“The best part about working with Lori Arons was that she truly cares and listens with compassion. Lori demonstrated an amazing understanding of our son’s needs. She was extremely knowledgeable and took the time to explain our son’s special education rights in a way that we can understand. Her legal advice and support have been extraordinary in guiding us patiently through the process. Her experience speaks for itself, and she was very accessible which was very important to us. Her efforts and expertise helped us to help our son secure an out of district placement. Time is often of the essence in special education, and we only wish we sought Lori much sooner than we did. Lori and Cheryl have been a tremendous help and with their efforts our son finally received the appropriate placement he needed that has made it possible for him to be on the positive and productive path he is in today. Thank you Lori for your dedication and passion our family will forever be grateful.”
R.L. & L.L - Parents of a child with Autism
“We had a great experience working with Lori. We were referred to Lori by our parent advocate when we needed to secure a new out of district placement for our toddler on the autism spectrum. She was responsive, professional, compassionate and realistic from the time we began until the job was done. Each step of the way she provided reassurance and expertise alongside our advocate and educational expert so we, as parents, could navigate the process successfully to advocate for our child’s needs. We are truly grateful for Lori’s experience, not only as an attorney but also as a special needs parent. We highly recommend putting your trust in her to help you fight for what is appropriate for your child.”
S.C. & T.C. - Parents of a child with Autism
"I selected Lori because she is well known in special education law by many reputable professionals that understand that Dyslexia is not addressed appropriately in the schools. When I met Lori, I was overwhelmed by next steps I should take to fight to have my son with ADHD & Dyslexia placed in an Out of District School. Lori broke it down simply the documents I would need to support my case. She was also my guiding light on how to handle legal situations I would have never known about if I would have tried handling an Out of District placement on my own. Lori was always open and honest about what to expect. In the end, it was worth the time and effort and my son is soaring at his new school. I sleep great at night knowing my son has what he needs. The best part about working with Lori is she knows how to maneuver through all the red tape, to make things happen and get results."
S.D. - Mother of a child with ADHD & Dyslexia
"I chose Lori because of her experience and background. She can relate to the challenges parents of a child with special needs face on a daily basis. She helped so many other parents just like me who want nothing but an appropriate education for their special needs child. I had an excellent experience working with Lori. She is very professional and knowledgeable. She is direct and explains all you need to know and how to best tackle your case. She provides possible scenarios and outcomes, to help you make an informed decision. I would recommend Lori to parents who may have challenges with their school district in getting an appropriate education for their child. The best part of working with Lori is her ability to connect on a personal level and her responsiveness. She connects with you just like another parent who cares deeply for her child. She always made sure that she responds to my questions in a timely manner. She is dedicated and I know that I can rely on her to help me make the best possible decision. She is excellent in what she does and certainly was able to help me get the appropriate education for my child."
J.P. - Mother of a child with Autism
"We were referred to Lori by another attorney because we were having issues with the school district saying our son was not domiciled in the district while he temporarily stays at his grandparents during COVID-19 for his safety. He is participating in the remote program. He has an IEP and also receives speech services through the district. Lori held our hands through the whole process and advocated for ourselves and our son. We really appreciated her thoroughness and quick responses! We felt that she truly cared about us and would do whatever needed to be done to help us."
A.B. - Mother of a child with Autism
"Lori was very reassuring during a difficult time for my son. She explained the entire process to us up front so there were no surprises. She was very well organized, which I am not; this allowed my family to follow along easily during all our meetings. Lori is very honest and spoke with us only when we needed. When I had questions she answered them, always in a timely fashion. I would highly recommend her legal services!!"
M.L. - Mother of a child with Autism, ADHD & OCD
"It was a great experience working with Lori. Everything was explained up front, she was very diligent and worked very fast being that we went to her in the 11th hour. I would highly recommend her any day. From the moment I met her in her office to the moment our case was settled in our favor, her focus was solely on my child, his well being, and getting him everything that he deserved. She also gave me tissues when I cried tears of relief because without her we would have never won and got what my little warrior needed. Saying thank you will never be enough, but I am forever grateful to Lori! PS. You are definitely BADASS... But I'm not sure if I'm actually allowed say that."
A.P. - Mother of a child with Epilepsy
"Working with Lori was a great experience. Lori made us feel comfortable and secure with the process. We were having difficulty with our daughter's school district trying to take away her out-of-district placement. Lori worked closely with our advocate, Cheryl Connors from Child Means Child, and at mediation they were able to keep her in her placement. Lori is knowledgeable about FAPE and is well versed in the laws directly affecting our daughter. Lori answered questions in timely manner, answered all of our questions about the process, and always kept us in the loop on what was happening with the school district. She was and is a pleasure to work with."
