Lauren Starnes is a Consultant at TNG, specializing in Title IX, Section 504, ADA, and civil rights compliance for both higher education institutions and K-12 schools and districts, including those with dual enrollment programs, nursing, and allied health programs. 

Starnes leads trainings for a wide range of audiences and regularly develops and delivers customized sessions on Title IX compliance, mandatory reporting, Section 504 and ADA compliance, accessibility, interviewing minors, K-12 risk management, athletic compliance, and civil rights investigations. She provides state-specific training on protections for pregnant and parenting students, supports higher education and K-12 clients through consulting and policy development, advises higher education and K-12 clients on compliance, and serves as an expert witness. 

Before joining TNG, Starnes was the Director of Institutional Equity at South Texas College, where she served as the Title IX Coordinator and Section 504 and ADA Coordinator. In that role, she served on the Clery Committee, participated in Behavioral Intervention Team meetings, and was a member of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s Negotiated Rulemaking Committee. 

Earlier in her career, Starnes practiced law as a commercial litigation associate at Husch Blackwell LLP, where she litigated cases involving breach of contract, trade secret disputes, and class action defense. She also had a significant pro bono practice, representing clients in adoptions, post-conviction relief, and victims of human trafficking.  

Prior to her legal career, Starnes taught middle school English and coached swimming and cross-country at a private K-12 school. She also gained experience interning with the Juvenile Division of the Orleans Public Defender’s Office and as a law clerk for both the Louisiana Center for Children’s Rights and Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, where she worked with students under guardianship and supported schools in meeting their IEP and Section 504 obligations. 

Starnes is passionate about solving problems and supporting institutions and schools in meeting legal requirements while building systems that serve both students and employees effectively. 

She holds a J.D. from Tulane University Law School, where she served as an associate justice on the moot court board, competed on and coached multiple moot court teams, and worked as a student-attorney in the domestic violence clinic. She earned a B.A. in English from Washington and Lee University, where she was a four-year member of the collegiate swim team.  

Starnes is admitted to the Tennessee State Bar and the U.S. District Courts in Tennessee and previously served on the board of the Southeast Tennessee Legal Association for Women and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Penalty Matrix Committee. 

She lives in Kansas City, Kansas, with her husband, two daughters, and their Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.