Kelli Lydon Medak
Principal Attorney
LICENSED TO PRACTICE LAW IN CALIFORNIA AND WASHINGTON
Kelli Lydon Medak is the Founder and Principal Attorney at Cascade West Investigations Law PLLC. With over a decade conducting and supervising impartial investigations, she brings a wealth of experience to her work. Ms. Medak served as a supervisory team leader for the United States Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, where she played pivotal roles in conducting over three hundred impartial investigations and supervising the additional resolution of over seven hundred complaints of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. She conducted systemic compliance reviews under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; supervised K-12 and postsecondary sexual harassment and sexual violence investigations under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; and investigated a Title IX athletics interests and abilities complaint filed against one of the largest school districts in the United States. She provided training regarding Title IX’s protections for pregnant and parenting students, sexual harassment prevention, and compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
Ms. Medak recently provided rulemaking support as a contract attorney to the United States Department of Education regarding the Title IX Notice of Proposed Rulemaking issued in July 2022. She is trained in the 2020 Title IX regulations, trauma-informed interview techniques, and investigative report writing. In 2016, she completed the Association of Workplace Investigators (AWI) training institute in California and is a current AWI member. Additionally, in 2010, she completed mediation training through the King County Dispute Resolution Center and served as a mediator on OCR’s Early Complaint Resolution team. More information regarding Ms. Medak’s professional training can be found here.
Prior to joining the United States Department of Education, Ms. Medak represented California students and school districts in special education cases and due process hearings under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, labor and employment matters, and student rights and discipline proceedings. Before entering law school, Ms. Medak taught fifth grade in California. She received a Juris Doctor from the University of San Diego School of Law in 2005 and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Saint Mary’s College of California in 2001.
With nearly twenty years in the field of education and over a decade conducting impartial investigations, Ms. Medak has a unique understanding of each stakeholder’s perspective. This experience guides her work as she approaches every investigation with integrity and care.