FAQs
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The Culbertson Building |
Choosing an education lawyer is an important decision. You probably have questions. All clients understandably have questions about our fees. You may have questions about meeting with us for the first time or the geographical area we serve. You may simply need directions to our office. You may have many other concerns.
Answers to some of the most frequently asked questions are listed below. If your question isn't answered here, feel free to contact us. We will be happy to answer any questions you may have!
We are confident we can help.
Education law is virtually all we do.
Call us now at 610.696.5006 or email us now by clicking here.
"Regular Education" Cases
Q. Do you handle "regular" education cases?
A. Yes! Although our primary focus is on representing children with special needs and their parents, we also represent so-called "regular ed" kids and their parents. Cases that may arise for regular education students can include:
- bullying
- suspensions
- expulsions
- "gifted" education
- freedom of expression
- access to educational records
- privacy
- confidentiality
Geographical Areas Served
Q. What areas do you serve?
A. We serve clients throughout Southeastern Pennsylvania who are within a one and one-half hour drive from our offices in West Chester, including the counties of Philadelphia, Chester, Bucks, Montgomery, Delaware, Lancaster, and Berks.
Office Location
Q. Where is your office?
A. We are located a mile outside the borough of West Chester near Route 202. For directions and a map, just click on this link.
Initial Phone or Email Consultation
Q. How much will it cost for an initial phone or email consultation?
A. Nothing! There is no charge for an initial phone consultation lasting 15 minutes. We will try to make a suggestion or a referral that can help you resolve your problem - and we are happy to do it. Call us now at 610.696.5006 or email us now by clicking on this link.
Q. What if my problem cannot be resolved in a free phone consultation?
A. We would be happy to meet with you during the day or evening. If you live some distance from our offices in West Chester, we may be able to arrange to meet you at a location halfway between your home and our office.
Initial Meeting
Q. How should I prepare for the initial in-office consultation?
A. It's completely up to you! But we recommend the following:
- Send us copies of your child's evaluations, IEP's and other important educational records at least a week before we meet so that we can carefully review them. The more we know about your child and his or her records, the better we can advise you.
- Think about the problems your child is experiencing. What are your educational goals for your child? What are your other goals for your child? What do you expect your child to be doing and what skills do you expect your child to learn in a year? In five years? In ten years? What needs to happen now in school to help your child reach those goals?
- Jot down important questions before we meet so that you can be sure to get answers during our meeting. Or you can email those questions to us before we meet.
Fees and Costs
Q. What are your standard charges?
A. We are committed to making legal representation of children and their parents as affordable as possible in order to serve as many people who need a lawyer as we can.
Initial interview and standard hourly rate. We charge a flat fee of $250 to review your child's records, meet with you initially for however long you need, and prepare a brief email after our meeting proposing follow-up activities and making recommendations. If you would like to retain our services thereafter, our attorney fees are $125.00 per hour for "in-office" activities and $100.00 per hour for "out-of-office" activities. If you would simply like to meet with us for an hour initially, with no prior review of records and no opinion letter, our fee is $150.00. But the more information we have, the more helpful we can be.
Due Process. We charge a standard hourly fee of $125.00 for all work we do in connection with litigating a due process case. Due process cases can be very expensive. Attorney fees can be high because so much attorney time is required to prepare for and try the case - about 50-60 hours of attorney time on average, and sometimes much more, depending upon the complexity of the issues, the number of witnesses, the difficulties of proof, the aggressiveness of the defense, the number of exhibits, and many other factors.
In most cases, we will agree in advance to limit your attorney fees to a fixed amount, regardless of the number of hours that we must spend to properly present your case at due process. But expert witness fees, copy costs, and other costs can drive your total costs much higher. In some cases, we may be able to recover some or all of your attorney fees from the school district under the fee reimbursement provision of IDEA 2004 that applies to a "prevailing party." However, there is never any guaranty that such fees can be recovered under the statute.
Pro Bono Representation. In selected cases, where the need is greatest, we may agree to represent you in a due process case for a small fee per month, not to exceed $100.
We have a monthly payment option that we will be happy to discuss with you, along with all fees, costs and billing procedures. We also can accommodate credit card payments.
Due Process
Q. Will I need to go to a Due Process Hearing?
A. That depends. We always try first to resolve problems at the least adversarial - and least expensive - level possible. Due process hearings are difficult, time-consuming and expensive - and there is no guarantee of the result. But sometimes, there is no other way. After we have reviewed your child's records and obtained more information from you, we will be able to discuss your legal options and make recommendations, including due process, if indicated. We will help you get clear on the services your child needs and is legally entitled to receive and develop a plan for securing those services.
Educational Records
Q. Am I entitled to get my child's educational records from the school? How can I get them?
A. Yes. The best way, in our opinion, is to send the school a letter requesting them. The school may charge a reasonable expense for copying the records and take a reasonable time in which to produce them. We have a form letter requesting records on our "forms" page. You can also obtain more information on obtaining your child's records by going to www.wrightslaw.com, where you also will find a sample letter requesting school records. And, of course, you can always contact us for more information.
Question not answered? Call us now at 610.696.5006 or email us now by clicking here.
Education Law Advocates, P.C. skillfully represents parents and their children in southeastern Pennsylvania, including the communities of West Chester, Lower Merion, Coatesville, Paoli, Downingtown and Upper Darby, and throughout the Philadelphia metro area, including Chester County, Montgomery County, Delaware County, Bucks County, Lancaster County and Berks County.
Education Law Advocates, P.C.
Special Education Lawyers
The Culbertson Building
590 Snyder Avenue
West Chester, Pennsylvania 19382
Voice: 610.696.5006
Fax: 610.696.6590
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