What Dannis Woliver Kelley does

Dannis Woliver Kelley (DWK) is a California-based professional corporation law firm founded in 1976 that specializes exclusively in California education law. The firm provides full-service legal representation and counsel to public K-12 school districts, community college districts, county offices of education, charter schools, and independent schools and nonprofit education entities across the state. Its practice spans twelve specialized groups covering Board Ethics/Transparency/Accountability, Business and Property, Charter Schools, Community Colleges/Higher Education, Construction, Independent Schools and Nonprofits, Investigations, Labor/Employment/Personnel, Litigation, Public Finance, and Students/Special Education. DWK operates from seven California offices (San Francisco, Long Beach, San Diego, Chico, Sacramento, Berkeley/East Bay, and Fresno) and is recognized as one of the largest women-owned law firms in the United States.

The firm's core offering is traditional professional services legal counsel delivered through direct attorney-client relationships, supplemented by productized knowledge products sold through the DWK Marketplace (annual Legislation and Case Law Highlights, the 2025 Bond Implementation Toolkit) and the Ed Lab Law Series training events held statewide. Revenue is generated primarily through attorney fees on education law matters (governance, labor negotiations, special education, construction, bond financing, litigation) with a secondary, smaller revenue stream from publications priced at $50-$100 per copy. Marketing is conducted through the firm's website, client alert newsletters, LinkedIn and Facebook presence, and in-person training events across multiple California cities.

The firm is led by co-founder and President Gregory J. Dannis, Managing Shareholders Candace Bandoian and Mark Kelley, and a bench of shareholders and special counsel with insider experience including former California School Boards Association General Counsel Keith Bray and attorneys who serve on local school boards. There are no indications of private equity, venture capital, or external parent ownership; DWK operates as an independent women-owned professional corporation.

Name

Dannis Woliver Kelley

Legal name

Dannis Woliver Kelley, APC

Website

https://dwkesq.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Dannis Woliver Kelley is a California-based law firm founded in 1976 that provides full-service education law representation exclusively to public K-12 districts, community colleges, county offices of education, and charter schools through seven statewide offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Berkeley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Legal Services Fees: Attorney fees for legal representation of school districts, community college districts, county offices of education, and other educational entities on California education law matters.
2. Publications and Toolkits: Sale of educational publications including the 2025 Bond Implementation Toolkit ($50 for 1 copy, $75 for 2 copies, $100 for 4 copies) and annual Legislation and Case Law Highlights publications.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Dannis Woliver Kelley (DWK) is a California-based education law firm providing legal representation and counsel to public school districts, community college districts, county offices of education, charter schools, and independent schools across eleven practice areas including Board Ethics, Business and Property, Charter Schools, Construction, Labor Employment and Personnel, Litigation, Public Finance, and Students and Special Education. The firm also sells legal publications and toolkits through its DWK Marketplace and hosts training events statewide.

Product overview

Dannis Woliver Kelley (DWK) is a California education law firm established in 1976, offering comprehensive legal services through multiple practice areas including Board Ethics, Transparency and Accountability (BETA), Business and Property, Charter Schools, Community Colleges/Higher Education, Construction, Independent Schools/Nonprofit/Public Entities, Investigations, Labor Employment and Personnel (LEAP), Litigation, Public Finance, and Students and Special Education. The firm serves school districts, community college districts, and county offices of education statewide. DWK also operates the DWK Marketplace offering curated publications including the Bond Implementation Toolkit and annual Legislation and Case Law Highlights publications, as well as hosting the Ed Lab Law Series training events across California.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Board Ethics, Transparency and Accountability Legal Services Legal counsel on governance, Brown Act compliance, public meeting requirements, conflicts of interest, and public records requests for California education entities.
• Business and Property Legal Services Legal services for school site acquisition, developer fees, environmental laws, public procurement, and real estate matters for school districts and community colleges.
• Charter Schools Legal Services Legal representation on charter school petitions, appeals, and compliance with AB 1505 requirements.
• Community Colleges / Higher Education Legal Services Legal counsel for community college districts and higher education institutions on education law matters.
• Construction Legal Services Legal guidance on public works construction, contractor agreements, best value procurement, and construction disputes for education entities.
• Labor, Employment and Personnel (LEAP) Legal Services Representation on labor relations, negotiations, employee discipline, certificated and classified staff matters, and EERA compliance for school districts.
• Litigation Legal Services Civil litigation, administrative hearings, special education due process, and defense of school district interests.
• Public Finance Legal Services Bond counsel, disclosure counsel, and underwriter's counsel for school district financing transactions including general obligation bonds.
• Students and Special Education Legal Services Legal services on student rights, discipline, Title IX, Section 504, IDEA, and special education matters for education entities.
• Independent Schools, Nonprofit Corporations and Public Entities Legal Services Legal counsel for independent schools, nonprofits, and public entities on education law matters.
• Investigations Legal Services Conducting investigations on behalf of education agencies for complaints and compliance matters.
• 2025 Bond Implementation Toolkit – School District Edition A reference guide for school districts navigating bond-funded construction programs, containing best practices and essential legal statutes, available for purchase through the DWK Marketplace.
• DWK's Legislation and Case Law Highlights for K-12 Education (Annual Publication) Annual publication summarizing key legislation and case law developments affecting K-12 school districts in California.

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Hanson Bridgett: California-based full-service firm with a notable public agency and education practice. Comparable in California-only footprint and public-sector client overlap, though broader in scope.

Direct peers

• Liebert Cassidy Whitmore: California firm representing public agencies, with deep education sector practice covering labor, employment, and governance. Comparable California-only public-sector client base with overlapping practice areas.
• Fagen Friedman & Fulfrost: California education law firm serving public school districts and community colleges with a similar full-service education law model. Direct peer in practice areas and client type.
• Orbach Huff Suarez & Henderson: California education law firm serving school districts and community colleges with comparable specialty focus. Directly competes for the same K-12 and community college district clients.
• Kronick Moskovitz Tiedemann & Girard: California firm with a notable education practice group from which DWK has recruited senior talent (e.g., Christian Keiner). Comparable in client base and practice scope.
• Best Best & Krieger: California-based public law firm with a substantial education practice serving K-12 and community college districts statewide. Comparable statewide footprint and public-sector client mix.
• Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo: One of California's largest education law practices, serving K-12 districts, community colleges, and county offices across the state with a comparable full-service practice model. Closest direct competitor to DWK in scale and specialty.
• Lozano Smith: California-based law firm focused on public agency and education law, serving school districts, community colleges, and public entities statewide. Directly comparable in clientele, geography, and practice area coverage.

Broad incumbents

• Nossaman: National law firm with a public agency practice that includes education sector clients in California. Overlaps with DWK in public finance and infrastructure work for school districts.

Others

• California School Boards Association (Education Legal Alliance): Industry association providing legal services and resources to California school boards and districts. While a different organizational structure, it overlaps significantly with DWK's service offerings and client base; DWK shareholders have also served in its senior legal roles.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/dwkesq
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dannis-woliver-kelley
• Xx.com/DWKesq

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Dannis Woliver Kelley