Special Education Law
Special Education law is a specialty in which very few attorneys practice with any degree of regularity. The field is a tapestry of federal laws (The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, The Americans with Disabilities Act), state statutes (various chapters of the Pennsylvania School Code), federal regulations (a separate set under each federal law), and state regulations (entirely redrafted in June, 2001). It is virtually impossible for an attorney to competently and successfully handle an occasional special education matter.
This firm has been involved in special education matters for thirteen years and in disability law for twenty years. Our attorneys possess a broad range of experience and advanced degrees in psychology and education. Therefore, when you require legal advice in a matter involving special education, you can feel secure and confident in working with our firm.
Special Education Consultations Based Upon Ability to Pay: McAndrews Law Offices is committed to providing access to exceptional legal services to deserving families regardless of the ability to pay. Our comprehensive review process by our firm may involve up to ten (10) hours of review and consultation by our special education professionals. While we charge a modest fee for this consultation, we will consider waiving or reducing this fee for any family who is unable to pay following a determination through our intake process.
Our initial consultations with families concerning the special education needs of their children are very comprehensive. The process begins by the client providing intake information to our experienced senior special education paralegal. A partner reviews this intake information and provides any necessary preliminary information to the client to address short term issues, while the client gathers records to provide to our office.
Typically, we ask for all of the student’s IEPs, Evaluation Reports, private evaluations, report cards, progress reports, and important correspondence between the family and school personnel. Once these documents are received in our office, our support staff organizes these documents for review by two of our special education attorneys. A meeting is promptly scheduled with the family, and the two attorneys will attend that meeting, including the assigned attorney and one of our senior partners. At the conclusion of the meeting we are generally able to provide the family with a plan for obtaining appropriate educational services and other relief from the school district and a representation arrangement is discussed with the family.
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- Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Recipients Will Receive Cost of Living Increase in January 2012. Beginning in January 2012, the nation’s Social Security recipients will get a 3.6% cost of living increase in payments. Thus, the maximum Supplemental Security Income (SSI) monthly payment will increase from $674 per individual for 2011 to $698 per month per individual in 2012. Please note that the $2,000 resource limit for SSI recipients is not increasing. For further information on public benefits, please call McAndrews Law Offices.
- Federal Court voids Pennsylvania’s restrictions on Pooled Special Needs Trusts in Lewis v. Alexander Read More →
- Important Court case for children with Autism and their families Read More →
- The current budget cycles in federal, state, and local governments may affect all students in special education. See our full discussion regarding this important issue. Read More →
- Learn About The Special Needs Tax Credit Read More →
- PDE Guidelines for Effective Behavioral Support Read More →
- Learn More About Our Speakers Bureau: McAndrews Law Offices have speakers available for your organization. We provide dozens of FREE seminars and presentations each year to relevant organizations in the field of Special Education, Estate Planning, and Special Needs Trusts. Click Here for More Information →
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Main Office: McAndrews Law Offices | 30 Cassatt Avenue | Berwyn, PA 19312
Phone: (610) 648-9300 | FAX: (610) 648-0433
Other Locations: Harrisburg, PA | Scranton, PA | Wyomissing, PA | Wilmington, DE | Privacy Policy
The information within this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney
for individual advice regarding your own situation. ©2007 McAndrews Law Offices, P.C. All Rights Reserved.