Susan Traynor Chastain

Profile

Susan Traynor Chastain is vice chair and a partner in the Education Law Group. Her practice is devoted to school law, and she has represented school corporations throughout the state. She has extensive experience with special education hearings under state and federal law, collective bargaining, arbitration hearings, teacher and student discipline and dismissal matters, unfair labor practice and unit clarification and determination matters. She also has defended school corporations in Section 504, ADA and other civil rights matters. Mrs. Traynor Chastain is a former IEERB mediator and hearing examiner, and served on the IEERB’s Ad Hoc Panel of Mediators and Fact Finders.  Ms. Chastain was named the Best Lawyers' 2012 Indianapolis Education Law Lawyer of the Year.

Honors / Awards

Ms. Chastain has been named the Best Lawyers' 2012 Indianapolis Education Law Lawyer of the Year and has been included in The Best Lawyers in America® from 2007 through 2012.

Appearances / Publications

Mrs. Traynor Chastain is a frequent author and speaker, writing dozens of articles and conducting numerous presentations and in-house training programs for schools and education organizations across the state. Her topics include school employment law, student discipline, legal considerations under the IDEA, Section 504 and other state and federal laws, sexual harassment in schools, educational hiring, special education student issues and negotiating contracts. She has presented to numerous organizations, including the Professional Development Network, Indiana School Boards Association, Lorman Education Services, Indiana State University, the Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents, the Indiana Council of Administrators of Special Education and many specialized presentations to individual school corporations.

Appointments / Memberships

Member: Indianapolis and Indiana State Bar Associations; Network of Women in Business; Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity; National Association of Educational Negotiators; National School Boards Association Council of School Attorneys; Indiana Association of School Business Officials (Human Resources Committee); Indiana Conference of Administrators of Special Education; Indiana Education Employment Relations Board; Ad Hoc Panel of Mediators and Fact-Finders (1987-1991)