A.H. & J.H. - Parents of a child with Autism, Epilepsy, etc.
"We have our share of challenges in raising a child with autism, and getting the supports and services he needs for his educational goals. Enters Lori Arons, and from the moment we sat down with her in her office, and explained what it is we were seeking to achieve for our son, Lori had a plan of action, and was committed to helping us in any way possible to get what he needed. Lori was able to use her legal expertise to support us, and educate us on our rights as parents, and our son's rights as a student. Her tenacity throughout our case with the school district, resulted in a favorable outcome where the school district agreed to send him an out of district placement in a top private school. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts, we truly appreciate all your hard work on our behalf."
K.G. & P.G. - Parents of a child with Autism
"Lori worked tirelessly with my wife and I to fight for our son to get his specific needs addressed. Her involvement was key to get us what we needed to get our school district to agree to send our son out of district. Thank you Lori for all you did, really appreciate it!"
P.G. - Father of a child with Autism
"We came to Lori at a very critical time in the life of our son. With her exceptional level of expertise, advice and guidance we were able to skillfully navigate the process of securing an out of district placement for our son at a top notch school. Lori works with an amazing team that were also crucial to us attaining success. Obtaining the most favorable outcome was always a top priority and we were able to rest easy, knowing that we could trust her leadership. We greatly appreciated the time Lori took to respond to our every question or concern. The responses were thoughtful, and were always in consideration of the big picture. Despite busy days, Lori always made time to speak or provide a response to an email or question. With Lori, you can rest assured that you are getting the very best. We highly recommended her to any family looking to ensure that their child gets what he or she deserves."
D.D. - Mother of a child with Autism
"Lori Arons has been an absolute savior for our family. We have spent YEARS fighting our school district and after we called Lori we had resolution in less than 3 months. She is a pleasure to work with, listens, is honest, and truly had our child’s best interest at heart. She is knowledgeable and aggressive in getting results. After fighting for so long, we felt like the weight had been lifted off of our shoulders. We knew she would help guide us through the process and ensure our child’s needs were met. I mean it. Words cannot begin to express my gratitude. I know you have been in our shoes. I know you fight because you understand how frustrating and upsetting it is to fight for your child and continually “bang your head against the brick wall” time and time again. I will never understand why we have to fight so hard to get our children’s needs met in school. But as a parent who doesn’t know all of the laws and rules meant to help our kids, it took me 4 years of fighting for my oldest son. When I realized had to fight for my middle son too, I felt like I was drowning. It’s hard to navigate this fight when you don’t know everything. This fight wasn’t just mine. It has affected my entire family. From his big brother having anxiety over it, to Grandpa, to me, to his Dad, even my friends and coworkers have worried about it. From the second we signed the retainer, I KNEW you were the help I needed. The relief I have felt knowing you and Cheryl were behind my son…..(now I’m crying). There are no words. Knowing my son will finally get the support and help he needs to learn to be successful in SPITE of his disability, instead of just accommodations that disappear after high school, means the world to me. Thank you. From the bottom of my heart. I am forever grateful to you, Lori."
V.S. - Mother of a child with ADHD, Anxiety & Depression
"We would like to shout Lori’s name from every rooftop! She is a phenomenal special education attorney. We have been fighting with our district for placement in the Hearing Impaired Program(HIP) in Midland Park for our son with severe-profound hearing loss and he just received a cochlear implant, which requires extensive rehabilitation that only HIP can provide. The district was picking and choosing what they can do to service him in district which is only what THEY could do, not what our son needed. We met with Lori on March 15, and by March 29, she had filed a petition that was super strong that the district immediately approved Out of District Placement without even fighting for the Due Process. Now our son can start HIP, where he belongs, ASAP all thanks to Lori (and our amazing advocate Cheryl Connors from Child Means Child LLC who works very closely with Lori, and recommended we use Lori!). Lori is very thorough and knows what to write and look for to get your child a FAPE (Free Appropriate Public Education) which is what they deserve. Lori has your and your child’s best interest in mind and works quickly, thoroughly and efficiently to write a very strong petition. Lori takes the time to explain the entire process to you, and for people like us who have no background in law whatsoever, we found that extremely helpful. If you are having trouble getting what your child needs and deserves from your school district, look no further and reach out to Lori and you will NOT be sorry!"
