Educational Attorney in Oakland for child with IEP
I am looking for someone to represent us to fight for my child with an IEP who did not get services they were supposed to. I have already talked to them and DREDF, I am at the attorney stage. Single mom, so hopefully someone who has a sliding scale and we can take care of this swiftly.
Feb 24, 2020
Parent Replies
I highly recommend Deborah Jacobsen, who helped my family with an IEP matter. She is based in Berkeley. Both her demeanor and her expertise were exactly what I needed.
I had a terrible experience about 8 years ago with an educational attorney to whom I was referred because of reasonable rates. So be careful. The law firm is Adams Esq. in Oakland. I initially dealt with Jean Adams, but she subcontracted the work to Gail Hodes. I'm hesitant to outline the details here -- they are lawyers, after all. But feel free to contact me and I'll explain.
Katherine Siegfried in Oakland. She used to work for Bay Area Legal Aid. She did a wonderful job on a case for a family that I worked with as a provider. She was paid by the district as a part of the mediation settlement so there was no cost to the family. She is really lovely, responds very quickly and is super skilled. https://www.siegfrieddisabilitylaw.com/
Kathryn Dobel is excellent- (510) 548-2004, kathryn.dobel [at] comcast.net. She has been a special education attorney for many years and she knows many people in the various districts and is highly regarded. She did excellent work for us.
I, and the friend that referred me, both had good experiences with Tollner Law Offices in San Jose. That's far but they're good at working remotely. I went to their office once; my friend has never been there. However they do require a retainer. I put down $5000. The attorneys I'm working with, Mark J. Wojciechowski and Joshua Cruz, seem to be doing exactly what is required to achieve the best outcome without making things any more complicated or expensive than they need to be. Fees have been very reasonable to date. During my first meeting with them they told me that it's most efficient if you go in with clear goals. Best of luck to you and your child.
When I began working with the attorneysBest of luck to you