Anthony J. Guida Jr.

Partner

  • Anthony J. Guida Jr.
  • Phone: +1 619 744 2256

    Anthony J. Guida Jr. - LinkedIn Import to Address Book

  • Duane Morris LLP
    750 B Street, Suite 2900
    San Diego, CA 92101-4681
    USA
  • Duane Morris LLP
    865 South Figueroa Street, Suite 3100
    Los Angeles, CA 90017-5450
    USA

Tony Guida focuses his practice on higher education, EdTech, PreK-12 and corporate training, handling federal and state education law, licensing and accreditation, mergers and acquisitions, institutional governance, government response and crisis management, and government affairs.

An experienced senior executive in higher education, Mr. Guida brings a unique business-side perspective to his clients. Having served as a public company executive, chief financial officer, general counsel and trustee, he advises institutions, investors, lenders, education companies and governing boards with an understanding of how regulators, accreditors, executive leadership teams, governing boards and investors evaluate risk and make decisions.

Mr. Guida serves as team lead for the Duane Morris Education Industry Group and previously served on the firm's Partners Board. The Legal 500 US 2024 Guide, which has ranked Duane Morris’ Education Industry Group, notes that Mr. Guida “consistently provides solid guidance and perspective” and that clients “have complete trust in his counsel. He’s invaluable for keeping [clients] abreast of developments in higher education.” He has been ranked in Chambers USA for Higher Education – Nationwide since 2024, the first year Chambers issued rankings for Higher Education in the U.S., and has also been recognized by BTI Consulting Group for superior client service.

Mr. Guida previously held senior executive positions with two major publicly traded companies that owned and operated colleges and universities, with responsibilities including regulatory affairs and compliance, acquisitions and divestitures, government and public affairs, policy, strategic planning, new campus development and public relations. He regularly served as the primary executive interface with the U.S. Department of Education, institutional and programmatic accreditors, and state regulators and policymakers on matters involving oversight, compliance, transactions and strategic initiatives.

Drawing on extensive experience overseeing regulatory compliance, government affairs and stakeholder engagement for large education enterprises, Mr. Guida regularly assists institutions, investors, lenders and education companies in responding to government inquiries, investigations, accreditor actions and other significant regulatory matters involving the U.S. Department of Education, state regulators, state attorneys general and accrediting agencies.

Mr. Guida also regularly advises institutions, investors, lenders and education companies in education-sector transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, investments, financings, strategic partnerships and other substantive changes. He has advised on more than 40 closed education-sector transactions involving postsecondary institutions, EdTech companies and PreK-12 education businesses, with particular emphasis on transactions involving complex regulatory, accreditation, licensing and change-of-ownership considerations.

Mr. Guida is a member of the National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA). He previously served on the Board of Trustees of a private non-profit university, chairing its Academic Affairs Committee, and on the Board of Directors of a national trade association representing proprietary institutions, chairing its federal legislative committee. He also served on the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, an independent body advising Congress and the Secretary of Education on student financial aid policy.

Mr. Guida has been published and quoted in Fox News, University Business, The Chronicle of Higher Education and Inside Higher Ed. He is a frequent speaker at conferences on regulatory compliance, government enforcement, higher education transactions, licensing and accreditation, and federal and state policy.

Areas of Practice

  • EdTech, PreK-12 and Corporate Training Matters
  • Higher Education Regulatory Compliance and Title IV Matters
  • Education Sector M&A, Investments, Financings and Strategic Transactions
  • Government Response, Investigations, Litigation and Crisis Management
  • Licensing, Accreditation and Change-of-Ownership Matters
  • Strategic Partnerships, OPM and Education Services Arrangements
  • Education Policy and Government Affairs

Representative Matters

  • Education regulatory counsel for Perdoceo Education Corporation (NASDAQ: PRDO) in its $138 acquisition of the University of St. Augustine School for Health Sciences, a regionally accredited health sciences university, from Altas Partners.

  • Represented Perdoceo Education Corporation (NASDAQ: PRDO), a for-profit post-secondary higher education provider, in its $44-45 million acquisition of the assets of Trident University International, a regionally accredited university offering online programs, from private equity firm Summit Partners.

  • Education regulatory counsel for an $80 million acquisition by Chegg, Inc. (NYSE: CHGG), an education technology company, to acquire Thinkful, an online coding bootcamp.

  • Represented Westcliff University in its acquisition of Western State College of Law out of federal receivership.

  • Negotiated an emergency Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and a subsequent Operating Agreement with the U.S. Department of Education for a publicly traded higher education holding company that provided the mechanism for an orderly transition and sale of most of the company's accredited colleges enrolling more than 70,000 students.

