Tracy M. Miller

Tracy Miller is Of Counsel at Peterson Russell Kelly Livengood, where she brings nearly 30 years of experience advising and defending public and private sector employers, school districts, and private schools. Her practice focuses on education law, employment advising, and litigation, offering clients practical legal solutions grounded in deep subject matter knowledge and a thoughtful, client-first approach.

From a young age, Tracy was known for her love of debate—so much so that her father often joked she was destined to become a lawyer. That childhood passion for spirited argument grew into a lifelong commitment to advocacy. Her path to law truly took shape while working in human resources at the Federal Aviation Administration, where she met an agency attorney in the Civil Rights Division who inspired her to pursue a legal career.

Though she initially considered representing plaintiffs, Tracy quickly realized that advising and defending employers and schools offered a unique opportunity to shape policies, solve problems proactively, and create healthier, more legally sound workplaces and learning environments. Since then, she has become a trusted partner to educational institutions and other public entities, nonprofit organizations, and private businesses across Washington State.

In addition to her legal work, Tracy is a frequent presenter and legal educator, delivering trainings and seminars on topics such as student discipline, special education, employee leave laws, preventing sexual harassment and other types of discrimination, disability accommodation, , hiring, discipline, and discharge, remote working, public and education records, and board governance. Clients consistently praise her for her ability to take complex legal concepts and translate them into clear, actionable guidance that supports confident decision-making and long-term compliance.

Supporting Washington’s Schools and Educational Institutions

Tracy is deeply committed to supporting educational institutions. She represents both public school districts and private schools across Washington in a broad array of legal matters, including:

• Special education compliance and dispute resolution
• Student discipline
• Constitutional issues and civil rights matters
• Title IX and other claim investigations
• Public records and open public meetings laws
• Education Records (FERPA)
• Employment contracts for classified and certificated staff
• Labor relations, bargaining, contract interpretation, and grievances
• Policy development and board governance

Her approach is collaborative and proactive. Whether she’s training school staff on legal requirements or stepping in to help resolve a sensitive issue, Tracy provides steady, knowledgeable guidance to help schools serve their communities with confidence.

Practical Employment & Labor Law Guidance

Tracy also advises private, public, and nonprofit employers on all aspects of the employment relationship—from hiring to separation. Her areas of focus include:

• Drafting and updating employee handbooks and workplace policies
• Wage and hour compliance
• Employee leave laws and accommodations
• Disability accommodation
• Worker’s compensation claims
• Unemployment claims
• Sexual harassment and other discrimination claims
• Internal investigations
• Workforce restructuring and terminations

She also represents clients before state and federal agencies, including the EEOC, Washington State Human Rights Commission, NLRB, and Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC), as well as in litigation and arbitration proceedings.

With extensive experience handling sensitive and complex employment issues, Tracy helps employers mitigate risk, foster compliance, and build stronger workplace cultures.

Labor Relations & Collective Bargaining

Tracy brings more than two decades of experience advising and representing employers in all aspects of labor relations, with a particular focus on unionized work environments in both the public and private sectors. She is highly skilled in navigating the legal and strategic considerations that arise when managing labor relationships, and she frequently serves as a trusted advisor to school districts, nonprofit organizations, and commercial employers across Washington.

Her work includes advising on:

• Union negotiations and collective bargaining strategy
• Interpreting and complying with collective bargaining agreements
• Responding to union grievances and handling arbitration proceedings
• Representation before labor-focused administrative agencies
• Public records and open meetings compliance in the context of labor matters

Tracy has represented clients in grievance and arbitration proceedings, worked closely with leadership during contentious labor disputes, and helped clients proactively avoid union-related conflicts through thoughtful policy development. Her dual experience in litigation and proactive advising enables her to provide well-rounded counsel that helps employers foster stability while mitigating risk in unionized settings.

Experience & Credentials

Tracy has successfully represented clients in a wide range of forums, including:

• U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington
• U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Washington
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
• Washington State courts
• Administrative proceedings before the:
  • Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
  • Washington State Human Rights Commission
  • National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)
  • Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC)
  • Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH)
  • Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals (BIIA)
  • Department of Employment Security (DES)

She is a former shareholder at Karr Tuttle Campbell, where she led high-profile matters involving school law and employment litigation. Tracy is also a frequent speaker at continuing legal education programs, where she presents on topics such as sexual harassment prevention, disability accommodations, special education, employment discipline and discharge, and school governance.

She is a past President and current member of the Washington State Council of School Attorneys and an active member of the National School Boards Association Council of School Attorneys (COSA).

Personal Interests & Community Involvement

When not advising clients or leading a CLE, Tracy enjoys spending time outdoors near her mountain home. She is an avid hiker, snowshoer, and dog lover (sharing life with two pups, including Mattie, a rescue who is a terrier mix). She also writes poetry and plays the fiddle in her downtime—activities that help her stay grounded and inspired outside the legal world.