GAIL HODES

Attorney at Law

Representing Students
with Special Education Needs

Your Educational Ally

Every student is entitled to an appropriate education so that they can reach their potential. We are passionate about protecting the rights of children with special needs, and vulnerable youth. We advocate for students ages 3 through 22, in all areas of disability so that they can obtain the educational program they deserve and require. We also guide parents and caregivers so that you can participate in your child’s education fully and effectively.

Know Your Rights

If you suspect that the school is not doing enough for your child, it likely isn’t. Understanding what is lacking, or what your child needs in order to reach his or her potential is not always easy. We can partner with you in the educational process, helping you understand your legal rights in order to obtain a free and appropriate education for your child.

Get Results

We provide expert and exceptional legal services to help your child obtain what she/he needs to be a successful student, which can change the trajectory of your child’s life. For example, we can help you obtain an Independent Educational Evaluation that will identify your child’s unique needs, we can help obtain special education eligibility and an IEP for your child, and we can help obtain appropriate placement such as a non public school, or a residential treatment center, and we can help your student get services she/he needs such as resource support, speech and language, or occupational therapy. In addition, sometimes parents have to pay for placement or educational services themselves, and we can help you get reimbursed from the school district.

SERVICES

We represent students of all ages in obtaining a free and appropriate public education under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. We advocate for children with special needs, and for their parents or caregivers who are being denied their legal rights to meaningfully participate in their child’s education. We represent clients at IEP meetings, prepare and file due process hearing requests, and we provide representation at early resolutions sessions, mediations, and due process hearings.

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SERVING Northern and Central California

What people are saying...

Our daughter struggled horribly throughout middle school and most of high school with absolutely no support from the schools she was attending. It was as if her 504 plan and/or IEP was non existent. We had a difficult time even trying to get an IEP established. With that being said, we decided to retain the legal services of Gail Hodes. She was able to obtain the educational support and the proper school placement our daughter needed.

Gail is extremely knowledgeable, professional and will keep you informed throughout the entire process. We are so grateful to her for everything she has done to help our daughter to completely turn her education around and make it a success!

~ Christie M.

Gail has been immeasurably helpful advocating for our son’s right to a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE), which in his case was a therapeutic residential school. She was able to see beyond our son’s substance use to the serious mental health and learning difference issues that lay underneath, that his current School District had been aware of and effectively ignored. Our son’s case was complex, and she steadfastly advocated for our family, ultimately prevailing. Without Gail’s intimate knowledge of the special education laws in California, deep experience working with our School District, and passion for helping children with learning differences and special needs, we would not have been able to afford the care he needed. Gail is in this business for the right reasons, leading with her heart. I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to work with her.

~ T. W.

We had been trying for many years to facilitate our son’s needs being met in the district, but finally with Gail’s help we were able to get help for him. Her help was instrumental in our dealing with the school district on his behalf and settling the terms of his IEP. She was professional, compassionate, responsive, knowledgeable, thorough and a good listener. Her creative solutions and excellent time management made a big difference in getting our case settled. We highly recommend her.

~ Matt & Rachel Stull

We are the parents of a teenage girl with Prader-Willi syndrome, a very complex and life threatening genetic disorder. She did not do well at local Cal. High school. We tried for several years to get her transferred to a residential school which specializes in working with people with this syndrome. No one at the school district would listen.

We finally contacted Gail Hodes. We had thought that getting a lawyer involved would be both expensive and more of the same turndowns by the school district. We were very wrong! Within several months, even behind school district delaying tactics, Ms Hodes was able to get us a settlement which was just about everything we wanted!

Our daughter has been at her new school for 6 months now and she loves it just as we had hoped. She has peers. She has watchful eyes and good schooling. We are very pleased.

Thank you so much, Gail.

~ George and Whitney Anderson