2012 Legal Issues Webinar Series - Agenda | Online Registration by Cvent

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

2:00 PM - 3:30 PM (Tuesday, April 30, 2013)	One Year Subscription Webinar Series Subscription. Have you been looking for a low-cost way to stay up-to-date on the latest hot topics and trends in Special Education Advocacy? Our Webinar Series Subscription provides you with instant access to LIVE webinars occuring during the subcription year and all On-demand Webinars in our recorded archives. Refund Policy - there are not refunds for live sessions in which subscribers are unable to participate. Subscribers may listen to any of the archived sessions on demand.
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM (Tuesday, July 3, 2012)	Legal Series - All six sessions included Register for the entire series and save. Choose this option and you will be registered for all six of the sessions in the series.
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM	Do-It-Yourself Special Education Due Process, an Educational Guide Presenter: Dorene Philpot, Esq. Over the years Dorene has demonstrated extraordinary dedication to helping children with disabilities obtain a free and appropriate education on many levels. Dorene currently practices in Texas and Indiana. Dorene is the winner of the 2012 COPAA Diane Lipton Award for Educational Advocacy. Dorene won every case she tried last year. A nominating colleague wrote: ”This year Dorene batted 1000 for parents in a league where even the best of fields is like playing straight up the side of a mountain.” Dorene spends a great deal of time mentoring other attorneys and as a result has directly increased the quality and quantity of parent representation. Description: Going to a hearing is a difficult decision to make, but once it is made, if you absolutely must represent yourself in a hearing, you will need to learn tips on how to do the best job you can for your child.This session provides an overview of the book Do-It-Yourself Special Education Due Process, An Educational Guide. Topics discussed will include considerations for deciding to go to Due Process on your own, including options and alternatives; timing, setting up your case for success, types of cases, and step-by-step instructions. To purchase a copy of "Do-It-Yourself Special Education Due Process, An Educational Guide" by Dorene Philpot via credit card at a cost of $35 for non-Texas residents or $37.89 for Texas residents, please click here and follow the instructions on the order page. The book is also available in hard copy for $50.00

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

2:00 PM - 3:30 PM

2011 Annual Case Law Review

Presenter: Judith Gran, Esq. Founding Member of COPAA, Partner at Reisman Carrolla Gran, LLP.

Judith is a cum laude graduate of Temple University School of Law where she was a staff member of the Temple Law Quarterly. She holds an A.B. with honors from Wellesley College and an A.M. from the University of Chicago in political science. She was awarded a Fulbright-Hayes fellowship for research in Egypt and she was a National Defense Title IV and Title VI fellow. She worked for PILCOP from 1984 -2009 and is currently in private practice and is a Partner, Reisman Carolla Gran, LLP. Judith has devoted her legal career to representing persons with disabilities and their organizations in litigation, providing training, technical assistance and counseling. She has represented thousands of students with disabilities and their parents in due process hearings and cases arising under IDEA and Section 504 in federal court around the country, including individual and class action cases and was lead counsel in Gaskin v. Commonwealth, PILCOP’s groundbreaking class action against Pennsylvania education officials brought on behalf of a coalition of eleven state and local organizations

Description: This session is presented by one of the nations foremost legal experts on issues involving persons with disabilities. Judith reviews her annual look at case trends and discusses the implications for practice. Participants will recieve the document: 2011: THE YEAR IN REVIEW CASES DECIDED BY THE UNITED STATES COURTS OF APPEAL UNDER THE INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES EDUCATION ACT AND RELATED STATUTES. Case summaries and an analysis of the impact and trends by topic and circuit are presented. This is always a highight of the COPAA Conference and is a must-know for special education legal advocates.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

2:00 PM - 3:30 PM

Research Without Resources, Utilizing the TA&D Network

Presenters: Susan Bruce and Mary Eaddy
Susan is an education coordinator and parent trainer for South Carolina's Parent Training and Information Center, PRO*Parents of SC. In the last 5 years, Susan has trained over 2000 parents and professionals on the IDEA and effective advocacy skills. Susan is member of the COPAA Board of Directors.

Mary is Executive Director of PRO-Parents of S. C.; the South Carolina Parent Training and Information Center (PTI). She has provided extensive training related to special education, parent involvement, disabilities and non-profit management at the state and national level. She has served and continues to serve on many Board of Directors, including the National Coalition of Parent Centers.

