Press Release: NEW BOOK ON SPECIAL EDUCATION LAW PUBLISHED

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Amazin Blue Press LLC is pleased to announce publication of its new title: SchoolKidsLawyer’s Step-By-Step Guide to Special Education Law: Workbook for Parents, Advocates and Lawyers by Robert C. Thurston, Esq. This 266 page book is a user-friendly guide to assist families of children with disabilities, complete with forms, helpful tips, and links. According to […]

School District Lawyer Tactics May Violate Ethics Rules

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I am an attorney who represents children with disabilities and their families in special education matters. I am also a member of the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (“COPAA”, www.copaa.org), a national organization of special education lawyers and advocates with the same client base.  Recently, my colleagues and I have witnessed a substantial uptick in very […]

Ethics Rules You Might Not Know . . .

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I think many, too many, lawyers have forgotten what the ethics rules (“Rules of Professional Conduct”) really say. I encourage every lawyer (especially school district counsel) to go back and read their ethics rules (each state has their own, based on the ABA’s Model Rules of Professional Conduct) periodically. This will help them understand that […]

Your Tax Dollars Are Being Used to Deny Education to Disabled Kids

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Many of you probably don’t know there are laws that exist to protect the rights of disabled kids, but perhaps none more important than the special education laws.  I’m quite sure that even fewer of you know that your tax dollars are being used to deny those disabled kids their lawful education and thereby violating […]

Making a Complaint About Your Child’s Special Education

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Your child is not receiving the attention or services he or she needs in school. As a result, your child is doing poorly in school. You’re not even sure of the cause of the problem, but you know something is wrong. What do you do? If you are the parent of a child with special […]

Are Special Education Advocates Performing UPL (Unauthorized Practice of Law)?

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The answer to the question posed in the title is, typically, lawyerly – it depends. What is the “practice of law”? “Unauthorized practice of law (UPL)”? First, let’s discuss what is the “practice of law” and “UPL”.  Virtually every licensed occupation is regulated by the State.  For example, in Pennsylvania, the Bureau of Professional and […]

Free (legal services) or not free . . . that is the question

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I’ve had a lot of people ask me lately if I provide free legal services or if I can take their case for free.  The answers are: (1) Yes, I do pro bono (free legal) work through South Jersey Legal Services (www.lsnj.org/sjls);  and (2) No, if you can afford a mechanic, HVAC repairman or doctor, […]

Special Education law is not about revenge

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Many clients come to me with vindication on their minds.  They feel they have been wronged and want to inflict pain on whomever did the wrong.  They want revenge.  This is especially true in the field of special education law.  They want to “get back” at the school district that they felt is interfering with […]

Playing (and Winning) the School District’s Game of Chicken

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[Appeared previously on Special Education Advisor blog] Probably the most frustrating part of being the parent of a child with a different ability[1] is the response from the very organization you hoped you could trust the most to do right by your child – your school district.  After all, teachers and administrators are trained to […]