves as an appointed advisor, independent hearing officer, and external investigator for K-12 and post-secondary school.

Considering the ever-changing nature of civil rights laws, Nancy prides herself in evolving with the law, and imparting up-to-date information to stakeholders. She provides training, advocacy materials, and technical assistance on education law to K-12 and post-secondary schools, parent and student groups, lawyers, activists, government officials, and service providers. She is also a frequent guest lecturer at area universities and law schools.

Before founding Potter Law, Nancy founded and led the Pittsburgh office of McAndrews Law Offices in Pennsylvania, handling complex education civil rights disputes in federal and state courts. Nancy was previously a supervising attorney at the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights where she led a team working to promote educational excellence through vigorous enforcement of civil rights in our nation’s schools. Nancy also worked as a staff attorney at the Education Law Center where she performed critical work on policy reform for student rights at the federal, state and local level. Additionally, she was a staff attorney at KidsVoice, a nonprofit legal agency that represents and advocates for abused, neglected, and at-risk youth.

Nancy’s experience as a secondary student in rural Oklahoma inspired her desire to earn her B.S. at Oklahoma State University, her J.D. at University of Pittsburgh School of Law, and a judicial clerkship with the Honorable Oliver J. Lobaugh, as a means to achieve her dream—to ensure educational access, safety, and stability is afforded to all students, and that institutions have the tools they need to make this a reality.