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About EdLA
To safeguard choice programs for families, EdChoice created EdChoice Legal Advocates (EdLA) to engage in the school choice litigation effort directly. As the organization carrying forward the legacy of Milton and Rose Friedman—the architects of the modern choice movement—no one is better suited than EdChoice to defend the rights of parents to choose how and where their children are educated. Since its founding in 1996, EdChoice has worked to educate about the methods and merits of empowering parents with the ability to choose any educational option for their children. Prevailing in court when school choice programs are challenged is a fundamental necessity.
EdLA fights to preserve and advance Milton and Rose’s vision against all challenges. In recent years, the battle over school choice has moved from federal to state courts, with more lawsuits focused on state constitutional and statutory claims. While many such claims invoke state-specific laws, the central legal defense of school choice remains the same: Legislatures may empower parents to decide how to spend their children’s education funds.
In its initial years, EdLA will partner with the Institute for Justice to represent families and their rights to educational choice in court, eventually assuming from IJ full responsibility for education choice defense litigation. EdLA engages in some legal battles independently and partners with IJ in other cases.
To realize Milton and Rose’s vision of universal choice, we must not merely create educational freedom programs, but also ensure they withstand legal challenges in state courts. Just as we anticipate needing to help implement school choice programs, we also anticipate needing to defend parents and these programs across the country.
Cases Across the Country
For more information on the EdLA/IJ cases, visit our Cases page.
Meet the Team
Thomas M. Fisher
Vice President and Director of Litigation
tfisher@edchoice.org
317-978-9472
Thomas M. Fisher served as a Deputy Attorney General for 22 years and as Indiana’s first Solicitor General from 2005-2023. In that role he handled high profile litigation for the State, defended state statutes against constitutional attack, advised the Attorney General on a range of legal policy issues, and managed the State’s U.S. Supreme Court docket. A two-time recipient of the National Association of Attorneys General Best Brief Award, Fisher has argued five times before the High Court.
His U.S. Supreme Court experience also includes authorship of dozens of cert-stage and merits-stage amicus curiae briefs on a wide range of issues. In addition, Fisher has argued dozens of important and high-profile cases before both the Indiana Supreme Court and the Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. Fisher is a Fellow of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers and was recently named a Sagamore of the Wabash by Governor Eric Holcomb.
A native Hoosier, Fisher is a graduate of Wabash College and Indiana University Maurer School of Law, where he serves as an Adjunct Professor of Law.
Bryan Cleveland
Attorney
bcleveland@edchoice.org
317-229-2120
Bryan Cleveland is an Attorney with EdChoice Legal Advocates.
Before joining EdChoice, he was the General Counsel for the Oklahoma State Department of Education, where he helped a newly elected state superintendent advance school choice and parental rights in Oklahoma. Prior to that role, he was the Deputy Solicitor General for the State of Oklahoma, where he handled the State’s most pressing cases in federal and state district courts and on appeal. He also previously served as a law clerk for Judge Steve Grasz of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, served as a law clerk for Judge Henry Morgan in the Eastern District of Virginia, and worked as an associate at a top law firm in Washington, D.C.
He received a bachelor’s degree from Biola University and a law degree from Harvard Law School, where he was Editor-in-Chief of the Harvard Journal of Law & Technology. Before law school, he advised a member of Congress on legislation and communications.
Kathryn Monroe
Attorney
kmonroe@edchoice.org
317-836-5678
Kathryn Monroe is an Attorney with EdChoice Legal Advocates.
Before becoming an attorney, Kathryn taught elementary school and was a district-wide school administrator. While in law school, she participated in several education law and policy internships and clerkships, including with the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights; Texas Education Agency, Legal Services Division; and the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pension Committee. After law school, Kathryn continued her education and completed a master’s in education policy and analysis.
Before joining EdChoice, she worked in private practice in education and municipal law and at a state Attorney General’s Office in special litigation and policy.
Jean Marie Leisher
Paralegal
jeanmarie@edchoice.org
317-986-8658
Jean Marie Leisher serves as a Paralegal for EdChoice Legal Advocates.
Prior to joining EdChoice, Jean Marie served as a Senior Paralegal and Executive Assistant for 25 years at the Office of the Indiana Attorney General. She worked for six different administrations during her tenure. Jean Marie was presented with the National Association of Attorneys General Career Staff of the Year Award in 2017.
Jean Marie is a born-and-raised Hoosier and graduated from Indiana University. She currently resides in Lizton with her husband and children.
Contact Us
EdChoice Legal Advocates
111 Monument Circle, Suite 2650
Indianapolis, IN 46204
317-978-9472