Peter F. Lake

Senior Higher Education Attorney
Peter F. Lake

Biography

Peter Lake is a nationally recognized professional and scholar on a variety of higher education topics, including Title IX.  He is a professor of law, Charles A. Dana chair, and director of the Center for Excellence in Higher Education Law and Policy at Stetson University College of Law. At Steptoe & Johnson, Professor Lake is a Senior Higher Education Attorney and member of the Steptoe & Johnson Higher Education Team.

Together with his teaching, Professor Lake practices law and writes in the areas of torts, higher education law and policy, insurance, and jurisprudence, and has won several awards for his teaching and scholarship. He is an internationally- recognized professional on higher education law and policy and has been quoted or referred to in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Chicago Sun Times, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Ed, Time, Newsweek, Cosmopolitan, various reported legal decisions including the supreme courts of California, Florida, Iowa, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Virginia, and the most recent Restatement of the Law of Torts.

Professor Lake has authored numerous law review articles and other publications, including five books. He is a highly sought-after speaker and futurist, particularly in the field of higher education law and policy. He has served as a presenter or keynote speaker at several hundred international, national, regional, and local meetings.

Licensed In

  • New York

Education

  • J.D. Harvard Law School
  • A.B. Harvard College

Memberships

  • The American Society for Political and Legal Philosophy
  • National Academic Advisory Board, Alpha Delta Pi Sorority
  • Review Board, Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention
  • American Bar Association
  • New York State Bar Association
  • Academic Master, Polk County American Inn of Court
  • Board of Editors, Harvard International Law Review
  • Student Education and Admission to Bar Subcommittee of Florida Bar
  • Editor of the Journal of College and University Law

