Overview
Kathy practices in the areas of school and employment law with an emphasis in special education and discrimination law. Her experience as a licensed clinical social worker serves to uniquely benefit her clients. Kathy chairs the School and Mental Health subcommittee of the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee on Special Education. While there, Kathy and the committee developed a combined consent form for schools and parents that authorized the release of school student records.
Kathy’s representation includes a variety of matters related to students covered by disability laws including determining eligibility, disciplinary procedures, and interim alternative placements. She advises schools with student and staff discipline issues, allegations of discrimination, comprehensive policy reviews, confidentiality of public records, negotiation of intergovernmental agreements, and other school operations.
Kathy regularly assists school districts with reviewing special education programs and supports school boards in monitoring and setting initiatives consistent with their legal obligations to students with disabilities. She has extensive experience addressing whether services offered or provided meet the district's obligations to provide a free appropriate public education (FAPE) and with administrative due process proceedings.
In her employment law practice, she focuses primarily on discrimination and disability law. Before joining the firm, Kathy was a Staff Attorney and Programs Administrator for the Circuit Court of Cook County, Juvenile Justice and Child Protection Department Resource Section. While there, she was involved in program and policy development across offices working in the Juvenile Court System.