Locating an attorney to help a parent deal with special education issues with the public school can be a daunting task.
If a parent hires a local attorney with no experience in the state’s special education processes, then a parent ends up funding getting this attorney educated about the process.
Parent’s can review state due process hearing panel decisions to learn names of attorneys who have handled those hearings in the past. These decisions will list both school district and parent attorneys; a consumer will want to make sure they contact the right one.
Many of the attorneys for parents don’t do this line of work for the money. So, they must charge fees to maintain their offices and staff. If this is too cumbersome for a family, perhaps an advocate might be more affordable.
In Missouri there are some public interest law firms that accept some cases; usually a parent has to apply.
Missouri Special Education Advocates 