Robbins, Schwartz, Nicholas, Lifton & Taylor

What Robbins, Schwartz, Nicholas, Lifton & Taylor does

Robbins, Schwartz, Nicholas, Lifton & Taylor (trading as Robbins Schwartz) is an Illinois-based limited liability law firm founded in 1970. It provides legal services to public and private organizations across six primary practice areas: Education Law (K-12 school districts and higher education institutions), Student Rights & Special Education, Municipal Law (municipalities, park districts, and public libraries), Labor and Employment Law, and Construction and Real Estate Law, with additional focus areas in ADR/Mediation, HOA, Energy, and Health Care law. The firm has a network of more than 40 attorneys and operates from four Illinois offices — Chicago (headquarters), Lisle, Champaign, and Rockford — serving clients throughout Illinois.

The firm’s core offering is hourly and matter-based legal counsel, augmented by a portfolio of purchasable compliance toolkits, including Title IX Refresher Packages and Toolkits for K-12 and higher education, and Preparation for Immigration Enforcement Toolkits introduced in 2025. Robbins Schwartz generated additional visibility through thought-leadership channels — blog legal updates, a monthly newsletter (The Scoop), downloadable training materials, and active participation in Illinois education and municipal-law industry associations such as IASBO, IAASE, IASA, LUDA, and the Illinois Council of School Attorneys, in which a firm partner currently serves as Chair.

Revenue is generated through professional-services fees and ancillary toolkit sales; pricing is not publicly disclosed and is determined per engagement. The firm employs a sales-led go-to-market strategy built on direct attorney-client relationships, referrals, and industry reputation, with no software, SaaS, or API products. Ownership is private and partner-held; no institutional investors, parent company, or M&A activity has been disclosed, and no AI/ML capabilities have been documented.

Name

Robbins, Schwartz, Nicholas, Lifton & Taylor

Legal name

Robbins, Schwartz, Nicholas, Lifton & Taylor

Website

https://robbins-schwartz.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Robbins Schwartz is an Illinois-based law firm founded in 1970 with 40+ attorneys across four offices, providing education, municipal, labor and employment, and construction and real estate legal services to 250+ schools, municipalities, and public entities throughout Illinois.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (54111), Offices of Lawyers (541110)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Employment & Labor Law (BPAHAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Property Management Advisory & Leasing Administration (FSAEAJAN)

Keywords

• Education law services
• Municipal legal counsel
• Labor and employment law
• Construction and real estate law
• Special education law

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Legal Services: Law firm generates revenue through legal counsel and representation fees, likely billed hourly, fixed fees for specific services, or retainer arrangements for ongoing client relationships. Services span education law, municipal law, labor and employment, construction, real estate, and related practice areas.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Robbins Schwartz is an Illinois-based law firm that strategically represents public and private organizations across education law (K-12 and higher education), student rights and special education, municipal law (municipalities, park districts, libraries), labor and employment, and construction and real estate law. The firm delivers legal counsel, representation, preventive counseling, and litigation services, complemented by purchasable compliance toolkits and training packages on topics such as Title IX and immigration enforcement.

Product overview

Robbins Schwartz is an Illinois-based law firm providing legal services through a multi-practice-group model rather than a unified software product. The firm's core offering consists of six principal practice areas — Education Law (serving K-12 school districts and higher education institutions), Student Rights & Special Education, Municipal Law (covering park districts, libraries, and municipalities), Labor & Employment Law, and Construction & Real Estate Law — supported by additional focus areas in ADR/Mediation, HOA, Energy, and Health Care law. On top of its core legal counsel services, the firm sells supplementary resource products including Title IX Refresher Packages for K-12 districts and higher education institutions, and 2025 Title IX Toolkits for both K-12 and higher education, as well as Immigration Enforcement Toolkits for K-12 and higher education. The portfolio is delivered entirely as professional legal services; there is no software platform, SaaS product, or API.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Education Law – K-12 School Districts Legal representation and counsel for K-12 school districts covering student discipline, Title IX compliance, board governance, FOIA, Open Meetings Act, special education, public finance, commercial contracts, real estate, construction, data privacy, elections, and school board liability defense.
• Education Law – Higher Education Institutions Legal counsel for colleges and universities covering student rights, Title IX, labor and employment, real estate, commercial contracts, data privacy, finance, elections, litigation, board governance, FOIA, Open Meetings Act, and investigations.
• Student Rights & Special Education Representation in matters involving student rights and special education, including special education services, student discipline, residency, compliance with federal and state student laws, and Title IX.
• Municipal Law – Park Districts Comprehensive legal counsel to park districts covering governance, labor and personnel, public finance, construction, real estate, Open Meetings Act/FOIA, contracts, commercial transactions, and litigation.
• Municipal Law – Libraries Representation of public libraries throughout Illinois, handling library law cases involving First Amendment rights, confidentiality, funding, relationships, staffing, labor and employment, public contracting, transparency, and construction.
• Municipal Law – Municipalities Legal counsel and representation to municipalities, townships, and local governments on compliance with Open Meetings Act, Freedom of Information Act, and emerging municipal issues.
• Labor & Employment Law Labor and employment counsel to public and private employers including preventive counseling, employee leave, discipline, discrimination investigations, Title IX, litigation, labor relations, collective bargaining, and grievance arbitration.
• Construction & Real Estate Law Legal services for both public and private sector clients covering the full spectrum of construction-related issues including procurement, bidding, contracts, defects, delays, real estate transactions, land use, zoning, condemnation, and eminent domain.
• Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) / Mediation Attorneys navigate the complexities of ADR and mediation processes, developing tailored strategies aligned with clients' business goals.
• HOA (Homeowners Association) Legal Services Legal assistance for homeowners associations in a variety of HOA-related legal matters.
• Energy Law Practical counsel to clients regarding energy law matters.
• Health Care Law Practical, experienced counsel to members of the health care industry.
• Title IX Refresher Package – K-12 School Districts A 2026 Title IX refresher training package developed exclusively for K-12 school districts, providing updated training to stay current with Title IX regulations and remain in compliance heading into the new school year.
• Title IX Refresher Package – Higher Education Institutions A 2026 Title IX refresher training package developed exclusively for higher education institutions, providing updated training to stay current with Title IX regulations and remain in compliance.
• 2025 Title IX Toolkit for Higher Educational Institutions A 2025 toolkit to assist higher education institutions in implementing the 2020 Title IX regulations. Available for purchase.
• 2025 Title IX Toolkit for K-12 Educational Institutions A 2025 toolkit to assist K-12 schools in implementing the 2020 Title IX regulations. Available for purchase.
• Preparation for Immigration Enforcement Toolkit for K-12 School Districts Guidance documents and templates to assist K-12 administrators in navigating interactions with immigration officials, in accordance with the executive order 'Protecting the American People Against Invasion.' Available for purchase.
• Preparation for Immigration Enforcement Toolkit for Illinois Higher Education Institutions Guidance documents and templates to assist Illinois higher education administrators in navigating interactions with immigration officials. Available for purchase.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 250 educational entities represented including community colleges, public school districts, special education cooperatives, and vocational cooperatives

