About Jessica Witte
Legal Assistant: Kristy Alonzo | 512-615-2350 | kalonzo@thompsonhorton.com
Jessica believes that high quality public education was transformational in her own life and is critical to our democracy. She has worked to support public education as a teacher, lobbyist, and school attorney and loves to be back in schools, problem solving with administrators, to proactively address issues and support the needs of students.
Jessica is a senior associate at Thompson & Horton in the Austin office. She focuses her practice on the representation of schools, colleges, and other public entities with particular expertise in Title IX, employment discrimination, and student issues, including special education issues. Prior to joining Thompson & Horton, Jessica served as a judicial law clerk for the Hon. Debra H. Lehrmann, Justice on the Supreme Court of Texas, and as a judicial law clerk for the Hon. J. Scott Hacker, Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas. Jessica was also previously an attorney with Kramer, Levin, Naftalis & Frankel LLP, where she practiced white collar criminal defense, employment defense, and complex commercial litigation in New York City. While in law school, she worked for the United States Department of Education Office for Civil Rights and participated in litigation before the United States Supreme Court through the University of Pennsylvania Law School Supreme Court Clinic. Before attending law school, Jessica taught elementary school special education in New York City. Prior to teaching, Jessica was a lobbyist to the Missouri State Legislature on public higher education access and affordability issues.
Jessica received her J.D. from University of Pennsylvania Law School where she served as Senior Editor of the University of Pennsylvania Law Review, was a Levy Scholar, received Legal Writing Honors, and received the Exceptional Pro Bono Service Award. Jessica also holds a master’s degree in Teaching from Pace University.
Education
- J.D., University of Pennsylvania Law School, 2013
- M.S., Pace University, 2010
- B.A., B.J., University of Missouri, 2008
Practice Areas
- Constitutional Law
- Employment Law
- General Counsel
- Government Relations & Public Policy
- Higher Education
- Litigation
- Special Education & Disability Law
- Student Issues
- Training & Compliance
Licensing & Court Admissions
- Licensed in the state of Texas
- Licensed in the state of New York
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
Memberships & Recognitions
- Austin Bar Association
- Austin Young Lawyers Association
- ABA/AYLA Leadership Academy, Class of 2019
- Texas Association of School Boards – Council of School Attorneys
- State Bar of Texas, School Law Section
- National LGBT Bar Association
- State Bar of Texas, LGBT Law Section
Selected Client Representations
- Successfully represented a district in a special education due process hearing before TEA, obtaining complete dismissal of all claims in a child find special education identification case
- Represented a community college in an employment discrimination federal lawsuit brought by a former employee through pre-trial proceedings and dispositive motions, ultimately obtaining a favorable settlement
- Represents a university in Title IX litigation alleging student-on-student sexual assault
- Prepared briefing to the Texas Supreme Court on an important tax fairness issue affecting school districts and community colleges
- Testified to the Texas House of Representatives Public Education Committee on legislation impacting special education
Representative Speeches & Presentations
- English Learners with Disabilities: Eligibility for Services and Related Issues, Region 1 ESC Special Education Institute
- Providing Special Education and Section 504 Services During and After COVID-19, co-presenter with Taylor Montgomery, Region 10 ESC Critical Legal Issues Conference
- Interactions between Title IX and the IDEA, co-presenter with Rebecca Bailey, Thompson & Horton Title IX Summer Series (webinar)
- Legal Panel: COVID-19 Compensatory Services, co-panelist with Paula Roalson and Jose Martin, TCASE Interactive Conference, Austin, TX
- Addressing Special Populations During and After COVID-19, co-presenter with Rebecca Bailey and Stephen Villareal, TASB Student Solutions (webinar)
- COVID-19 Hot Topics, co-presenter, Thompson & Horton LLP (webinar)
- New Title IX Regulations: What Every K-12 School Should Know, co-presenter with Chris Gilbert, Thompson & Horton Title IX Summer Series (webinar)
- Transition Planning and 18+ Services: Legal Obligations and Best Practices, co-presenter with Dana Johnson and Rachael Hull (Georgetown ISD), Texas Council of Administrators of Special Education Great Ideas Conference, Austin, TX
- Special Education Law Since Endrew F. and Fry: Tremendous Transformation or Tempest in a Teapot?, co-presenter with Chris Borreca, National School Boards Association Council of School Attorneys (webinar)
- English Learners with Disabilities: Eligibility for Services and Related Issues, Texas Council of Administrators of Special Education (webinar)
- Title IX and the Future of Protections for Students, panelist and moderator, National LGBT Bar Association Conference, Philadelphia, PA
- Hot Topics! Legal Information and Practical Advice on Trending Issues, co-presenter with Cara Schwartz (Pflugerville ISD), Texas Council of Administrators of Special Education Great Ideas Conference, Austin, TX
- Title IX in the #metoo Era, co-presenter with Holly McIntush & Beth Darby, TASA/TASB Convention, Austin, TX
- Title IX Investigations and Litigation, co-presenter with Jim Bryom; Back to School Legal Seminar, Region 4 ESC, Houston, TX
- Conducting Title IX and Other Investigations with an Eye Toward Litigation, Co-presenter with Brad Domangue; Legal Issues for Texas School Administrators, University of St. Thomas, Houston, TX
- Transgender Students in Public Schools, Stonewall Law Association of Greater Houston Quarterly CLE, Houston, TX
- Special Education Procedures on Addressing Challenging Behavior, Katy ISD Administrative Conference, Katy, TX
- Discipline of Students with Disabilities: The Key Rules and Regulations from Removals to MDRs, co-presenter with David Hodgins, Texas Council of Administrators of Special Education Interactive Conference, Austin, TX