Photo of Carrick D. Craig

Carrick D. Craig

Senior Counsel

Office

T:
+1.269.388.6805
O:
+1.269.381.7030
F:
+1.269.382.0244
LinkedIn
Share

Industries

Education

Wayne State University Law School, J.D.

University of Toledo, M.A.

Adrian College, B.A.

Bar Admissions

Court Admissions

U.S. Supreme Court

U.S. Court of Appeals

  • 6th Circuit

U.S. District Court

  • Western District of Michigan
  • Eastern District of Michigan

Carrick Craig is an employment and labor attorney with extensive experience in all aspects of higher education law.

Carrick previously worked as General Counsel at Western Michigan University, where he spent more than two decades providing legal advice and assistance to administrators and staff on issues including governance, management, Board of Trustees matters, university research, academic programs, contracts, intellectual property, internal investigations and student affairs. He was responsible for major personnel decisions involving senior university administrators and faculty, and was the management representative in the unionization efforts of graduate assistants and part-time instructors. He has extensive experience in the administration of collective bargaining agreements.

While at Western Michigan, Carrick directed a campus-wide effort to comply with Department of Education Title IX guidelines, culminating in Board adoption of a new Title IX policy. In addition, he served as the University's Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy and Contact Officer and was in charge of developing and enforcing policies related to the confidentiality of protected health information.

Carrick also has extensive litigation experience in employment and higher education law and has tried many cases to verdict before both juries and judges.

Representative Matters

• Directed 18-month campus-wide effort to comply with Department of Education Title IX guidelines, including engagement of consultant culminating in Board adoption of new Title IX policy
• Legal counsel on major personnel decisions involving senior university administrators as well as faculty
• University legal counsel on creation of new NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Conference – National Collegiate Hockey Conference
• Legal negotiator for implementation of new SunGardSCT student information system involving a $24M investment
• Legal counsel on acquisition of major university assets including fleet of 30 new aircraft for WMU's College of Aviation ($15M acquisition)
• University representative as the University Director on the Michigan University Self Insurance Corporation (MUSIC) and on the MUSIC Legal Committee
• Management representative in the unionization efforts of graduate assistants and part-time instructors; extensive experience in administration of collective bargaining agreements 
• Directed campus-wide effort to implement HIPAA including policy adoption, training, compliance and enforcement
• Conducted various internal investigations
• Oversaw renegotiation and migration of 30 cable television contracts from University management to a sole source vendor

Professional Activities

American Bar Association, Labor and Employment Section

State Bar of Michigan, Character and Fitness Committee, District F; Negligence Section & Labor and Employment Section

Kalamazoo County Bar Association

National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA); Annual Meeting Committee, 2008-2009, 2011- 2012; Continuing Legal Education Committee, 2005-2008; Publication Committee, 2001-2002

URIMA – University Risk Management and Insurance Association

College and University Professional Association (CUPA) for HR

Civic, Cultural & Social Activities

Wayne State University Alumni Association

The University of Toledo Alumni Association

Adrian College Alumni Association

Teaching

Western Michigan University, former adjunct faculty member in the Lee Honors College/Haworth College of Business

Henry Ford Community College, former adjunct faculty member

University of Toledo, former instructor/teaching assistant

Speeches

Speaker: "Polarized Workplaces: Employer Rights in Politically Charged Times," Miller Canfield 2024 HR Spring Training, with co-speaker Lawrence Garcia
Speaker: "Managing Without Fear: Best Practices in Evaluating and Managing Faculty Members," National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA) Annual Conference, Philadelphia, PA, June 2013 with co-speaker Ellen M. Babbitt (Franczek Radelet)
Speaker/Moderator: "Fisher v. University of Texas: Revisiting The Role of Race and Race Neutral Alternatives in Admissions," National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA) Annual Conference, Chicago, Illinois, June 2012, with Elizabeth Meers (Hogan Lovells) and Professor Maurice Dyson (Thomas Jefferson School of Law)
Presenter: "Michigan University Self-Insurance Corporation Experience," MARSH Annual Higher Education Symposium, November 2010, St. Petersburg, Florida
Speaker: "Strategically and Effectively Defending Employment Cases," National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA) Annual Conference, June 2009, Toronto, Canada
Speaker: "The Virginia Tech Tragedy, FERPA, HIPAA and State Law – What can we learn?" Midwest Association of College Health Administrators (MACHA) Annual Meeting, October 2008, Kalamazoo, Michigan
Speaker: "The Virginia Tech Tragedy, FERPA, HIPAA and State Law – What can we learn?" Michigan Association of College and University Auditors (MACUA) Annual Meeting, May 2008, Kalamazoo, Michigan
Speaker: "The Virginia Tech Tragedy, FERPA, HIPAA and State Law – What can we learn?" Michigan Universities Self Insurance Corporation (MUSIC) Campus Violence Symposium, March 2008, Ypsilanti, Michigan
Moderator: "Dismissed: Termination of the High Profile and/or Hostile Employee," National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA), 2008 Workshop, Seattle, Washington, March 2008; with
presenters Michael Sullivan (Paul, Plevin, Sullivan & Connauaghton) and Robert Zech (Miller Nash)
Speaker: "Legal Issues Associated with Catastrophic Injuries," Mid American Conference (MAC) Sports Medicine Association, Spring Meeting, Bowling Green, Ohio, May 2007
Speaker: "The Effect of Same-Sex Marriage Bans on Domestic Partner Benefits," National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA) 2007 Workshop, Savannah, Georgia, March 2007
Speaker: "Undocumented Students," The College Board Midwest Regional Forum, Chicago, Illinois, February 2006
Moderator: "Electronic Discovery and Records Retention Policies," National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA) The Wired University – Legal Issues at the Copyright, Computer Law
and Internet Intersection, Arlington Virginia, November 2005; with presenters Robb Jones (United Educators Insurance) and O. Peter Sherwood (Manatt Phelps)
Speaker: "The Legal Landscape," MUSIC Risk Manager/General Counsel Meeting, Auburn Hills, Michigan, October 2005
Speaker: "Legal Aspects of Student Suicide," MARSH Loss Control Symposium, Ypsilanti, Michigan, October 2005
Speaker: "Lessons from Losses – An ADR[oit] Success Story," Michigan Universities Self Insurance Corporation (MUSIC) Annual Board Meeting, Bellaire, Michigan, June 2004
Moderator: "Experts in Employment Discrimination Cases" National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA) Annual Conference, Minneapolis, Minnesota, June 2003; with presenters Greta
W. Schnetzler (Gordon & Rees) and Hon. Karen L. Robinson (Orange County Superior Court)

Publications

“Fraud and Misrepresentation: Alternative Legal Theories for Terminated Employees,” Labor and Employment Law Notes, Vol. 11, No. 2, Summer 2001

Articles