Our law firm has been dedicated to the practice of Education Law for the last fourteen years. Our attorneys have nearly fifty years of combined legal experience of which more than twenty-five have been devoted exclusively to representing parents and children. Our firm is proud of the work we do, and we appreciate the opportunity afforded by each and every one of our clients to represent and support them in what can often be a very difficult process.
David R. Giles, Esquire
For almost thirty years, Mr. Giles has dedicated himself to fighting on behalf of parents and the education rights of their children. From his extensive experience, he has gained a deep understanding of children with disabilities and the laws that protect them, which he brings to bear in effectively advocating on behalf of his clients.
Mr. Giles’ devotion to young people struggling to succeed took root in college, where he tutored disadvantaged students through Harvard University’s Upward Bound program. After graduating from Harvard, he continued to develop his passion for helping students while teaching for two years in a public high school in Los Angeles.
That passion has remained and motivated Mr. Giles throughout his legal career. At Stanford Law School, he continued to work on behalf of disadvantaged children at the East Palo Alto Community Law Project (EPACLP). After completing his legal studies in 1989, Mr. Giles began his legal career as one of the first recipients of the prestigious Skadden Fellowship. Through that fellowship, he represented parents and children in education matters in rural communities throughout California while working at California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA). After finishing his two year fellowship, Mr. Giles returned to EPACLP where he remained until 1998 representing youth in education, family and juvenile matters. During that time, Mr. Giles also taught and supervised Stanford Law School students in its clinical law program.
In 1998, Mr. Giles left EPACLP to join the United States Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR) in San Francisco and New York, where he enforced federal civil rights of students in elementary and secondary schools, colleges and universities. In 2001, he left OCR to become a Senior Attorney at the Education Law Center (ELC) in Newark, the premier nonprofit education law organization in New Jersey. In 2003, Mr. Giles established his private practice representing parents and students in the area of education law.
Having represented parents and children before schools, school boards, State and federal departments of education, administrative hearings, and State and federal courts at the trial and appellate levels, Mr. Giles has the experience and knowledge needed to protect the education rights of his clients’ and secure for them the positive outcomes they seek. Mr. Giles is a statewide leader in education law and legal issues faced by young people with disabilities.
Credentials
- Stanford Law School (J.D., 1989)
- Harvard University (B.A.,1984)
- Licensed to practice law in California (1989), New Jersey (2001) and New York (2003).
- Admitted to practice before the courts of California, New Jersey and New York, the United State District Courts of the Northern District of California and New Jersey, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of the United States.
Lisa Dickholtz, Education Consultant
As a New Jersey State Certified K-6 Teacher, Certified Wilson Reading Instructor, mother of a special
needs child, and seasoned parent advocate, Ms. Dickholtz serves as an integral part of our legal team to provide comprehensive, practical and effective legal advocacy and support to our clients.
Ms. Dickholtz trained for her teaching certificate at Rider University. She also earned an MBA in Finance from New York University.
Ms. Dickholtz is a SPAN Resource Parent and has spent the last twelve years educating and advocating for children with special needs.