As a new school year gets underway, some educators may unfortunately have the need to reach out for legal guidance. Below is a quick guide to how eligible members can contact the ATPE Member Legal Services Department (MLS), including what information they should be ready to provide.

Request legal assistance via phone

Eligible ATPE members can contact MLS by calling (800) 777-2873 and pressing option 1.

If you are calling about an ongoing matter, a legal assistant will route you to the appropriate attorney or the attorney’s voicemail. If you are contacting MLS about a new matter, the legal assistant will need a few minutes to complete the intake process before routing your call to an attorney. During this intake process, the legal assistant will verify your eligibility for member legal assistance and collect basic facts about your inquiry.

MLS phones are answered from 8 a.m. to noon and 1:15 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Request legal assistance online

Members who cannot call ATPE during the day or who prefer to submit their questions online can use the Member Legal Services Intake System (MLSIS).

When submitting a question, please provide key details, relevant dates, and the names of the people who are involved. You may also upload documents that are important to the matter. Providing complete information at the outset can help MLS better understand the issue and may avoid delays caused by having to request additional information.

We generally respond to MLSIS submissions within one to two business days, though response times may vary. When possible, members with urgent issues or short deadlines should contact MLS by phone.

Other methods of requesting legal assistance

Members occasionally contact other ATPE departments or staff members with workplace or legal concerns. Those communications can be forwarded to MLS, but doing so adds an additional step before the legal intake process can begin.

For the most direct route, contact ATPE MLS by phone or through MLSIS.

Understanding ATPE’s intake process

Educators are busy and often have limited time during the workday, so we try to make the intake process as quick and straightforward as possible. That’s why we appreciate your patience as we verify your current employment and contact information and gather the basic facts needed to evaluate a member’s concern, including relevant dates, the people or entities involved, and the action or conduct at issue. This information helps ATPE determine the best way to assist you. For instance, if another ATPE member is involved in your eligible job-related concern, you may be referred to an outside attorney from our approved network to avoid a potential conflict.

Be assured of confidentiality when contacting ATPE Member Legal Services

Information provided to MLS is treated as confidential. Once an attorney-client relationship is established, communications between a member and an MLS attorney generally are protected by the attorney-client privilege, subject to limited exceptions.

Except in very limited circumstances, MLS attorneys will not contact a member’s district, administration, or colleagues about the member’s matter without the member’s authorization.

When to contact ATPE Member Legal Services

Members may contact MLS when they have questions or concerns about an employment matter, certification issue, or other matter within the scope of MLS assistance.

Timing can be particularly important when a matter involves a deadline, a pending disciplinary action, or another action by a school district or other employer. Because some deadlines can be short, members should consider contacting MLS promptly when they become aware of an issue that may have legal or employment consequences.

Depending on the circumstances, an MLS attorney may be able to help a member understand the applicable law or policies, evaluate available options, and make informed decisions about how to proceed. In other situations, the appropriate course may be to address the issue through informal communication or another process.

MLS attorneys strive to provide members with accurate and candid legal advice. That means we will explain both the potential strengths and limitations of a member’s position so the member can make informed decisions about how to proceed.

Eligibility for ATPE’s member legal benefits

Eligibility for MLS assistance generally depends on when the underlying matter arose and whether the member was eligible for MLS assistance at that time.

Generally, MLS cannot assist with matters that began before the member became eligible for assistance or that arose during a lapse in eligibility. Eligibility can depend on the specific circumstances, so members with questions about whether a particular matter is covered should contact MLS for clarification.