Portrait of Inajo Davis Chappell

Inajo Davis Chappell

Of Counsel

ichappell@ubglaw.com
Cleveland – 216.583.7140

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Public Law/School Law and Special Education Law

  • Experience representing school districts in the provision of educational programming and services to disabled students, providing counsel on a variety of legal issues related to the education of individuals with disabilities, defending placement and programming decisions of school districts, counseling clients relative to disciplinary and other issues impacting disabled students, participating in mediation, administrative hearings, and judicial proceedings relative to compliance with the federal statutes governing the education of disabled children, including the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Improvement Act (IDEIA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title II of the ADA of 1990, as amended by the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA), and the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA).
  • Experience handling Ohio Sunshine Law compliance, including public records request disputes, bidding requirements and bid protest matters, and a variety of public and school law issues.

Nonprofit

  • Experience handling a variety of nonprofit matters, including: grantmaking and grant agreements; strategic collaboration, merger, and affiliation agreements; nonprofit director and trustee liability; tax aspects of charitable contributions; establishing and maintaining for-profit subsidiaries; nonprofit executive compensation issues; administration of endowment funds and other restricted gifts; private inurement and intermediate sanctions; self-dealing; charitable sales tax and property tax exemptions; conflict of interest policies; incorporating and obtaining exempt and “public charity” status for new charities; and limits on lobbying and  participation in political campaigns.
  • Experience providing training workshops to board members on governance issues and fiduciary obligations.
  • Handled and documented tax-exempt financing projects for real estate/facility expansion projects for exempt organizations.
  • Guided an entrepreneur and nonprofit as it grew from one school and two employees to nine schools and over 250 employees.

General Business

  • Handled a variety of transactions for business owners, including sale and purchase of ownership interests.
  • Prepared and negotiated a variety of business and employment agreements, including collective bargaining agreements.
  • Counseled clients regarding competitive bidding compliance, tax and collection workouts, and general business matters.
  • Prepared and negotiated license and lease agreements for use, sale, or other disposition of real estate, proprietary information, and personal property.

Real Estate& Commercial Lending

  • Experienced in documenting real estate construction loans for lending institutions and borrowers.
  • Represented owners and developers in securing acquisition and development loans and financing for both new construction and extensive rehabilitation/renovation projects, including residential, commercial, and recreational facilities.
  • Documented and closed numerous real estate transactions, construction loans, and credit lines for acquisition, development, and construction of commercial real estate facilities (a big chain drugstore and strip mall facilities with national retail and restaurant tenants) in Florida, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, as counsel to a national banking association.

Capital Markets/Municipal Securities

  • Served as bond counsel, company counsel, trustee counsel, and underwriter/placement agent counsel to governmental, corporate, and bank clients, documenting a variety of bond financing transactions, including Industrial Revenue Bonds (IRBs) and Tax-Exempt Private Activity Bond issues.
  • Drafted all bond documents, legislation, and legal opinions, and reviewed and revised, as necessary or required, Bank and Underwriter counsel documents on letter of credit-enhanced bond financing transactions, where the proceeds from these tax-exempt 501(c)(3) bonds were used to acquire, develop, and construct office buildings, warehouse, and other facilities.

Middle Market Equipment Leasing

  • Documented and closed tax-exempt municipal lease transactions for a local community college district, involving the acquisition and installation of telecommunications equipment.
  • Documented and closed a tax-exempt municipal lease transaction for the largest school district in the State of Ohio that funded the acquisition of heating, cooling, lighting, and other equipment and improvements.
  • Prepared and negotiated lease and equipment purchase agreements, legal opinions, and drafted or reviewed all ancillary documents required.

Employment & Labor

  • Prepared separation and severance agreements, employment agreements, mediation agreements, and EEOC/OCRC position statements.
  • Conducted and prepared numerous investigation reports.
  • Represented clients in mediations, arbitrations, and grievance hearings.
  • Appeared in numerous administrative hearings and defended clients against gender, race, disability, age discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and other employment claims.

