Partner
Elisa has been practicing special education law in New York City for more than twenty years. Elisa counsels parents in IEP and IESP meetings and represents parents and young people in impartial hearings and appeals to the State Review Officer. Elisa also represents plaintiffs in civil litigation and class action lawsuits. She is currently co-counsel to a federal class action of parents of children with autism who are challenging the district’s failure to provide appropriate special education services.
Elisa has also served as lead and co-counsel on several federal class action suits involving special education, disability discrimination and other education rights to facilitate systemic change in the school system. She has also advised and trained thousands of parents and professionals in various education law and frequently serves as a CLE instructor. Elisa has also worked as an educational policy consultant.
Between 1998 and 2007, Elisa spent eight years at Advocates for Children of New York (AFC), first as the organization's Deputy Director and then as the Executive Director. Prior to starting her career in public interest law, Elisa was a lawyer in the litigation department of White & Case.
Elisa has her J.D. from Duke Law School and a M.A. in Economics from Duke University. Elisa is admitted to practice in New York, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.