We are pleased to introduce Paige Duggins-Clay, J.D., IDRA's Chief Legal Analyst. She will coordinate IDRA’s legal research and strategy, expert testimony, and amicus curiae advocacy to elevate the voices of students and coalition partners. Her work builds on IDRA’s almost 50-year legacy of support to families, educators and their attorneys seeking education justice through the courts. Ms. Duggins-Clay also leads our policy advocacy related to school discipline and policing in Texas.
Prior to joining IDRA, Ms. Duggins-Clay worked as an associate at Husch Blackwell LLP, where she handled litigation, investigations, training and compliance on behalf of education institutions, with a focus on equity and organizational response to misconduct. In 2019, she was named a “Top 20 Up and Coming Lawyer” by the Austin Black Business Journal.
Ms. Duggins-Clay also served as a law clerk for Texas Supreme Court Justice Jeff Boyd and intern for federal district court Judge Lee Yeakel. As a law fellow for the Texas Civil Rights Project, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid, she supported the organizations’ litigation and policy advocacy. As a legislative aide, she advised Texas Senators Judith Zaffirini and Wendy Davis on school finance and school-to-prison pipeline issues.
Ms. Duggins-Clay has a law degree from the University of Texas School of Law, where she was the inaugural G. Rollie White Public Service Scholar. She also earned a certification in human rights, conflict management, and community development from the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in South Africa. She has a bachelor’s degree in education and English and a minor in race and ethnic studies from Southwestern University.