S.G. - Mother of a child with Hearing Impairment
Lori helped us with a difficult situation that felt hopeless. She resolved our problem with the school quickly and efficiently. We are extremely happy with the outcome and feel it was resolved in the most cost efficient manner possible. The circumstances that lead to engaging a lawyer to represent you in fighting for your special needs child are always gut-wrenching. Lori was compassionate about our situation. It feels great to find an effective, sympathetic advocate who truly cares about children and families. Thank you, Lori!
A.D. - Mother of a child with Autism & ADHD
As an advocate looking for someone to represent my own child, I was an informed and demanding client, not to mention emotionally distraught. But Lori was exactly the WonderWoman I needed! I walked into Lori's office exhausted by my attempts to get my struggling twice-exceptional son's needs met. Before that first meeting ended Lori was on the phone putting a plan into action that would achieve my goals, preserve my sanity and not empty my dwindling bank account. In the weeks that followed Lori continued to prove herself to be compassionate, tenacious, knowledgeable, strategic and always readily available. I cannot recommend her highly enough. Let's face it. What matters most is results. What Lori achieved for my child was groundbreaking in my district. I was told repeatedly by others that what I was asking for would never happen. Well those skeptics "never" hired Lori.
R.K. - Mother of a child with Anxiety, ADHD, ODD, Bi-Polar Disorder & Autism
"Having a well versed special education lawyer was vital in our long and arduous struggle with the school district to provide a F.A.P.E. for our child. Lori used her extensive knowledge in special education law and experience to help us reach a solution with the district. She’s also a parent and understood the urgency we had of our child attending a school that wouldn’t properly accommodate his medical condition. She embodies the rare combination of being a skilled, professional lawyer who also empathizes with her clients’ struggles and frustrations in advocating for their children. We are so grateful for everything she has done for us."
M.M. & S.M. - Parents of a child with Rare Syndrome
"When we met Lori Arons we were frustrated with a school district that kept saying “no” to our requests for our child. We wanted to get the appropriate services for our child but the district would not budge. After meeting with Lori and our advocate we felt a renewed sense of hope. Lori is an expert in special education law. She carefully looked through our documents and reassured us that our child had rights. We were ready to take our power back. We decided to advocate for our child’s rights. With Lori’s guidance and advice we were successful in obtaining services for our child. It was a clear message to the district that we knew our child’s rights and we were not intimidated.We are now equipped to stand on our own knowing that Lori and our advocate are there for us. The best thing about working with Lori is her ability to make you feel at ease, like everything’s going to be okay. Her demeanor is calm and confident. She made herself available to us and always answered our questions carefully. She really listened to our concerns. When Lori spoke of our child it was like she knew our child personally even though they never met. We are grateful and blessed to have worked with Lori. We highly recommend her and wish we would have met her sooner."
O.R. & C.R. - Parents of a child with Special Needs
"Lori is a very experienced special education attorney who is patient, knowledgeable, and has "all the tools" to get your child a FAPE (Free and Appropriate Public Education). From the initial consultation to the settlement conference in court, Lori anticipated every action the school district took and was prepared to get our son the education and out-of-district placement he was entitled to. Lori is easy to approach and explains to the parents the steps in layman's terms to contest the school district's IEP recommendations. Her fees are reasonable and she is conscious of maximizing her services in the minimum amount of time needed to obtain your goals on behalf of your child. If you are in need of a Special Education attorney, you should call Lori Arons so your child has the best chance to either modify his or her IEP or obtain out-of-district placement."
A.T. - Father of a child with Autism
"Lori Arons is absolutely amazing! I was so blessed to find a special education lawyer who was not only a great lawyer, but also a great source of support for me during my challenging time. She is not only a great lawyer, but a good person, which is not easy to find. She is kind, empathetic, knowledgeable, and easy to talk to. She was constantly accessible to me and always answered any questions I had with kindness and never made me feel silly for any questions. She is one tough chick with a heart of gold. She knows the law and got my son the placement he needed!! I highly recommend Lori Arons, you need this woman on your team!"
D.T. - Mother of a child with Autism
"Lori is excellent, very friendly and has a warm heart. She is very knowledgeable about special education law. I first reached out to her a year ago, but didn’t meet with her at that time. A year later I was struggling with a legal situation with the school district. I sat down with her, and she explained how we would handle it and what to expect in the process. At our first meeting she quickly prepared legal papers, and from the first day the school heard her name I saw the school's attitude change. It was so amazing, she quickly turned the table with the school. She kept me informed of what was happening every step of the way. My daughter got the services she needed within a month. Thank you Lori. It was the best experience to work with you. I wish I had met you sooner, and I highly recommend you to everyone."
