Blueprints for Special Education Online Workshop

Katherine George has been in private practice for more than 15 years, representing appellants and amicus parties in dozens of precedent-setting cases. She has extensive experience helping parents improve special education for children with disabilities. She was instrumental in the passage of the law regulating restraint and isolation of students in public schools. She represented children’s advocates in the landmark education funding case, McCleary v. State of WA, advocating for full funding of special education.

She also practices media/public records law.

Kerri W. Feeney is one of the very few attorneys practicing in Eastern Washington State dedicated to the representation of parents/students in special education disputes.

She actively supports numerous professional organizations, including the American Bar Association, Washington State Bar Association, WAAA, American Diabetes Attorney Network, and the Council of Parent and Attorney Advocates.

In addition to her legal education, Ms. Feeney holds a Master of Education degree from Washington State University and completed training through the Program on Negotiation/ Mediation at Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and is fluent in Spanish.

Lara Hruska founded Cedar Law based on a holistic approach to school law informed by her unique background in education, social work, and the law. She is licensed to practice law in Washington and California. Lara received her JD from the University of Washington School of Law and also holds an MSW in Child and Family Welfare Policy from Columbia University, an MSEd in Special and General Childhood Education from Bank Street College of Education, and a BA in Peace and Conflict Studies from U.C. Berkeley. She has experience teaching children from pre-kindergarten through middle school in California, New York, and Louisiana, where she served as the founding special education director for two post-Katrina charter schools in New Orleans. She was named a 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020 Rising Star by Washington Super Lawyers. Lara currently serves on the board of the Mother Attorneys Mentoring Association (MAMAs) of Seattle. You can watch her 2016 oral argument on behalf of a student appellant in a special education matter before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit here.

Ryan Ford of Ford Law Firm PLLC.

Ryan represents parents and students in educational legal matters in Washington.  Ryan got his start in special education law in 2013 at his law school’s education and disability legal clinic.  Ryan was ultimately honored with the Outstanding Clinic Intern Award for his graduating class, as well as the Pro Bono Service Award, in recognition of his contributions to low-income communities and Ryan received the top grade for his special education and the law course. 

After Ryan graduated from law school in 2014, he worked as a law clerk at the education and disability legal clinic and then at a law firm in California that represents school districts. 

With the exception of a brief hiatus, Ryan has continued to practice special education law and education law throughout his legal career.  Upon moving to Washington, Ryan began representing families in their special education matters and disputes with school districts. Ryan has successfully navigated numerous families through due process hearings and private placements through the IEP team process.  

Ryan’s approach to special education is to create a collaborative environment and to maintain and, when needed, repair relationships between school districts and families while working towards more robust IEPs that deliver a FAPE.