Tanya A. Alvarado, Esquire

Tanya A. Alvarado

Printable Bio

Tanya A. Alvarado is a shareholder with McAndrews Law Offices. She graduated from Cornell University in 1989 and from Boston University School of Law in 1992. She is admitted to practice before the bars of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and United States District Courts for the Eastern and Middle Districts of Pennsylvania.

Professional History

Ms. Alvarado was born in Ecuador, South America, emigrated to the United States at the age of four and is fluent in Spanish. Having two siblings with disabilities, Ms. Alvarado has dedicated her legal career to helping adults and children with disabilities. While at the Disabilities Law Project, Ms. Alvarado represented clients in federal court pursuing broad impact and individual litigation to secure the independence and successful integration of children and adults with disabilities in our communities. Her cases involved obtaining revisions to the U.S. Treasury Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s employment policies that screened out applicants with disabilities, securing necessary overnight skilled nursing care services from the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare for a parent whose child required frequent suctioning to avoid choking, obtaining a modification of a zoning policy to allow a ramp to be built at a home where the resident, a wheelchair user, could not leave independently, securing the removal of architectural barriers in Philadelphia to allow wheelchair users access to check cashing and public transportation sales facilities, obtaining policy modification of a national adoption agency that screened disabled applicants, and obtaining a modification of a preschool policy that prohibited a preschooler from moving to an age appropriate classroom due to her physical disability.

While working at McAndrews Law Offices, Ms. Alvarado continues to seek the successful integration and independence of children with special needs. Ms. Alvarado has represented numerous clients to obtain appropriate educational programs in the least restrictive environment, in an effort to enable them to become independent, contributing adults in their communities. Through representation in administrative due process hearings and in federal court, Ms. Alvarado has secured appropriate reading programming for students with significant reading disabilities, tuition at private schools designed for students with disabilities, payment for private evaluations to identify educational needs of the student, equine therapy, and successfully argued a federal court matter supporting the applicability of continuing violations to claims for compensatory education.

Since joining the practice with McAndrews Law Offices, Ms. Alvarado has thoroughly enjoyed representing children. She is continuously inspired by her clients’ ambition and desire to learn and by their many individual talents, including one client who is a three-time medalist in the swimming competitions of the Special Olympics.

Professional Activities & Membership

Philadelphia Bar Association

Member, Legal Rights of Person with Disabilities, 2000–2005

Reach Out and Read, Advisory Board, 2006–Present

Bar Admissions

Pennsylvania

Practice Areas

Special Education Law

Civil Litigation

THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE THIRD CIRCUIT AFFIRMED AWARD OF COUNSEL FEES TO FAMILY REPRESENTED BY MCANDREWS LAW OFFICES, P.C. The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit recently affirmed a ruling the District Court in Philadelphia which awarded reimbursement of counsel fees to a family represented by McAndrews Law Offices. Both the Court of Appeals and the District Court held that the School District of Philadelphia was responsible for payment of counsel fees, and that the work completed by McAndrews Law Offices in successfully pursuing compensatory education on behalf of a child with disabilities was fair, reasonable, and cost-effective.
MCANDREWS LAW OFFICES OBTAINS AWARD OF COMPENSATORY EDUCATION AND OBTAINED IDENTIFICATION OF CHILD FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES IN TWO SEPARATE CASES. In two matters handled by Dean Beer, Esquire, of McAndrews Law Offices, hearing officers agreed with our positions and awarded relief to these students. In the first case, it was held the child was improperly excluded from special education services under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. In the second case, the hearing officer found that a child in Kindergarten had not received appropriate instruction and therefore awarded compensatory education to that child. These cases continue a long line of cases in which McAndrews Law Offices has obtained compensatory education and/or tuition reimbursement for students with disabilities through orders or settlements with school districts.
Our Website Now Includes Extensive Videos. Our website now includes extensive videos regarding Estate Planning, Estate Administration, and Special Needs Trusts. Over four (4) hours of informational materials are provided in these seminars, and we invite visitors to our website to review these videos to obtain information about the process of developing appropriate estate planning documents and Special Needs Trusts, as well as administering the estates of decedents. We hope that you find these materials informative! View Videos →

“We would like to thank you for all you have done for our family over the past several years in helping us navigate the special education maze for our two children. Each step of the way your firm has helped us turn confusion, frustration and sometimes anger into clarity, understanding, and reasoned decisions. This, coupled with your sound counsel, representation and encouragement, has empowered us to become better advocates and to path forward in positive ways for each child. We are so grateful for your representation which has always centered on what is just, meaningful and practical, given the unique needs of our children.”

— Mr. and Mrs. S.