B.C. - Father of a child with Special Needs
"I sought Lori Arons’ help when our school district was dragging its feet in proceeding with the out-of-district placement they had promised for my daughter. Lori was careful, patient, and kind through the process of investigating the case and then seeking a quick and positive resolution, and she was extremely well versed in the specifics of cases such as ours. In the end we did not need to proceed with a costly, time-consuming claim. I was in great hands and it was a relief to not need to figure out next steps on my own. I recommend Lori enthusiastically."
L.H. - Mother of a child with Generalized Anxiety Disorder
"Lori was amazing! We were struggling to get even the most basic cooperation from our school: limiting the access of a private evaluator, delays in scheduling, threats to not pay independent evaluators that they agreed to pay for etc.
Throughout our struggles, Lori was extremely speedy, jumping into action and responding immediately to the issue at hand. AND, getting results with her professionalism, swift response, understanding of the law and precedents, and basically letting the school and their lawyers know that we meant business and were not going to be put off.
We are extremely grateful to Lori for her expertise, her guidance, and commitment to helping our son receive the education he deserves."
C.D. & R.D. - Parents of a child with Autism
"Working with Lori was a very positive experience. She always made sure that we as the parents were comfortable with her strategy to secure a FAPE for our 5 year old child with autism. She wasn't only strategic and smart over the year that we worked with her; she was also kind, thoughtful and understanding. Lori worked hard to help our daughter. She was easily reachable by phone or email, never rushed any of our meetings, and made sure to answer all of our questions. I would sincerely recommend Lori to any family who needs help with their child's special education needs. Her depth of knowledge in New Jersey special education law together with her compassion and drive to help our daughter resulted in placement at a prominent out-of-district private school. We will forever be grateful to Lori for helping our daughter at a vital time in her development."
J.S. & D.S. - Parents of a child with Autism
"I highly recommend Ms. Lori Arons for legal services in the special education laws without any reservation. I have struggled with the school district for 8~9 years about my son's case. Because a spot in a good school is momentary with a long waiting list, and school districts may easily destroy a nice opportunity if you cannot secure the spot in a timely fashion. Therefore, my son could not have an appropriate school for years and ended up staying home-school for the past 3 years. When I learned a very nice spot becomes available recently, my first reaction is to find a nice lawyer to represent us as we had some unsuccessful experience before. Per my friend's recommendation, I reached Ms. Arons. She is very knowledgeable and considerate about the schools, special-need kid's parents, programs, and legal issues. She has sympathy with parents but can provide objective and comprehensive analysis of all possibilities. In the process, she was very reachable. She provided wise advice and took actions timely. Eventually, my son secured the spot within one month. It has been the happiest moment for my family and I believe it will be life-change point in my son's life. Thank you - Ms. Arons."
H.Y. - Father of a child with Autism
"Lori’s expertise in the field of special education law assisted my daughter with a life altering situation she was facing at her High School. Ultimately, the decision went in our favor and I cannot express how thrilled we are to have come across Lori. Lori is compassionate and caring, but also straight forward with the process. I highly recommend her to anyone who needs assistance in this area."
S.G. - Mother of a child with IBS, Anxiety and Depression
"Selecting Lori Arons as our attorney was one of the best decisions we made in securing FAPE for our son with Autism. Lori displayed a complete understanding of education law and showed patience, understanding and compassion during our frustrating litigation with the school district. She was always readily available and never hesitated to explain things (multiple times) that we didn’t understand. We truly feel Lori is excellent at her job, because of her own personal experience in securing FAPE for her own child. Lori understands the emotional roller coaster that special needs parents go through. Her own personal experience combined with her legal prowess, make her a force to be reckoned with and we highly recommend her."
K.M. - Mother of a child with Autism
"During our son’s annual IEP meeting, it was obvious to us that something was not right. For years we assumed the District had our son’s interests at heart. We trusted the District and followed every suggestion they made. But this time we knew the accommodations offered were inadequate. The IEP Team insisted “the accommodations are appropriate” and stated such in a clear “take it or leave it" tone. We were shocked. It was like watching our house burn down and having the fire department say “all you can have is this garden hose.” My wife consulted friends and I looked online for guidance. The State guidebooks are of no help to the average parent, and the rules are too confusing for a layperson to follow correctly. We felt helpless and were overwhelmed by the complexities of the process. We had nearly lost any hope of challenging the school, and knew we needed help. We hired Lori who educated us as to the dispute resolution process, and explained that our son had been under served for many years. Unfortunately, it took a major problem for my wife and I to realize we should have sought help sooner. We understand that schools are under pressure to control their costs, homeowners do not enjoy property tax increases, parents of school children want the money spent where it most benefits their children, and the deck is stacked against the children who need special education services. As parents of a child with special needs, we had to fight for what the law entitled him to. Lori was the perfect person to help us with our fight. In addition to being an attorney, she is a mother who fought for her own child. We felt she understood our challenge in advocating for our son. She was compassionate, and explained everything in clear language we could understand. Lori also brought in a special education consultant to work with us, and to help control the costs of preparing for due process. We felt it added a teacher's “schoolhouse” perspective to Lori's “courthouse” perspective. It was interesting watching them volley “if we say ‘A’, they’ll say ‘B’” scenarios back and forth. With Lori’s assistance, we challenged our son's IEP before a Judge, and the school finally agreed to make the appropriate changes for our son. It wasn’t cheap, but it definitely paid for itself. We were extremely satisfied with the outcome. Any parent who is concerned their child is not receiving an appropriate education, and is willing to invest in their child's future, should call Lori. Even the most well-educated and well-meaning parents are not properly equipped to fight the school on their own."
