Elizabeth Abdnour

Biographical Info

Liz Abdnour is an experienced and client-centered attorney and advocate who has committed her career to working towards justice and equality for students. Liz's legal expertise includes a vast array of education-focused cases, with claims asserted against schools and institutions in the areas of Title IX, educator rights and employment, special education, k12 school discipline, college code of conduct, disability rights, and childhood sexual assault.

For the first eight years of her career, Liz worked as a legal services attorney, representing low-income individuals in Ohio in a variety of civil legal matters. Liz spent two years as the supervising attorney of a domestic violence and protection order clinic jointly operated by a legal aid organization and a law school. Liz then transitioned to working as an institutional equity coordinator and senior investigator at Michigan State University, handling investigations and providing training to the campus community on civil rights and Title IX matters.

In 2018, Liz launched an education-focused law firm in Lansing, Michigan to fight for justice on behalf of student and educator clients. During this time, Liz assisted hundreds of clients seek justice for violations of their rights by their school, their university or their employer. In 2023, Liz joined forces with AW to expand the impact of her experience and advocacy, now leading the firm’s Title IX and Education Litigation teams in Ohio and Michigan, and in federal courts nationwide.

Liz also provides investigative, consulting, and training services and is an experienced trainer, writer, and public speaker. The combination of Liz's legal experience and her years as an internal university investigator and administrator at Michigan State University during the height of the Larry Nassar investigation give her unparalleled expertise regarding educational institutions' obligations with respect to civil rights and Title IX response.

Liz is experienced and especially well-versed in institutional equity and Title IX best practices, investigation processes, party advising, and appeals procedures. Liz can easily identify flaws in institutional systems and policies and can assist with navigating the ever-changing waters of Title IX for students, educators and institutions.