Phil Catanzano is a senior counsel in Holland & Knight's Boston office. He is a member of the Education Team, and focuses his practice on advising higher education clients on a wide range of issues, including harassment or sexual violence on campus, intercollegiate athletics, and the laws impacting students with disabilities. Mr. Catanzano also advises clients with regard to government investigations, legal compliance, campus safety and security, and other matters involving campus life. He is a frequent speaker on issues involving higher education law and can provide customized training to meet the needs of our clients.

Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Mr. Catanzano was an attorney with the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) for eight years. In that role, he investigated cases in a broad range of matters, including:
Intercollegiate Athletics

Mr. Catanzano led investigations of the intercollegiate athletic programs of several New England institutions at the Division I, Division II, and Division III level. This usually included programmatic reviews of each component of the athletic programs involved, including the facilities the program used. Once the investigations were completed, Mr. Catanzano continued collaborating with the institutions, in some instances facilitating the growth of the athletic program through discussions with league and conference representatives, and in other instances advising with regard to institutional reporting responsibilities. Outside of his role at OCR, Mr. Catanzano has also provided guidance with regard to the NCAA rules and its enforcement process. Since his arrival at Holland & Knight, Mr. Catanzano has provided institutions guidance with regard to the NCAA rules and its enforcement process, as well as the reporting requirements of the Equity in Athletics Data Analysis. He has also conducted internal investigations into athletic programs (e.g., sexual misconduct within an athletic department, hazing) as well as conducting internal reviews of athletic departments.
Sexual Violence on Campus

Mr. Catanzano led investigations of several higher education institutions that were alleged to be out of compliance with Title IX with regard to their response to sexual violence on campus. These investigations ranged from broad compliance reviews that analyzed every aspect of an institution’s response mechanism to instances of sexual violence or harassment, to specific allegations of sexual violence or harassment filed by individual students or employees.