Gina Lawrence
Interim General Counsel
About – Gina Lawrence
Gina currently serves as Interim General Counsel at Noble Schools. In this role, Gina supports more than 1,700 staff members and 12,500 middle and high school students across 18 campuses in Illinois’ second-largest school district. She oversees Noble’s legal strategy, providing critical advice to its most senior leaders on strategic planning as well as emergent issues. Gina advises on matters of corporate governance, labor and employment, and education matters, including leading the negotiation of the network’s charter agreement. She implemented the network’s first contract management system and overhauled its template agreements.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and African American Studies from Northwestern University and a Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School. She began her legal career at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP in New York City where she represented clients like Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, MyEyeDr., and Signet Jewelers. Returning to Chicago to be closer to her immediate family, she transitioned to Jenner & Block LLP in 2018.
She joined Noble Schools in 2020 and, very shortly thereafter, was tasked with supporting its leaders in the adoption of remote learning and COVID-19 testing/vaccination protocols. She has supported Noble on numerous other special projects in addition to leading the negotiation and execution of Noble’s most sensitive matters. Through her work, Gina is proud to support the advancement of young people in Chicago – particularly those who have historically been under-resourced and under-valued.
She is a proud immigrant, wife, and friend and enjoys discovering new recipes on Pinterest.
Why do you work at Noble?
As an immigrant and the child of a single mom, I understand firsthand the transformative power of education and the doors it can open, especially for those who face barriers due to where they were born, their socioeconomic status, culture, or other aspects of their identity. Education was the key that allowed me to design my future and achieve my dreams, and I am committed to ensuring that others—regardless of their background—have the same opportunities to succeed.
Who was your favorite teacher while growing up?
Ira Abrams, my high school English teacher. Mr. Abrams consistently held me to the highest bars in my work. I’ll never forget the project where I got a 99% instead of the 100% I so wanted – because of a single typo among numerous pages. Mr. Abrams taught me a lot about English but also that I should never lower my standards to the median. I continue to hold myself to the highest standards in part because of his influence.
Tracy Vaughn-Manley, my favorite professor at Northwestern. Professor Vaughn-Manley taught the best courses in AFAM. With her guidance, we explored literature on deeper levels than ever before. I learned the power of choosing your audience and consciously tailoring your work to and for the benefit of Black people.
Favorite thing about Noble or favorite Noble moment?
My favorite moment was my first kick-off at Noble. Because I joined during the COVID pandemic, I did not have the pleasure of meeting many of my colleagues in-person for a while. Sharing the same physical space with leaders from all of our campuses and NST – with so much positive energy as we approached a new school year – was just awesome.
What do you/your department do at Noble?
As the head of the legal team, I am responsible for the development and execution of the network’s overall legal strategy and the management of the network’s legal risk profile. On a day-to-day basis, I lead a team of diverse professionals who regularly advise Noble’s board of directors, management team, and staff on legal, regulatory, and compliance issues covering the full scope of Noble’s operational needs. My responsibilities include:
– Corporate governance and transaction-related, including board management, corporate entity formation/dissolution, divestitures, commercial transactions, financing deals, real estate, tax-exempt status, and charitable giving.
– Litigation-related, including subpoenas, pre-suit demands, fact and expert discovery, alternative dispute resolution, and dispositive motions on a wide range of consumer matters.
– Employment-related, including wage and hour, investigations, traditional labor, discrimination, pay equity, and terminations.
– Privacy and intellectual property-related (trademark and copyright), including organization-wide data privacy compliance (eg, BIPA, GINA, FERPA, COPPA, SOPPA, ISSRA, IDEA), cybersecurity/data breach support, portfolio management, and licensing.
– Education-related, including special education, Title IX, and discipline.
– Legal operations and infrastructure, including implementation of an org-wide contract management strategy, annual department strategy planning, budget, vendor review, systems development, and attorney professional development.
Start at Noble?
2020
Hometown:
I was born in Kingston, Jamaica. My mom and I moved to the States in 1995 and I’ve called Chicago my U.S. home since then.
Education:
Northwestern University (B.A. in Psychology & African American Studies)
Harvard Law School (J.D.)
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