Overview

Trevin E. Sims serves clients throughout Southern California from both our Los Angeles and San Diego offices. He is a Partner and co-chair of the Investigations Practice Group.

He serves as general and special counsel to public education agencies in a wide variety of areas including:

• School and Public Safety
• Governance and Inter-governmental Relations
• Brown Act, Public Records Act and Conflict of Interest Law
• Executive Contracts
• Real Property Sale, Lease and Exchange
• Surplus Property Disposition
• Municipal Finance
• Construction
• Charter Schools

Mr. Sims has particular experience and expertise in school safety-related issues, including safety planning, violence prevention, threat assessment, and crises management. Over his career, his practice has also touched on virtually every other area of public education law, including special education, student discipline, classified and certificated employee discipline, and school district reorganization. Mr. Sims is a frequent author of Lozano Smith Client News Briefs, and his articles are frequently published by state-wide organizations. His article Concealed Weapons on Campus Requires Careful Consideration was published by ACSA.

Presenter Experience

Mr. Sims has been a speaker for the California School Boards Association, the Coalition for Adequate School Housing, the California Latino School Boards Association, and the Association of California School Administrators Superintendent's Academy, and the Association of California Construction Managers.

He is a regular speaker at the firm's annual Facilities and Business Workshops. He also conducts governance training sessions for school boards throughout the state.

Professional Affiliations

Mr. Sims is a member of the National School Boards Association Council of School Attorneys and the California Council of School Attorneys.

He was admitted to the California Bar in 1993 and is also admitted to practice before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and United States District Court for the Southern, Central, Eastern, and Northern Districts of California.

Education

Mr. Sims earned his law degree from the University of California, Los Angeles. In addition, he holds an MBA from Duke University, with international study at the Rotterdam School of Management, and a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Oral Roberts University. Mr. Sims has received certification through ATIXA as a participant in Level 1 and Level 3 ATIXA Civil Rights Investigator Trainings.

District Court Rules College Policy Prohibiting "Inappropriate or Offensive" Student Postings May Violate Students' Free Speech Rights

By: Trevin Sims, Jaspreet Lochab-Dogra- 03/16/2023

New Amendments to Title 5 Regulations Impact How Community Colleges Must Process Unlawful Discrimination Complaints, Including Student Complaints of Sexual Misconduct

By: Trevin Sims, Erin Frazor- 11/04/2020

California Adopts Extensive New Requirements on Postsecondary Institutions to Address Sexual Harassment of Students

By: Trevin Sims, Sarah Fama- 11/04/2020

Governor Signs A Suite Of Bills Aimed At Supporting Students In Higher Education

By: Trevin Sims- 12/30/2019

Episode 63 Getting to Know and Understand the FAIR Act

By: Trevin Sims, Angelique Cramer- 06/12/2023

Description: The Fair, Accurate, Inclusive and Respectful ("FAIR") Act became law in 2012 and was enacted with the goal of California schools including a more historically accurate depiction of the contributions of LGBT Americans in the curriculum and to reduce the negative stereotypes and bullying that plague a majority of LGBT youth. However, in light of national and local controversies regarding discussion of LGBT issues at public schools, some may be confused or unsure about how to be compliant with the FAIR Act and comprehensive sexual health education opt-out requests, and/or avoid parent complaints. In this episode, Lozano Smith's San Diego Managing Partner Trevin Sims and Senior Counsel Angelique Cramer will cover the basics of what the law requires and address the interplay between laws that pertain to LGBT issues at schools, as well as how to handle parent concerns regarding the curriculum.

School Safety and New Guidance on Addressing School Violence

By: Trevin Sims, Joshua Whiteside- 09/12/2018

Preventing school violence and ensuring school safety have become dominant topics and part of an ongoing national conversation. But what can a school district do, practically, to address these issues? This podcast will examine two recently released resource documents from the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the United States Secret Service which provide guidance on preventing school violence as well as pending California legislation to improve school climate and safety.