Special ed attorney
Hi
Does anyone have experience with Kathryn Dobel, Deborah Jacobsen, Mike Zatopa or Roberta Savage? Would love to hear your experiences as we navigate a stressful school situation for our child with disabilities. Also anyone with insight and thoughts on whether an advocate or lawyer is needed to get public school to pay for private school placement would be very helpful. Thank you for your help.
Apr 26, 2022
Parent Replies
I had a very limited interaction with Deborah Jacobsen on a different legal issue, and had a very positive impression.
I know about this as a lawyer and not as a parent, but I've done pro bono work on these type of cases in NYC and it was shockingly difficult for parents to navigate the DOE payment system without lawyers. There may be some online resources that are helpful if you want to try to get it done without a lawyer (see, e.g., Advocates for Children of New York | Guides & Resources). Hard to know whether you need one without knowing more details about your situation, but it couldn't hurt to talk to one and see.
Sorry I know neither piece of info is directly on point, but offered anyway in case it may be helpful.
We had excellent experience with Sarah Fairchild at Tollner Law offices. They are located in San Jose but service the entire bay area. All of the lawyers will do a free 20 min. initial call. Talk to a few and determine who is a good fit for you, your child and family. Good Luck.
I met virtually with Deborah Jacobsen and really liked her. She didn't think we had a case (appealing an IEP denial at BHS) but I definitely would have worked with her and she came really highly recommended.