  • Created accreditation program, manual, and policies and procedures for coaching certification organizations for a National Sports Governing Body appointed by the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC).

  • Served as regulatory counsel for majority investment in PreK-Higher Education holding company with transaction value of more than $110 million.

  • Served as regulatory counsel for M&A transactions of PreK-12 for-profit schools involving more than 230 locations with total combined enterprise value of more than $1.3 billion.

  • Successfully defended regionally accredited institution faced with probation that resulted in a less severe sanction of "on notice."

  • Negotiated and closed $44 million sale of a college with annual revenues of $26 million.

  • Project managed and oversaw state licensing and accreditation approvals for more than 20 new branch locations of accredited colleges and universities.

  • Negotiated Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with regional accreditor that would facilitate the merger of over 15 commonly owned institutions with more than 100 locations into a single institution.

  • Obtained federal, state and accreditation approvals for move of a 19 campus graduate university from one regional accreditor to another regional accreditor and the subsequent merger of four related institutions with nine campuses into that institution.

  • Provided regulatory oversight of successful initial regional accreditation of nationally accredited college enrolling more than 12,000 students that had its prior request for initial accreditation denied.

  • Successfully defended nationally accredited college in removal of institutional show cause related to student outcome issues.

  • Served as regulatory counsel for successful approvals by four regional accreditors and multiple state licensing agencies of a transaction that included sale of nine proprietary colleges and universities with more than 35 locations.

  • Negotiated and closed ten acquisitions of accredited colleges for publicly traded higher education holding company with transaction values ranging from $2.6 million to $119 million and totaling $216 million.

Admissions

  • California
  • Pennsylvania
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
  • U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
  • U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
  • U.S. Tax Court
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
  • Supreme Court of the United States

Experience

  • Duane Morris LLP
    - Partner, 2014-present
  • Education Management Corporation
    - Senior Vice President, External Affairs, 2002-2014
  • Pennsylvania Culinary Institute
    - General Counsel and CFO, 1999-2001
  • Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney
    - Shareholder, 1986-1999

Honors and Awards

  • Listed, Legal 500 U.S. Elite: San Diego, 2025

  • Ranked in Chambers USA: Higher Education - Nationwide, 2024-2025

  • Named a BTI Client Service All-Star Attorney, 2022

Board Memberships

  • Trustee, Oral Roberts University, 2013-2022
  • Board of Directors, Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities (APSCU), 2005-11, 2012-15

Selected Publications

Selected Speaking Engagements

  • Featured Guest, "Key Class Action Trends In The Higher Education Sector," The Class Action Weekly Wire podcast, June 5, 2026
  • Speaker, "From Negotiated Rules to Institutional Action: A Deep Dive into RISE and AHEAD," WSCUC ARC Annual Meeting, April 10, 2026
  • Speaker, "What the Updated PPA Signature Requirements Mean for M&A and Investment in Education," Duane Morris Webinar, March 17, 2026
  • Speaker, "Navigating Legal and Operational Challenges of the 2025 Federal Reconciliation Bill," CAPPS Annual Conference, October 2, 2025
  • Panelist, "Delinquency, Default, & Cohort Default Rates," Career Education Colleges & Universities (CECU) Webinar, September 3, 2025
  • Speaker, "Navigating Global Expansion: Establishing Satellite Campuses and Educational Partnerships Abroad," NACUA Annual Conference, June 22, 2025
  • Speaker, “Effective Teachouts: Legal and Compliance Considerations in Closing a Program,” WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) Annual Accreditation Resource Conference (ARC), San Diego, April 19, 2024
  • Speaker, "The Regulatory Landscape  A Dynamic and Disruptive 12 Months," Duane Morris LLP Boot Camp for Education Legal Leadership, Webinar, January 24, 2024
  • Featured Guest, "Making LegalEASY: The Latest of the Department of Education’s Regulations relating to Title IV Participation," EdUp Legal Podcast, November 17, 2023
  • Speaker, “What to Do When Your School Receives a BDR Claim,” Career Education Colleges and Universities (CECU) Webinar, September 12, 2023
  • Speaker, "What Does It All Mean? The U.S. Department of Education’s Regulatory Reach Over Service Providers for Institutions of Higher Education," Duane Morris LLP Webinar, March 2, 2023
  • Speaker, “Online Program Agreements with Third Parties: What You Need to Know,” National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA) Annual Conference, Pittsburgh, June 28, 2022
  • Panelist, "What Happens to Post-Secondary Education if Biden Wins," Webinar, October 23, 2020
  • Panelist, "Investment and Innovations in EdTech in 2020 and Amid COVID-19," Silicon Valley Startup: Idea to IPO, Webinar, July 29, 2020
  • Panelist, "Student Loan Update and the State of Higher Education Across Jurisdictions," American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI) 2020 Caribbean Insolvency Symposium, San Juan, Puerto Rico, February 4, 2020
  • Speaker, "The U.S. Department of Education Borrower Defense to Repayment and Financial Responsibility Rule Changes, Part II: Title IV Financial Responsibility Rule Changes," Duane Morris Webinar, Washington, D.C., October 22, 2019
  • Panelist, "Investing in For Profit Education and EdTech," BDO, First Republic Bank Dealmakers Series, Duane Morris LLP, NYC, October 8, 2019