Description: Research can be a time consuming and tedious task. The ability to locate, identify and utilize research based practices and regulatory guidance is one of the most valuable advocacy tools in the parent advocates arsenal. The Technical Assistance and Dissemination Network (TA&D) is an underutilized FREE tool which offers research based data on nearly every education issue. The TA&D Network consists of 40 projects funded under Part D, Discretionary Grants of the IDEA, by the US Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs, most being vetted by the US DOE as well. Whether looking for research based data on behavior of children, best educational practices, dispute resolution information, IDEA regulatory information, or any other education information, the TA&D Network is the one stop place to search. A special emphasis will be placed on the OSEP funded projects which address some of the most significant issues facing advocates nationally, The RtI Action Network, IDEA Building the Legacy (regulatory guidance), CADRE (Consortium for Appropriate Dispute Resolution), the Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, NICHCY, and NSTTAC (National Secondary Transitioning Technical Assistance Center).

Friday, June 22, 2012

10:00 AM - 11:30 AM

Details, Details: Understanding Your Rights and Why They Matter

Presenters: Dana Jonson, Esq., Jennifer Laviano, Esq

Dana and Jen are members of the COPAA Board and are each in private practice in Connecticut. Dana is a graduate of the Northeastern University School of Law. She also holds a Master of Science degree in Education from Simmons College, with a focus on Intensive Special Needs, and an undergraduate degree in Psychology from Fairfield University. Jennifer holds a BA in English Literature from Skidmore College, and earned her JD, cum laude, from Quinnipiac University School of Law. Dana and Jen focus their law practice entirely to the special education rights of children and adolescents with disabilities.

(This session is FREE for COPAA Parent Members)
Description: No matter where you are in the special education process, as a parent, you need to not only understand your rights, but why they are important and how they play out in the real world of IEP meetings, Mediations, and Due Process Hearings. This workshop explores six core principals of the IDEA: Free appropriate public education (FAPE), Appropriate Evaluation, Individualized Education Program (IEP), Least Restrictive Environment (LRE), Parent Involvement, and Procedural Safeguards and explains how parents can practically apply them. Practical tools are provided to parents, with basic information necessary to create a productive working relationship with their IEP team, navigate the special education system, identify when a dispute arises, and address that dispute productively.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

2:00 PM - 3:30 PM

Preserving the Parent's Dissent; Drafting Effective IEP Attachments

Presenters: Mark Woodsmall, Esq.
Mark Woodsmall is the founder of Woodsmall Law Group, PC a law firm based in the San Gabriel Valley area. The firm practices exclusively in the areas of Special Education and representation before the Regional Center. In 2006 Mr. Woodsmall joined the faculty of the USC Gould School of Law as a Professor Adjunct, teaching in the area of special education law.

Description: Parents, as essential participants in the IEP process, must have an effective tool to express disagreement in situations where the District's offer is inappropriate. This workshop, for parents, advocates and new attorneys focuses on the all important task of preserving the parents' dissent through a "Parent Attachment" to the IEP.

Thursday, June 28, 2012

2:00 PM - 3:30 PM

ABC'S of Drafting Federal Court Pleadings

Presenters: Judith A. Gran, Esq., Catherine Merino Reisman, Esq.

Judith is a cum laude graduate of Temple University School of Law where she was a staff member of the Temple Law Quarterly. She holds an A.B. with honors from Wellesley College and an A.M. from the University of Chicago in political science. She worked for PILCOP from 1984 -2009 and is currently in private practice and is a Partner, Reisman Carolla Gran, LLP. Judith has devoted her legal career to representing persons with disabilities and their organizations in litigation, providing training, technical assistance and counseling. She has represented thousands of students with disabilities and their parents in due process hearings and cases arising under IDEA and Section 504 in federal court around the country.

Catherine is a founding partner of Reisman Carolla Gran LLP, a firm that specializes in litigation and advice related to special education. She serves on COPAA’s Board of Directors as its Immediate Past Chair, Co-Chair of Amicus and Conference Committees and is on the Governmental Relations Committees. She is a Parent Representative to the Program Advisory Board of the New Jersey Coalition for Inclusive Education.

Description: What claims do I pursue? Can I wait and see if the school district appeals before I file my Complaint in federal court? What is the most effective way to present the claims? This session discusses the mechanics, strategy and ethical considerations in drafting a Complaint for federal court through examples of Complaints in several Circuits, to show how the style and manner of pleading varies greatly from Circuit to Circuit (and even from practitioner to practitioner). Emphasis is on practical applications and the actual mechanics of putting out a Complaint.