Josie Eskow Skinner is a founding partner at Sligo Law Group with nearly 15 years of experience in federal education law and public interest advocacy. Before founding the firm, Josie served as an attorney in the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of General Counsel in the Division of Elementary, Secondary, Adult, and Vocational Education. In that role, she provided legal counsel across multiple presidential administrations on federal education programs, including those serving homeless, foster, and migratory children under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, and the Higher Education Act.

Josie advises clients on matters involving federal program compliance, church-state issues, grants and contracts with faith-based organizations, the First Amendment, COVID-19 and disaster relief programs, ESEA waivers and transferability, the Education Flexibility Partnership Act, and equitable services for private school students and teachers. She also counsels organizations on managing complex formula and discretionary grant programs from application through closeout, including compliance and termination matters.

Prior to her government service, Josie practiced as a litigator representing survivors of domestic violence and supporting nonprofit organizations in expanding access to housing, legal representation, and trauma-informed services.