Inside the System: How Special Education Cases Are Built, Evaluated, and Decided

COURSE DETAILS

Join us for a moderated panel bringing together special education attorneys, former NYC Department of Education leadership, an Impartial Hearing Officer, and educational leadership to show how cases are actually handled across the system.

The program will provide a practical, real-world examination of how special education cases are developed, challenged, and ultimately decided. Through a moderated discussion, panelists will walk through the lifecycle of a case, offering insight into how decisions are made at each stage and how strategy, evidence, and educational factors influence outcomes.

Topics will include early case evaluation, building an effective evidentiary record, and strategic decision-making around settlement and hearing. This includes what drives cases toward settlement and when it makes sense to proceed to a hearing. The panel will also address what makes evidence and testimony credible, what decision-makers focus on, what weakens a case even when the underlying facts appear strong, where cases commonly break down, and how attorneys and educational providers can better align to support both the student and the case.

Attendees will leave with practical guidance they can apply immediately to assessing case strength, building a record that holds up, and presenting their case at a hearing.

FACULTY

Faculty: Celeste Gagliardi, Chief Education Officer, Gersh Autism Academy; Ariel Zitrin, Esq., Founder, AZ & CB Law & Consulting; Paul Barger, Esq., Founder, Barger & Gaines; Solange Captan, Esq., Founder, Solange Captan Legal PC; Vanessa M. Gronbach, Esq., Founder, Gronbach Law Offices

Moderator: Christopher Barnett, Esq., Co-Founder, AZ & CB Law & Consulting

Program Coordinator: Jonathan Martin, Special Education Liaison, Gersh Autism Academy

Program Co-sponsor: Gersh Autism Academy