Bio

For over 20 years, Robin Ballard has dedicated her practice to the area of special education law. She currently represents public school districts in all facets of special education law, including evaluations, eligibility, program development and placement determinations, dispute resolution with parents, and disciplinary matters. She regularly attends Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings and mediations conducted through the Department of Education and appears before the Office of Administrative Law for emergent and plenary hearings. Robin also handles appeals in the U.S. District Court and the Third Circuit. In addition, Robin often conducts in-service presentations on special education and 504 issues for teachers, special services personnel, and service providers, including the preparation of legally compliant documents, and strategies for dealing with difficult situations and effective communication with parents. Robin’s education and experiences gleaned while she was in her doctoral program for psychology are assets in meeting clients’ needs in the area of special education law. While in graduate school, she conducted therapy with individuals suffering from learning disabilities and other mental health diagnoses. Further, Robin performed psychological and educational testing to identify aspects of individuals’ functioning as well as areas in which they were in need of intervention. These experiences counseling and testing individuals with psychiatric disabilities have given her insight into the difficulties experienced by the special education population, which is the focus of her work. Her background has also been particularly useful in preparations for hearings, particularly in developing direct and cross-examination of expert witnesses.