R.B. - Father of a child with ADHD, ODD and Mood Disorder
"It was great working with Lori, she helped us to feel at ease during a very difficult situation. She dealt with all of the complexities and filtered out all the chaos for us so we could just focus on our son. She moved everything along efficiently and quickly in order to ensure that our son was able to get the most effective learning environment in an appropriate time frame. My favorite thing about working with Lori was that she personalized everything for our son and our family. We were not simply a number to her. She handled our case with compassion and personalized service. Her knowledge of "the system" was impressive, and through her knowledge she was able to help educate us as well. I would recommend Lori to anyone with a special needs child. Even if you "think" your child is getting what they need, you might be surprised to find that they are entitled to much more. Children with special needs can be a very vulnerable group. They need great guidance and advocacy from people like Lori to ensure that they are able to reach their full potential."
J.P. - Mother of a child with Autism
"It was a great experience working with Lori, she made what was a very difficult situation much more palatable. She was very understanding of what we were going through. Lori has an amazing grasp of the law and made it very easy for us to understand so we were able to make the best decisions. Lori is always accessible anytime time of day, and even the night. I could not imagine working with anyone else."
J.Y. - Father of a twice exceptional child with ODD and School Avoidance
"The most passionate attorney you can find who will always have your best interests at heart."
L.D. - former client
"Our school district presented an IEP to us that we could not agree on so we submitted a request for mediation through the NJ DOE. We never needed legal counsel before and we really didn’t know where to start so we started asking around and through a referral, we contacted Lori because we heard great things about her. When we met Lori at the initial consultation meeting, we knew that she was the one for us. She was full of knowledge and really knew the ins and outs of the law. She also had experience with dealing with child study teams on a personal level because she had to go through legal battles with her own school district. She really took the time to listen to our story and understood where we were coming from and what was important to us. She presented options and the pros and cons of going with each of the options presented. We felt like we were a team after meeting with her and could breathe again because she was going to guide us and help us through the ordeal. I have to say that we would not have had the same result at the mediation if it wasn’t for Lori. She went to the mediation very prepared and was a pro. The opposing counsel, child study team and mediator knew her from the past and knew that she would not back down and would take it to the next level if necessary. What we liked best about working with her is that she took the time to read the documentation that we provided and listened to us so that she could understand what our son was about and we felt that she really cared about the outcome and wanted the best for us."
L.G. - Mother of a child with Communication Impairment
“Lori's success in helping bring our issues to a satisfactory conclusion are a result of not only her in-depth expertise in Education Law, but also the fact that she has fought this battle on her own behalf, and knows firsthand the turmoil her clients are experiencing. Her guidance and representation is getting us what we were seeking to get our son the education he deserves.”
K.A. & G.A. - Parents of a child with Autism
“Thank you so much for yesterday. I am so pleased with how things went [at mediation]. It has been a pleasure working with you and I feel so relieved that you are available to call upon as needed. I anticipate that this is a dance I may have to do with the district for awhile, especially since I have two boys in the system.”
L.S. - Mother of a child with Dyslexia
“Lori is excellent and is one of the best special ed attorneys I have ever met. Before I met with Lori the first time, I had already sent her some documents, I was impressed when I sat down with her, she showed me that she understood my case. She was able to discuss with me on what I needed to do and gave me very good suggestions. I wish I have met her the first time I began advocating for my kids.”
Anna - Mother of a child with Special Needs
“Thank you for the meeting. I truly admire and appreciate your readiness and knowledge. I wish I had met with you last year or the year before. You are able to articulate better than I do on my daughter's deficits. In my previous settlement hearing, my attorney was with me, but I was alone in explaining to the ALJ what my daughter needs because my attorney said he didn't know. We parents need someone like you. Thanks again.”