Vanessa Agudelo

Vanessa practices education law with an emphasis on helping postsecondary institutions, K-12 schools and education-related companies navigate complex regulatory challenges. She advises on matters involving accreditation, student immigration, state authorization and federal student aid, as well as issues affecting developing technology companies that support the education sector. Vanessa also counsels clients on compliance with various federal civil rights laws, including Title IX, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

During law school, Vanessa served as the president of First Class, Harvard Law School’s student organization for first-generation college students. She was also a member of the Board of Student Advisers, where she served as a teaching assistant for the First-Year Legal Research and Writing Program and provided academic advising to first-year students. Throughout law school, Vanessa held internships with the US Department of Justice, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and the University of Texas System Office of General Counsel. She was also a devoted member of Harvard’s Education Law Clinic, where she helped students in grades K-12 obtain an appropriate education under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.

Before law school, Vanessa worked as a diversity and inclusion professional at Goldman Sachs in Dallas, Texas, where she focused on driving sustainable diversity and inclusion strategies for the Hispanic/Latinx community at the firm and beyond.