Speaking Engagements

  • Invited Speaker, addressed administrators and staff on higher education legal updates and First Amendment issues, [virtual], University of North Carolina Wilmington, August 10, 2023
  • Curriculum Developer and Lead Instructor, NASPA Title IX Training Certificate Program [3-track virtual program for Title IX Coordinators, Title IX Decision Makers, and Title IX Investigators], August 8, 15 and 17, 2023
  • Featured Speaker, Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (WAICU) Compliance Summit, [virtual], July 19, 2023 and July 21, 2023
  • Lead Instructor, NASPA Certificate Program in Student Affairs Law and Policy, Clearwater Beach, FL, June 19 – 23, 2023 and June 26 – 30, 2023
  • Invited Speaker, addressed administrators, faculty and the college community as part of the Pathways to Disability Rights Speaker Series, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, May 2, 2023
  • Developer and Lead Instructor, NASPA Title IX Informal Resolution Training Certificate Program, [virtual with K. Goodwin], April 27, 2023
  • Speaker, “The Basics of Higher Education Law,” The Georgia Bar, Non-Profit Section [webinar], March 30, 2023
  • Featured Speaker, The Four Corners of Title IX Compliance Workshop for the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services, Fredericksburg, VA, March 14 – 16, 2023
  • Curriculum Developer and Lead Instructor, NASPA Title IX Training Certificate Program [3-track virtual program for Title IX Coordinators, Title IX Decision Makers, and Title IX Investigators], March 7, 9 and 10, 2023
  • Conference Chair and Speaker/Panelist, Stetson’s Annual National Conference on Law and Higher Education, Clearwater, FL, March 2 – 6, 2023
  • Developer and Lead Instructor, NASPA Title IX Informal Resolution Training Certificate Program, [virtual with K. Goodwin], November 16, 2022
  • Invited Speaker, “Title IX Update,” Florida Bar Education Law Committee Meeting [virtual], October 21, 2022
  • Speaker, “Title IX: Proposed New Regulations Will Offer More Flexibility…and Be Controversial,” ACPA [webinar], October 12, 2022
  • Curriculum Developer and Lead Instructor, NASPA Title IX Training Certificate Program [3-track virtual program for Title IX Coordinators, Title IX Decision Makers, and Title IX Investigators], September 21, 28 and 30, 2022
  • Invited Speaker, addressed administrators and staff on Title IX issues, Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI, August 1 – 2, 2022
  • Featured Speaker, Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (WAICU) Compliance Summit, [virtual], July 27 – 28, 2022
  • Speaker, “Title IX: What the Proposed New Regulations Mean for 2022 and Beyond,” Center for Excellence in Higher Education Law and Policy, Stetson University College of Law [webinar], July 21, 2022
  • Lead Instructor, NASPA Certificate Program in Student Affairs Law and Policy, Clearwater Beach, FL, June 20 – 24, 2022
  • Featured Speaker, “Community Conversation: Risk, Law & the Higher Education Landscape on the Cusp of a Pandemic,” URMIA [virtual], April 26, 2022
  • Featured Speaker, The Four Corners of Title IX Compliance Workshop for the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services, Fredericksburg, VA, March 14 – 16, 2022
  • Conference Chair and Speaker/Panelist, Stetson’s Annual National Conference on Law and Higher Education, Clearwater, FL, March 3 – 7, 2022
  • Breakout Session Speaker, Council of Independent Colleges President’s Institute, Marco Island, FL, January 6, 2022
  • Developer and Lead Instructor, NASPA Title IX Informal Resolution Training Certificate Program, [virtual with K. Goodwin], October 25, 2021
  • Speaker, :Title IX Updates and Future Outlook,” Steptoe & Johnson Higher Education Conference [virtual], October 21, 2021
  • Speaker, “Title IX: Fall 2021 Updates,” ACPA [webinar], October 14, 2021
  • Curriculum Developer and Lead Instructor, NASPA Title IX Training Certificate Program [3-track virtual program for Title IX Coordinators, Title IX Decision Makers, and Title IX Investigators], October 4, 5 and 7, 2021
  • Speaker, “Title IX Pivots… Implications of The Biden Administration’s 100 Day Review and Recent Interpretations and Clarifications of the 2020 Title IX Regulations Amendments,” Center for Excellence in Higher Education Law & Policy, Stetson University College of Law [webinar], September 30, 2021
  • Speaker, “Title IX Updates and Future Outlook,” Steptoe & Johnson Higher Education Conference [virtual], September 10, 2021
  • Featured Speaker, Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (WAICU) Compliance Summit, [virtual], July 27 – 29, 2021
  • Featured Speaker, The Four Corners of Title IX Compliance Workshop for the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services, Virginia Beach, VA, July 19-21, 2021
  • Moderator, Presidential Stewardship Forum on Values, Purpose & Community Transformation, EverFi Summit [virtual], July 13 & 15, 2021
  • Plenary Session Panelist, “The Campus Regulator Environment: Looking to the Future,” IACLEA Virtual Annual Conference & Exposition [virtual], June 25, 2021
  • Speaker, “Title IX: Updates and Special Issues,” Minnesota State Title IX Officer Retreat [virtual], June 23, 2021
  • Invited Speaker, National Governors Association, [discussed possible legal issues associated with vaccine mandates at higher education institutions], April 29, 2021

Publications

  • Title IX Commentary in Equity, Freedom, and Inclusion in Higher Education: Cases and Commentaries in Educational Ethics [edited by Meira Levinson and Jacob Fay] (Harvard Education Press, November 2021).
  • “How to Adjust Your Employment Policies for the Covid Era: Tips for Avoiding a Legal Quagmire,” Chronicle of Higher Education (August 25, 2021).
  • From Deflection to ‘Provention’ – The Law as an Ally in Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention [Chapter Segment] in Leading Campus Drug and Alcohol Abuse Prevention: Grounded Approaches for Student Impact [by David Anderson and John Hall] (NASPA, May 2021).
  • The Four Corners of Title IX Regulatory Compliance: A Primer for American Colleges and Universities, Hierophant Enterprises, Inc. 2017.
  • Executive Editor, Title IX: Training and Promising Practices and Title IX: Developing Policies and Exploring Priority Issues [2-Part Binder Series] (2016 PaperClip Communications, Inc.).
  • “Colleges Are Legally Pummeled from All Sides. It’s Time They Fought Back.” In Chron. of Higher Educ., The New Risk Management: A Multilayered Strategy for Today’s Legal Threats (January 2021).
    “Title IX Compliance Series,” A Five-Part Video Series and Instructional Course (2014 Magna Publications, Inc.).
  • “Title IX for Faculty: Your Role in Helping Students,” A Video and Instructional Course (2014 Magna Publications, Inc.).
  • “Title IX for Students: What You Need to Know,” A Video and Instructional Course (2014 Magna Publications, Inc.).
  • Higher Education and the Law: Cases and Materials, Foundation Press 2014 [with J. Areen].

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