  • Speaker, “Restructuring Companies Dependent on the Federal Government,” Association of Insolvency & Restructuring Advisors (AIRA) Annual Conference, Nashville, June 15, 2018

  • Presenter, “Revised Borrower Defense to Repayment Notice of Proposed Rulemaking," Duane Morris Webinar, Washington, D.C., August 2, 2018

  • Speaker, "Embracing Change," CECU Annual Convention, Orlando, Florida, June 5, 2018

  • Speaker, "The New Regulatory and Legal Enforcement Regime: The First Six Months Of The Trump Administration And A Look Forward At Regulatory Enforcement and Legal Actions," Career Education Colleges & Universities Convention, Las Vegas, June 8, 2017
  • Speaker, "Achieving More Informed, Efficient, and Effective Regulatory Relationships Across your Organization," Career Education Colleges & Universities Convention, Las Vegas, June 6, 2017
  • "The Emerging and Increased Risks in the Federal and State Legislative and Regulatory Environments," Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS), Annual Conference, Anaheim, CA, 2016
  • "The Intersection of Public Policy, Law and Business," Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities (APSCU), Annual Convention and Exposition, Orlando, FL 2016
  • "Operating in a Post-GE Environment," Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (CCAOM) Biannual Meeting, San Diego, CA, 2016
  • "A Guide for Operating in a Post-GE Environment — Ready or Not, Here it Comes!," Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities (APSCU), Webinar, 2016
  • "Higher Education Redesign: The Intersection of Public Policy, Law and Business," Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities (APSCU), 2016
  • "The U.S. Department of Education: Outcomes, Accountability, and Accreditation," CHEA Annual Conference, Washington, D.C., 2016
  • "Understanding Today's Legal Challenges," APSCU Leadership Summit, Phoenix, AZ 2015
  • "Gainful Employment Rule Compliance: Steps and Strategies for Finding Your Way Forward," Pennsylvania Association of Private School Administrators (PAPSA), Webinar 2015
  • "Government Regulators & New Theories of Liability: Threat, Menace, or Much Ado About Nothing?," APSCU Annual Convention and Exposition: Outcomes 2025, Denver, CO, 2015
  • "The Future of the For-Profit Higher Education Sector," Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) Annual Conference, Washington, D.C., 2015
  • "How 'Gainful Employment' Fits in the Toolbox for Measuring Institutional Effectiveness," ACICS Annual Meeting, New Orleans, 2014
  • Hill Day Briefing, Annual Hill Day, Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities, Washington, D.C., 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
  • "Private Equity Investing in For-Profit Education Companies," Capital Roundtable, New York City, 2013
  • "Higher Education Policy," APSCU Higher Education Symposium, Washington, D.C., 2011
  • "A Critique of the Obama Administration's New Gainful Employment Rules," Symposium: "Understanding Education in the United States and Its Legal and Social Implications," University of Chicago Law School, Chicago, 2011
  • "The Gainful Employment Rule," Public Affairs Conference, National Restaurant Association, Washington, D.C., 2011
  • "Living in a Hyper-Regulated World," APSCU Higher Education Symposium, Washington, D.C., 2010
  • "Going Public," Higher Education Investment Conference, Washington, D.C., 2009
  • "HEA: What the New Law Means for Career Colleges," Higher Education Investment Conference, Washington, D.C., 2008
  • "Transactions With Not-for-Profit Schools," Higher Education Investment Conference, Washington, D.C., 2007
  • "Online Education: Emerging Licensing and Accreditation Issues," Career Colleges Association Annual Meeting, New Orleans, 2007
  • "Mergers & Acquisitions," Mid-Atlantic Conference Regions I, II and II Private Career Colleges & Schools Workshop, Philadelphia, 2004 and 2005
  • "Mergers & Acquisitions," Pittsburgh Chapter of Association for Corporate Growth, Annual Conference, Pittsburgh, 2004
  • "Mergers & Acquisitions," Career Colleges Association Annual Meeting, Las Vegas, 2003