Experience

Public Law/School Law and Special Education Law

  • Experience representing school districts in the provision of educational programming and services to disabled students, providing counsel on a variety of legal issues related to the education of individuals with disabilities, defending placement and programming decisions of school districts, counseling clients relative to disciplinary and other issues impacting disabled students, participating in mediation, administrative hearings, and judicial proceedings relative to compliance with the federal statutes governing the education of disabled children, including the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Improvement Act (IDEIA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title II of the ADA of 1990, as amended by the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA), and the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA).
  • Experience handling Ohio Sunshine Law compliance, including public records request disputes, bidding requirements and bid protest matters, and a variety of public and school law issues.

Nonprofit

  • Experience handling a variety of nonprofit matters, including: grantmaking and grant agreements; strategic collaboration, merger, and affiliation agreements; nonprofit director and trustee liability; tax aspects of charitable contributions; establishing and maintaining for-profit subsidiaries; nonprofit executive compensation issues; administration of endowment funds and other restricted gifts; private inurement and intermediate sanctions; self-dealing; charitable sales tax and property tax exemptions; conflict of interest policies; incorporating and obtaining exempt and “public charity” status for new charities; and limits on lobbying and  participation in political campaigns.
  • Experience providing training workshops to board members on governance issues and fiduciary obligations.
  • Handled and documented tax-exempt financing projects for real estate/facility expansion projects for exempt organizations.
  • Guided an entrepreneur and nonprofit as it grew from one school and two employees to nine schools and over 250 employees.

General Business

  • Handled a variety of transactions for business owners, including sale and purchase of ownership interests.
  • Prepared and negotiated a variety of business and employment agreements, including collective bargaining agreements.
  • Counseled clients regarding competitive bidding compliance, tax and collection workouts, and general business matters.
  • Prepared and negotiated license and lease agreements for use, sale, or other disposition of real estate, proprietary information, and personal property.

Real Estate& Commercial Lending

  • Experienced in documenting real estate construction loans for lending institutions and borrowers.
  • Represented owners and developers in securing acquisition and development loans and financing for both new construction and extensive rehabilitation/renovation projects, including residential, commercial, and recreational facilities.
  • Documented and closed numerous real estate transactions, construction loans, and credit lines for acquisition, development, and construction of commercial real estate facilities (a big chain drugstore and strip mall facilities with national retail and restaurant tenants) in Florida, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, as counsel to a national banking association.

Capital Markets/Municipal Securities

  • Served as bond counsel, company counsel, trustee counsel, and underwriter/placement agent counsel to governmental, corporate, and bank clients, documenting a variety of bond financing transactions, including Industrial Revenue Bonds (IRBs) and Tax-Exempt Private Activity Bond issues.
  • Drafted all bond documents, legislation, and legal opinions, and reviewed and revised, as necessary or required, Bank and Underwriter counsel documents on letter of credit-enhanced bond financing transactions, where the proceeds from these tax-exempt 501(c)(3) bonds were used to acquire, develop, and construct office buildings, warehouse, and other facilities.

Middle Market Equipment Leasing

  • Documented and closed tax-exempt municipal lease transactions for a local community college district, involving the acquisition and installation of telecommunications equipment.
  • Documented and closed a tax-exempt municipal lease transaction for the largest school district in the State of Ohio that funded the acquisition of heating, cooling, lighting, and other equipment and improvements.
  • Prepared and negotiated lease and equipment purchase agreements, legal opinions, and drafted or reviewed all ancillary documents required.

Employment & Labor

  • Prepared separation and severance agreements, employment agreements, mediation agreements, and EEOC/OCRC position statements.
  • Conducted and prepared numerous investigation reports.
  • Represented clients in mediations, arbitrations, and grievance hearings.
  • Appeared in numerous administrative hearings and defended clients against gender, race, disability, age discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and other employment claims.