Robyn-Ashley Taylor

General Counsel

About – Robyn-Ashley Taylor

Robyn-Ashley Taylor is currently the General Counsel for Noble Schools. She is responsible for analyzing the array of federal, state, and local laws that inform the delivery of quality services to Noble’s 12,500 students, the employment of its 1,700 staff members, and the operations of its 17 schools, subsidiaries, and corporate affiliates. Robyn and her team provide practical legal advice spanning the gamut of Noble’s operational needs, including corporate governance, commercial transactions and agreements, litigation and disputes, employment, privacy, education, and intellectual property. Further, as Noble’s first General Counsel, Robyn has spearheaded the creation and growth of Noble’s Legal department, including the development of the organization’s overall legal strategy as well as its legal operations and infrastructure.

Before joining Noble, Robyn was a member of Jones Day’s Labor & Employment and Complex Commercial Litigation practices. In that capacity, she represented clients across a variety of industries on a broad range of complex litigation and counseling matters, with a special focus on employment disputes (single/multi-plaintiff, class and collective actions, discrimination, wage and hour, labor relations, internal and external investigations) and general employment counseling. She also litigated intellectual property, tort, contract, and antitrust disputes, up to and including trial.

Robyn began her career as a management consultant at Bain & Company; she holds a law degree from Harvard Law School and a bachelor’s degree, cum laude, from Duke University. In her spare time, Robyn enjoys spending time with her husband and children, learning to play tennis, and art history.

Why do you work at Noble?

I work at Noble because I believe deeply in the power of a quality education to change the trajectory of a person’s life.

Who was your favorite teacher while growing up?

Educators truly have the capacity to change lives, which makes it hard for me to choose just one favorite teacher. I attended Bishop Dunne Catholic School in Dallas, Texas, and felt like I had so many champions to whom I will forever be indebted. I will, however, always appreciate Gail Macalik, my English II and Theology III teacher. She reminded a hyper-ambitious 17-year-old girl with big dreams to keep up the hard work, but always to remember “to stop and smell the roses.” I’ve never forgotten that advice, though I admit I’m still not very good at following it!

Favorite thing about Noble or favorite Noble moment?

I’m a big fan of new beginnings, so the First Day of School is hands down one of my favorite days at Noble. My team and I make it a priority to step away from our desks, visit one of our campuses, and truly feel the magic and positive energy of our students arriving for the new year.

What do you/your department do at Noble?

As General Counsel, 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?

2019

Hometown:

Dallas, Texas

Education:

Duke University (A.B. in Political Science)
Harvard Law School (J.D.)

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