Jaime A. Fernand

As the daughter of a New York educator, Jaime Fernand grew up with a healthy appreciation for teachers.

“Being a schoolteacher has got to be one of the hardest jobs in the world,” she says. Over the years, she watched as her mother compiled lesson plans, collaborated with other teachers, and interacted with diverse families and cultures—including students who were at risk.

She earned a B.S. in Finance and International Business from the State University of New York at Binghamton, then received a J.D. from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law of Yeshiva University, where she became friends with Cliff Schneider.

Ms. Fernand then served as the Chief Education Counsel for EdisonLearning, a leading global education service provider and manager of public schools.

For the next seven years, Ms. Fernand would be a crucial part of the expansion of EdisonLearning from a regional to global educational services provider. She specialized in supporting charter schools and charter networks, providing expertise in a wide range of areas including student discipline, governance, student and teacher privacy issues, reporting and compliance requirements, school policies, crisis management, and testing integrity. She also helped craft educational legislation in several states.

Ms. Fernand is passionate about educational reform. She lectures nationally on education law issues and is a contributing author of the Charter School Law Deskbook (Lexis Nexis).

“Most schools aren’t set up to make money. But there’s a powerful connection between academics and operations. And a large part of operations is legal compliance and troubleshooting,” she says.

At Cohen Schneider LLP, Ms. Fernand’s practice focuses on the representation of charter schools, districts, and school management organizations across the country, including schools throughout New York City, upstate New York and Long Island.

She serves as a volunteer trustee of the Brownsville Ascend Charter School in Brooklyn, New York. She also mentors high school students as part of Student Sponsor Partners, which involves making a 4-year commitment to an at-risk teenager.

Ms. Fernand lives in New York City with her husband and daughter.