Caplan & Earnest Elects Elliott Hood as Member

Caplan & Earnest is pleased to announce that Elliott Hood has been elected as a member. Elliott practices as part of our firm’s Education Law and Litigation practice groups, and he regularly represents school districts in complex civil litigation before state, federal, and administrative tribunals.

“We’re proud to welcome Elliott as a member and congratulate him on this recognition,” said Brad Hendrick, managing member. “Elliott is a highly respected attorney within and outside of Caplan & Earnest who brings tremendous value to his clients across the state. He also demonstrates the core values we hold closely, including creating a culture where we respect and collaborate with our clients.”

Elliott joined Caplan & Earnest in 2017, and during his tenure with the firm he has significant experience handling disputes involving special education, civil rights, disability and accommodation, charter schools, torts, student discipline, employment, and constitutional claims. He has a strong appellate practice and often appears on behalf of clients in civil and administrative appeals before the Colorado Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit, and Colorado State Board of Education. He previously served as Vice Chair of the Colorado Disability Funding Committee, a state commission.

Elliott clerked for Judge A. Bruce Jones on the Colorado District Court and Judge Robert E. Bacharach on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit Court. Before law school, he taught fifth grade in Las Vegas as a corps member with Teach For America. He currently serves on the Boulder Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, the governing board of the Colorado Bar Association-CLE, and the Amicus Committee of the National School Boards Association.

In 2021 and 2022, Elliott was named to the Super Lawyers Rising Stars® list in the field of Schools & Education. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado Boulder with honors and his J.D. degree Magna Cum Laude from Northwestern University’s Pritzker School of Law.

Elliott has had a number of important successes on behalf of clients while at Caplan & Earnest, including:

• Obtained precedent-setting and high-profile Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) against a discriminatory public health order on behalf of large school district and nine district students.
• Prevailed in precedent-setting special education appeal before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit on behalf of a large school district.
• Obtained summary judgment for a Colorado school district against claims made under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.
• Obtained a summary judgment for a school district and school administrators against claims under Title IX and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.
• Obtained dismissal of Equal Protection (Section 1983) claims against a Colorado school administrator.
• Obtained dismissal of religious discrimination (Section 1983) claims against large school district.
• Successfully defended several charter-school appeals on behalf of school districts across Colorado before the Colorado State Board of Education.
• Successfully defended against a petition to revoke a large school district’s exclusive chartering authority before Colorado State Board of Education.
• Prevailed in every due process hearing under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
• Obtained favorable settlements on behalf of numerous school district clients in civil rights, special education, and Constitutional matters.