Of Counsel

Sara handles all aspects of representation for parents of children with special needs, including case assessment and strategy, working with parents to obtain funding for Independent Educational Evaluations, preparing parents to participate in IEP meetings and representing families in impartial hearings, appeals to the State Review Officer and in federal court.  

Sara Frankel is Of Counsel with the Law Office of Elisa Hyman, P.C.  Since 2016, Sara has worked exclusively in the field of special education law in NYC. Prior to that, Sara worked in public interest law as a staff attorney for Legal Services of the Hudson Valley, where she handled a wide variety of civil legal matters for low-income clients, including special education cases, social security disability appeals, and unemployment insurance appeals. 

Prior to providing direct legal services, Sara was a Public Policy Director for the Connecticut chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) where she worked for the passage and revision of state laws and regulations on behalf of individuals with psychiatric disabilities. After graduating from law school, Sara was a legal fellow with New York Appleseed, where she assisted in the development and execution of a series of successful pro bono programs with major law firms throughout New York City in the fields of school diversity and school resource equity.

Sara received her J.D. degree from Quinnipiac University School of Law and has a B.A. in History from Barnard College. She is admitted to practice law in New York, the Southern District of New York, and the Eastern District of New York.