On May 21, 2021 Jay Coleman of Center for Arkansas Legal Services and Joshua Lester of Legal Aid of Arkansas presented “Legal Advocates in Special Education.” The presentation covered common pitfalls in special education services, ways to secure services, and type of services available. Most of the presentation focused on 504 and IEP services. Unfortunately, we cannot offer CLE credit for watching on-demand. This recording is available for informational purposes only.

Agenda

• Legal Avenues for Services
• Individualized Education Programs (IEPs)
• 504 Plans
• Client Considerations
  • What are you trying to obtain and why
  • When do you need it and can we get within the current school year
• Addressing Systemic Change

About the Presenters:

Jay Coleman is a Staff Attorney for the Center for Arkansas Legal Services Pine Bluff Office. He started working here in 2020. Jay has a JD from Southern University Law Center in Baton Rouge, LA, and he is admitted to practice in Arkansas and Tennessee.

Joshua Lester joined Legal Aid of Arkansas in August 2020 as an Equal Justice Works Fellow. Josh works within the Medical-Legal Partnership at Arkansas Children’s Hospital. Josh assists patients and their families at ACH under a project aimed at increasing healthcare access. Josh is a graduate of Cecil. C. Humphreys School of Law. Prior to Law, Josh worked as a grant and program director with a statewide advocacy organization in Middle Tennessee. There, he addressed barriers to mental health resources for Tennesseans.