any recommendation for a good special ed attorney? (low income, attorneys)

[anna_mom]

Someone recommended christina thivierge in an ealier post, but I like to see more options if possible...

[mdpesq]

You could contact your county's Bar Association and they can provide you with a referral.

[KoalaNJ]

Originally Posted by anna_mom

Someone recommended christina thivierge in an ealier post, but I like to see more options if possible...

There is also NJ Protection and Advocacy, the state designated protection and advocacy system for individuals with disabilities. It is state/federally funded, so I believe services are free or at a greatly reduced rate. Just checked their website and it appears the just recently changed their name to Disability Rights, NJ Disability Rights New Jersey Home Page
I know that special education rights is one of their targeted priorities. They have a long track record in this field and are extremely knowledgeable on the subject and applicable laws. Great history of obtaining good results. I have a friend who contacted them and as soon as NJ P & A got involved the school district sure changed their response and attitude. They were able to negotiate a good outcome quite quickly. IMHO definitely worth making a call and going through their intake process.

You might also want to contact SPAN SPAN they have some great resources for advocacy as well.

Best of luck!

[anna_mom]

thanks for the response.

However, I am not too optimistic with the referral service as it is no more than opening a phone book. It is not that I do not have a long list of special ed attorneyes, I was hopiing to get a referral from someone who has first hand experiences. I do understand that not all attorneys are good.

I am going to give Disability Rights a call, but I am also not optimistic, because, due to the limited resources, most of the public agencies will only accept cases that have a wider impact or for low income families. I will update if I get some positive results. In my case, I doubt my sd would make any changes if it were not a law suit hanging behind their heads.

I have my opinion with SPAN and I will just leave it at this.

[mdpesq]

It's a little more than opening a phone book, most county bar associations require additional qualification criteria from attorneys they refer. Good luck in your search.