The Co-Chair of Thompson Coburn’s Higher Education Practice, Aaron has over two decades of experience assisting institutions to navigate complex legal, policy, and governance matters.
He and his colleagues are valued for their deep understanding of the postsecondary regulatory framework, including requirements relating to the federal financial aid programs, accreditation, and state authorization. Aaron also provides specialized strategic and regulatory counsel to institutions, investors, and lenders involved in a wide range of higher education mergers, affiliations, and partnerships (MAPs).
In 2024, Chambers USA (by Chambers & Partners) included U.S. higher education practices and lawyers in their rankings for the very first time. Thompson Coburn’s higher education practice was one of the nine Nationwide Higher Education Practices recognized, and Aaron Lacey was among the inaugural class of individual attorneys profiled in the publication. Both the higher education practice and Aaron were recognized again in 2025 and 2026.
