Education Law Attorney
Litigation for educators, administrators, school board officials, and institutions — in state and federal courts throughout Florida.
Education-Related Litigation
Marc Burton’s connection to education predates his law career. He earned his M.Ed. and J.D. simultaneously at Boston College, concentrated in education law and juvenile justice during law school, and served as a law clerk at a Massachusetts public school district before entering private practice. He is a member of the Florida Bar Education Law Committee. The Burton Firm is not a general education law practice — Marc is selective about which matters he takes, typically high-stakes disputes that require a trial lawyer.
- Educator wrongful termination
- Teacher & administrator retaliation
- Employment discrimination in schools
- Charter school litigation
- Academic freedom & educator speech
- First Amendment in schools
- Student discipline & due process
- Expulsion & suspension hearings
- Defamation in academic settings
- School policy & governance challenges
- University & higher education disputes
Notable Education Cases
A selection of significant matters handled by The Burton Firm involving educational institutions and governance.
Disclaimer: The following is a selection of reported decisions for informational purposes only. Past results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter. The outcome of any particular case depends on the facts, law, and circumstances unique to that case.
Leon County Circuit Court
Leon County Circuit Court issuing writs of quo warranto against Governor DeSantis and his appointee, ordering the administration to legally justify its executive order removing a duly elected Broward County School Board member from a seat he had won. A constitutional challenge to executive overreach at the intersection of separation of powers and Amendment 4 rights. Covered by Florida Politics.
Miami-Dade County Circuit Court
Representing plaintiff Katherine Murphy, the founding principal of Aventura City of Excellence School, in a defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and conspiracy action against the city manager of Aventura and the charter school management company following her abrupt termination in 2006. The city manager had accused Murphy of accepting kickbacks to admit a student outside the school’s waitlist — allegations a jury flatly rejected — and Murphy alleged the city manager subjected her to years of harassment that left her unable to find work in education and caused catastrophic physical harm, including intestinal rupture and a six-week coma. After a month-long trial before a Miami-Dade jury, Murphy prevailed with a $155.7 million verdict — the 17th largest in the United States in 2012. The trial court subsequently granted judgment notwithstanding the verdict on sovereign immunity grounds.
Broward County Circuit Court
Representation of a university professor in a defamation case against the university.
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