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Kate Gerland
Partner
Associations: Colorado Council of Special Education Lawyers (CCSEL); Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, Inc. (COPAA); Colorado and Boulder Bar Association. Education: University of Colorado J.D. Stanford University B.A., Drama
Kate Gerland - focuses on enforcing the rights of parents and children under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.
Ms. Gerland also represents students in manifestation determination, suspensions, and expulsion hearings. She counsels parents on special education law and handles administrative hearings and appeals. In Elizabeth E. v. Jefferson County School Dist. her clients won five straight victories from due process through the petition for certiorari to the Supreme Court. Ms. Gerland, alongside attorneys from Holland and Hart, represented Ebonie and her mother in Ebonie S. v. Pueblo School Dist. 60. The school district designed and built special desks with locking bars to restrain students with disabilities including Ebonie. The litigation lasted for over eight years—from the initial due process hearing through the jury trial in federal court that resulted in a $2.2 million dollar verdict for Ebonie. Prior to discovering special education law, Ms. Gerland has been a teacher in both preschool and law school. Representative cases. Jefferson County School Dist. R-1 v. Elizabeth E., 702 F.3d 1227 (10th Cir. 2012); Jefferson County School Dist. R-1 v. Elizabeth E., 862 F.Supp.2d 1138 (D. Colo. 2012); Jefferson County School Dist. R-1 v. Elizabeth E., 789 F.Supp.2d 1177 (D. Colo. 2011); Taylor F. v. Arapahoe County School Dist. 5, 954 F.Supp.2d 1197 (D. Colo. 2013); Luciano v. East Cent. Bd. of Co-op Educational Services, 885 F.Supp.2d 1063 (D. Colo. 2012).
Elena Eisenberg
Partner Associations: Colorado Council of Special Education Lawyers(CCSEL); Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, Inc. (COPAA); Colorado and Douglas Bar Associations. Education: University of Denver J.D. University of Southern California B.A. International Relations
Elena Eisenberg - specializes in education cases, discipline matters, and juvenile criminal defense. She advocates for students throughout Colorado concerning their Individual Education Plans (IEP's) and 504 plans, private placements, mediations, administrative hearings, and federal and state courts, expulsion hearings, threat assessments, and manifestation determinations.
Former clients include families with students from preschool through graduate school. She is frequently sought to lecture to attorneys and non-attorneys about the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Eisenberg represented children in district and county court privately and for the Colorado Public Defender's Office. In addition to helping children and their families, Ms. Eisenberg also represented adults with disabilities and practiced in other areas of complex civil litigation. She is also a former religious school teacher for elementary age children. Appellate Cases: Peter Moreno v. Joseph Cleveland et. al., unpublished; People v. Darin Johnson, 865 P.2d 836(Colo. 1994); City of Colorado Springs v. Kathleen Conners, 993 P.2d 1167(Colo. 2000). Past honors: U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, Hon. John Kane, Jr., Law Clerk Intern; American Inns of Court, William Doyle Inn; Regional Appellate Moot Court Competitor (National team member award for best brief;
Alexandra D Ferguson
Special Counsel
Education: CUNY School of Law J.D. New York University B.S., Early Childhood and Elementary Education
Alexandra Ferguson - began working in the area of special education law in 1992 as a legal intern at Advocates For Children of New York (AFC) reviewing Federal and State laws and regulations impacting the education of children with disabilities, conducted intake and advocating for parents of children with disabilities against the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE).
She later joined the Office of General Counsel of the NYCDOE practicing in the areas of special education law and student discipline working with high-level administrators advising on Federal and State disability and student discipline laws and regulations. She worked on class action lawsuits brought against NYCDOE that involved the educational rights of incarcerated youth and the unlawful discharge of students. In addition, she represented the NYCDOE on individual cases at impartial hearings. In 2000, Alexandra held the position of Director and Clinic Professor of the Special Education Law Clinic at Rutgers Law School teaching a law class on Special Education Law as well as supervising law students in the Newark, New Jersey area. In 2005, Alexandra joined the Law Offices of Susan Deedy representing parents of children with disabilities against the NYCDOE and Nassau County school districts. After moving to Colorado, Alexandra became a member of the Colorado bar and continues to work in the area of special education law throughout Northern Colorado. Alexandra is a certified teacher with several experience teaching in both private and public schools. She lives with her husband and two children in Boulder, CO.
Anjanette Mantooth
Paralegal
Education: University of La Verne, Certificate in Paralegal Studies
Anjanette Mantooth - has over 18 years of paralegal experience and is the mother of a child with special needs. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Mantooth spent 7 years as a capital case paralegal on the felony panel of a large public defender office. She has also worked in pretrial and post-conviction litigation as a paralegal and office manager.
Ms. Mantooth received her paralegal certificate from the University of La Verne. Outside of work she enjoys photography, off road jeep trips and obstacle course racing.