Heidi Ellicott

Heidi Ellicott represents and advises school districts, community college districts, and county offices of education on governance, labor and employment, and statutory compliance matters. She focuses on helping public agencies navigate complex and high-risk issues, particularly where statutory requirements, administrative practice, and policy considerations intersect.

Ms. Ellicott’s practice includes advising on employment discrimination and harassment investigations, student records and privacy laws, unfair labor practices, and internal complaints and appeals processes. She regularly advises clients regarding employee discipline, employee misconduct, disability accommodations and the interactive process, employee leave laws, workplace investigations, student discipline matters, athletics-related issues, and complex personnel matters. She regularly assists clients in addressing novel or complex legal questions, including those involving evolving technology, governance, and conflicts compliance issues, and is known for providing practical, forward-looking guidance that supports both compliance and effective decision-making.

Ms. Ellicott works closely with boards and executive leadership to provide strategic counsel on Brown Act compliance, conflicts of interest and ethics laws, Public Records Act issues, employment and civil rights matters, and student-related issues, including student discipline and due process. She also advises clients on matters involving high school athletics and extracurricular programs, emerging issues involving artificial intelligence and education technology, and intergovernmental matters such as election administration and cost allocation frameworks unique to public education agencies. She has conducted and advised on numerous workplace and administrative investigations involving employee misconduct, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, student matters, and issues arising within athletic and extracurricular programs.

Before entering private practice, Ms. Ellicott served as a federal law enforcement officer for seven years. That experience continues to inform her practical, thorough, and objective approach to investigations, fact-finding, witness interviews, and advising clients on sensitive personnel and compliance matters.

Ms. Ellicott regularly advises educational agencies regarding the development and implementation of policies and practices addressing artificial intelligence, emerging technologies, employee and student privacy, and technology-related governance issues. She is frequently called upon to provide practical guidance on novel legal questions affecting public educational agencies and their leadership teams.

In addition to her counseling practice, Ms. Ellicott is a frequent presenter for educational leaders throughout California on labor and employment law, reasonable accommodations, employee leave laws, workplace investigations, governance, artificial intelligence, and emerging issues in public education.

Ms. Ellicott's practice is further informed by prior experience as a federal law enforcement officer and as a litigator with Latham & Watkins, experiences that continue to shape her practical, investigative, and strategic approach to advising clients on complex and high-risk matters.

Practice Areas

Community & Professional

Ms. Ellicott has extensive experience in nonprofit and civic leadership, including prior service as President of the San Ramon Valley Council of PTAs, as a Parks Commissioner for the City of San Ramon, as Executive Director of the San Ramon Futbol Club, and as a member of the board of the Habitot Children’s Museum. She has also been actively involved in managing high school men’s and women’s soccer programs, providing practical experience and insight into the operational, compliance, and student-safety issues facing educational athletics programs. Her public service experience informs her collaborative and solutions-oriented approach to advising public agencies and elected bodies.