Thank you again for everything – your advice from the very beginning of this has been so helpful as I’ve tried to navigate this situation.

My daughter attended X High School in the Fairfield Suisun Unified School District. The school failed to provide mandated services as specified by her IEP (Individualized Education Program) and also ignored five letters from her doctor, each one more urgent than the previous one, reminding the school that they needed to provide mandated services. Then, outrageously, the school attempted to expel my daughter when she ran into difficulties caused in very great part by the school’s failure to help my daughter in any way, even though they were legally obligated to do so.

The school thought we would fall for signing a form, essentially rolling over dead, letting our daughter be expelled with no recourse to anything but private education afterward. I told them I would like to have my attorney look over the school’s paperwork and called Michelle Ball. With Michelle on the case, the school ended up settling. My daughter was not expelled from the district and received the attention she needed at a different school, a school much more suited to her needs.

A year later, the school failed to provide my daughter’s mandated services again, and I formally reminded them that they were defaulting on a legal agreement and would be liable for their actions. That rectified the problem; I’m quite sure they knew Michelle Ball would not let this slide.

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My daughter ended the last school semester with a 3.76 GPA, the best of any of our children! Michelle is a very hard-working, capable attorney and a caring human being. I would highly recommend her to anyone whose child is experiencing a problem with the education system.

Highly recommended for education issues

Michelle was instrumental in helping us deal with the school district and obtain the best outcome for my grandson. Dealing with the school ourselves was overwhelming and frustrating but she acted quickly and professionally on every issue. I would highly recommend her services in dealing with education or school related matters. Before retaining Michelle we had a referral to another lawyer but it was clear he didn’t have the needed background for dealing with our issue. Michelle knew from the start what was needed and went to work quickly on a positive outcome.

We were referred to Michelle Ball from two other families in our county regarding school/district related issues. After our initial telephone consultation with her, we were confident in what our outcome would be. Ms. Ball’s knowledge of our inter-district issues really benefited our situation. She was extremely professional and expeditious in handling our matter. The requests presented by her, which our school had previously denied, were immediately granted. We truly appreciate all of her help and would definitely use her services in the future if needed.

I never thought that I would need an educational attorney. After all, I was a retired special education teacher, and I had written my fair share of IEP’s. I knew how to navigate my way around the special education system, or so I thought! Then came reality! My seventeen-year-old daughter, with a learning disability, was being denied access to our local high school. It was the high school that she wanted to attend, and it was also the least restrictive environment for her. After trying everything in my bag of “educational” tricks, (over a period of two years), i.e. SST meetings, IEP meetings, a special education public school, and even a non public school, I still couldn’t get her into the local high school.

So, I contacted Michelle Ball. I phoned her office on Monday evening, and by Thursday morning, my daughter and I were sitting in her office for our consultation. Michelle agreed with me that my daughter should be allowed to attend the local high school. As a result of our consultation, Michelle wrote an outstanding letter to the school district superintendent, stating our position, and gave recommendations for the school district to follow. On Monday, the letter was emailed, (and US mailed), to the school district superintendent. By Friday, my daughter and I were sitting in an IEP meeting, and we were selecting her high school classes. Michelle Ball was able to accomplish in a little over a week, what I had been unable to do in over two years!!!

Michelle Ball is an experienced, personable, and extremely knowledgeable educational attorney. I highly recommend her to anyone needing her services.

Sincerely,

I contacted Michelle regarding school issues with my son. I was scared because I didn’t know the school lingo very well and wasn’t sure what I was doing. I put all my trust in Michelle and she was amazing at what she accomplished for us. She was honest and straightforward and I would recommend her to anyone that is in need of a good attorney for any school issues. When it comes to our kids you want to hire the best and Michelle knows her stuff.

Thank you Michelle!

I 100% completely recommend Michelle Ball as your #1 education attorney. She was excellent from the moment I had my first consultation with her to the end. She knows all about law and will give you the best advice to your personal situation. She helped putting things in full speed with my son’s bullying case and I can’t thank her enough.

I hired Michelle to fight a wrongful expulsion for my daughter. She knows the education codes like the back of her hand, so nothing got past her. It’s like she has a third eye. She kept us informed every step of the way. She’ll fight until everyone is satisfied. After it was over we were sad to see her go.

Sincerely,

Back in California & not a moment too soon… 

After an entire decade of school districts in both California and Arizona discriminating against my behaviorally challenged and learning disabled student, Michelle Ball put them in their place quick! We were facing expulsion, yet she was able to stop this just in time, even on short notice. Instead of showing up to a meeting and being told how my son’s future was “over” the entire administrative staff and educators present in a taped meeting did a complete 360 degree turnaround, staying nearly silent throughout the ordeal, only to say that they’d decided to keep my son enrolled and try better to make sure they had followed procedures for next time. Michelle did this with one email, which the principal received that morning! Now, I will say, that the former principal is unfortunately the new Superintendent of our district, but they aren’t messing with ME anymore! My only regret is not calling Michelle 10 years ago, before my son was allowed special ed status. Our ordeal has been a literal nightmare up until this point, but things have certainly improved & I feel like a champion! Thanks so much….

Signed,

We recommend Michelle Ball as an education lawyer due to the fact that she has stuck by our family and stayed with us to help us with certain issues we have with the school. She has also persistently talked to the school to ensure that justice was served. In addition, she dedicates her time to helping students and parents alike with unfair instances that have occurred at school. Adding to the fact that she does her best to right the wrongs done, she also clearly communicates with her clients to ensure that the most educated decisions are made. Her clear communication also ensures that students and parents alike have a grip of the situation they are dealing with. Another advantage of having her clear communication is that she guides one to understand the student’s rights in the education code. Therefore, I do advocate that Michelle Ball does a very good job of making sure that everything is sorted out when something unjust occurs within the school system.