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Association House of ChicagominorOthersRobbins Schwartz supports Association House of Chicago through attendance at their Faces of Hope Gala. Association House advances health, education, and economic opportunity for community members.
• Illinois Association of School Business Officials (IASBO)coreOthersActive partnership with IASBO for annual conference presentations, professional development seminars, and bookkeepers conferences covering school business and finance topics.
• Illinois Council of School AttorneyscoreOthersRobbins Schwartz attorney Caroline A. Roselli serves as Chair of the Illinois Council of School Attorneys. Firm actively participates in annual seminars and educational programming.
• Learning Under Deferred Adversity (LUDA)coreOthersPartnership with LUDA for fall and January virtual conferences addressing legislative changes impacting school districts and union-related workplace issues.
• ED-RED & Lake ROE Mini-SummitcoreOthersPartnership for annual mini-summit bringing together education professionals. Robbins Schwartz attorney Joseph J. Perkoski presents alongside other professionals on best practices.
• Illinois Alliance of Administrators of Special Education (IAASE)coreOthersPartnership with IAASE for fall conferences addressing special education policy and practice updates affecting Illinois schools.
• Illinois Association of School Administrators (IASA)coreOthersCollaboration with IASA for seminars on First Amendment audits, testing boundaries, and professional development for school administrators.
• Naperville Education FoundationminorOthersRobbins Schwartz supports the Naperville Education Foundation through attendance at their annual breakfast benefit event.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Tueth Keeney Cooper Mohan & Jackstadt: Illinois-based firm representing K-12 school districts, higher education institutions, and public entities with deep education law, labor, and special education expertise. Highly comparable client roster and service mix.
• Kriha Boucek: Illinois law firm serving public school districts, community colleges, and municipalities with education, labor, and construction law practices. Comparable mid-sized regional competitor in the same Illinois public-sector legal market.
• Franczek Radelet: Franczek Radelet is an Illinois law firm specializing in education, public sector, and labor law with a similar client base of K-12 districts, higher education institutions, and municipalities. Directly comparable client segments and practice structure.
• Miller Hall White: Illinois-based law firm focused on school law, representing K-12 school districts, special education cooperatives, and municipal entities. Similar mid-sized regional profile serving overlapping Illinois education clients.
• Ancel Glink: Chicago-based law firm serving local governments, school districts, and public entities with municipal law, labor, land use, and litigation services. Comparable regional competitor in the Illinois public sector legal market.
• Hodges Loizzi Eisenhammer Rodick & Kohn: Illinois-based law firm focused on education law, labor and employment, and municipal law for school districts and local governments. Overlapping client verticals and practice area focus make it a direct competitor for Illinois K-12 and municipal work.
• Burke Burns & Pinelli: Illinois firm representing municipalities, school districts, park districts, and other local governmental entities in municipal law, litigation, labor, and real estate matters. Direct overlap in the Illinois government-client practice.

Broad incumbents

• Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath: National law firm with a higher education and K-12 education law practice serving school districts, colleges, and universities across multiple states. Provides competition for the firm's larger education matters and broader institutional clients.
• Hinshaw & Culbertson: Large national law firm with a substantial Illinois-based education, municipal, and labor & employment practice serving schools and public entities. Comparable practice areas but broader geographic reach and deeper bench.

Regional players

• Copeland Stair Valeriano & Associates: Ohio-based firm serving K-12 districts, higher education institutions, and public entities with overlapping education, labor, and municipal law services. Comparable practice but serves a different state, illustrating potential out-of-state expansion archetypes.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php?id=61554851800096

Compliance1 record

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 Robbins, Schwartz, Nicholas, Lifton & Taylor