How We Fight
Here is exactly what happens when you pick up the phone and call us.
We Escalate When They Force Us To
Not every case needs a hearing. Some disputes resolve the moment the DOE realizes there is an experienced attorney on the other side. When it does not resolve, we escalate — methodically, aggressively, and on a timeline the DOE cannot ignore. We have taken cases all the way to the Ninth Circuit. The DOE knows that. It changes how they negotiate.
Step by Step
You Call. We Listen.
Tell us what the school is doing — or not doing. What services are missing. What the last IEP meeting looked like. What the school told you when you pushed back. We have heard every version of this story over 800+ cases, and we know which details matter legally. This call is free.
Have these ready if you can: Your child's current IEP, any emails or letters from the school, and evaluation reports. If you do not have them, call anyway — we will tell you how to get them.
We Tear Apart the IEP
We review your child's records — the IEP, evaluations, progress reports, correspondence. After 800+ cases, we know what a compliant IEP looks like and, more importantly, what a non-compliant one is trying to hide. We identify every legal violation and tell you straight: here is what you have, here is what you do not, and here is what we can do about it.
We will be honest: If your case does not have strong legal grounds, we will tell you that up front. We do not waste your time and we do not waste ours.
We Walk Into the IEP Meeting With You
Having an attorney at the IEP table changes everything. The school staff who were brushing you off last month suddenly follow every procedure. The administrator who "could not attend" last time shows up. We make sure the IEP is designed to actually serve your child — not to minimize the district's obligations. We have done this hundreds of times. The DOE knows what it means when we are in the room.
Most parents do not know this: Many disputes resolve at this stage. When the district sees experienced legal representation across the table, they often give your child what they should have been providing all along.
Demand Letters and Negotiation
If the IEP meeting does not fix the problem, we put it in writing. We send formal demand letters that lay out every legal violation and exactly what the district must do to correct it. Then we negotiate directly with the district's legal team. After 27 years, we know every DOE attorney, every delay tactic they use, and every argument they will try. That gives us significant leverage at the negotiating table.
We File for Due Process
When negotiation fails, we file. A formal due process complaint triggers mandatory timelines: 15 days to a resolution session, 45 days to a hearing. The DOE cannot stall any longer. We file detailed complaints that document every violation and the specific relief your child is entitled to. We have filed hundreds of these — we know what wins.
Critical protection: Filing triggers "stay-put" — your child's current placement and services are locked in while the case is pending. The DOE cannot change anything. How due process works.
The Hearing
If the case goes to hearing, we are ready. We present evidence, call witnesses, cross-examine the DOE's people, and make legal arguments to the hearing officer. Keith Peck has conducted more parent-side IDEA hearings in Hawaii than any other attorney — by a wide margin. He knows the hearing officers, he knows the DOE's playbook, and he knows how to take apart their arguments.
Your Child Gets What the Law Requires
Whether through settlement or hearing decision, the result is the same: your child receives the services, placement, and support the DOE should have been providing all along. That can mean changes to the IEP, additional services, compensatory education for what was missed, reimbursement for private services you paid for, or a funded private placement. We have secured all of these — including placements costing $81,000 per month and individual recoveries exceeding $4.4 million.
Why It Matters That It's Us
We Know Every Player
27 years in this system means we know the DOE's attorneys, the hearing officers, the federal judges, and the Ninth Circuit panel. We know who rules which way on which issues. That is intelligence you cannot buy.
Families Only — For 27 Years
Some education attorneys represent school districts when the money is better. We have been dedicated exclusively to families for 27 years. When the DOE sees our name on a filing, they know exactly where we stand.
You Pay Nothing
The DOE pays our fees when we prevail. Zero out of your pocket. Here is how.
We Go All the Way
IEP meeting to hearing to federal court to the Ninth Circuit. We have done it 15+ times at the appellate level alone. The DOE knows we do not bluff — and that changes how they deal with us at every stage.
Tell Us What the School Is Doing. We Will Tell You What Comes Next.
Free consultation. No obligation. We will give you an honest assessment of your situation and exactly what we can do about it.
