How to Find, Hire, & Keep the Right Special Education Attorney for You

Special Education Legal Fund was created to provide parents in need with the financial support necessary to secure legal assistance in special education for their child or children.The founders of S.E.L.F. believe in leveling the special education playing field for all families. We believe in making a “free and appropriate public education” accessible to all by providing financial assistance in the form of grants for special education legal fees.Special Education Legal Fund (S.E.L.F.) was founded by parents who have navigated the special education system for their children, for parents who may need financial support to secure legal assistance for their own children in special education.

Special Education Legal Fund

S.E.L.F. Webinar Panel: How to Find, Hire, and Keep the Right Special Education Attorney for Your Family

<h3>Moderated by Lara Damashek, former special education attorney turned advocate &amp; school CSE representative, join Special Education Legal Fund for this panel of New York and Connecticut special education legal experts including Lakshmi Singh Mergeche (<a href="http://www.nyedlaw.com" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">The Law Offices of Neal Rosenberg</a>), Greg Cangiano (<a href="https://skyerlaw.com" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">The Law Offices of Regina Skyer &amp; Associates</a>), Dana Jonson (<a href="https://specialed.law" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">The Law Offices of Dana Jonson</a>), and Meredith Braxton (Meredith Braxton, Esq). </h3>This distinguished panel of experts will discuss how to find the right special education attorney, what to bring to your first meeting, what to expect of the attorney-client relationship, and much more! Learn about what a special education attorney can do for you and how to find the right one for you and your family. Our legal experts will also share their personal journeys of how they came to represent families and children with special education needs, as well as what they've observed in New York and Connecticut special education legal circles since the start of the pandemic..

Lara Damashek is the founder of <a href="https://earlyinsightadvocacy.com" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Early Insight Advocacy </a>and is a parent advocate with experience as a public school teacher, special education attorney (Law office of Regina Skyer, New York City), and mother of a child with an IEP. Through her advocacy practice, Lara offers parents of young children the practical support needed to tackle and navigate the daunting task of pursuing special education services for their children, either publicly or privately. Lara Damashek is also a CSE (Committee on Special Education) Representative at the Windward School (New York). Lara is a resident of Greenwich, Connecticut with two children. She has been a member of the Board of Directors of <a href="https://spedlegalfund.org" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Special Education Legal Fund</a> since 2019.

Lakshmi Singh Mergeche (<a href="http://www.nyedlaw.com" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">The Law Offices of Neal Rosenberg</a>) has her Bachelor of Arts from St. John's University and is a graduate of Brooklyn Law School. After graduating from law school, Ms. Mergeche was a prosecutor in the Bronx County District Attorney's Office where she prosecuted cases in the Domestic Violence Unit.Ms. Mergeche entered the field of special education law as a litigator for the New York City Department of Education General Counsel's Special Education Unit. During her tenure she litigated numerous impartial hearings and provided legal support and advisory opinions regarding litigation strategy and educational policies to special education practitioners and district representatives.Currently, Ms. Mergeche works to protect the educational rights of children by providing special education advocacy, including tuition reimbursement claims, representation at meetings with the Committee on Special Education and disciplinary matters. Ms. Mergeche represents our clients residing outside of New York City. Ms. Mergeche is admitted to practice in New York State, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, and the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Gregory Cangiano (<a href="https://skyerlaw.com" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Skyer Law</a>) was inspired to pursue special education law because of his mother, a guidance counselor whose life’s calling was working with special needs children. Greg earned his bachelor’s degree at SUNY Binghamton and graduated with honors from Touro Law School in 2006. During his undergraduate and law school years, he interned part-time at Skyer Law. As a law student, he also did pro bono work with the Long Island Advocacy Center, an organization dedicated to protecting the legal rights of students and individuals with disabilities.Greg is a partner at Skyer Law, and has been an attorney with the firm since 2006. He regularly participates in IEP review meetings with clients throughout New York City, Nassau, and Westchester. He has extensive litigation experience in all areas of special education law, including in appeals to the Federal District Court.Greg is passionate about empowering parents and educators in the IEP process. From 2009-2012 he served as an adjunct professor at Bank Street College of Education teaching a graduate course, Communication and Collaboration: What the Law Intended. He designed this course to explore how the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) demands school districts to work cooperatively in the development and implementation of IEPs.Greg lives on Long Island with his wife, a kindred spirit who teaches special education, and his two beautiful children. In 2017 he launched the INA Fund, an organization in memory of his mother that is dedicated to supporting students with special education needs.

Attorney Dana Jonson is a Civil Rights attorney in private practice in Connecticut. Her firm, <a href="https://specialed.law" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">The Law Offices of Dana Jonson</a>, exclusively represents the civil and legal rights of children with disabilities through the special education process. Dana represents families from early in the process at PPT meetings through Mediation, Due Process, and litigation in State or Federal Court if necessary. She also offers seminars and workshops locally and nationally to parents regarding their rights and navigating the complex special education process. In addition, she provides seminars and workshops to school district personnel and other service providers on how they can best meet their obligations. Prior to law school, Ms. Jonson was a special education teacher and administrator in Boston, MA. Dana is a graduate of Northeastern University School of Law. She also holds a Master of Science degree in Education from Simmons College, with a focus on Intensive Special Needs, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, with a focus on Developmental Psychology, from Fairfield University. She is currently admitted to the Connecticut State and Federal bar.Dana is a parent to 4 children with disabilities and a foster parent to many!

Meredith C. Braxton (Meredith Braxton, Esq) has been practicing law for 30 years, with a primary focus on special education for the last 18 years. After spending time in general and business litigation in “big law” in New York City and two smaller Connecticut firms, Meredith started a solo practice and began representing students and parents in their efforts to enforce their civil rights by having their children identified, securing appropriate services, and enforcing their rights to appropriate placements, whether via PPT, negotiation, an administrative due process hearing, or appeal to the federal courts. Her office is in Greenwich, Connecticut. Meredith is also a partner in a companion practice with her colleague Liz Hook (Braxton Hook) to represent families in New York in special education matters and individuals in both Connecticut and New York in education-related civil rights and tort cases as well as employment matters.

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