<div>From: <strong class="gmail_sendername" dir="auto">Gaston, Pamela</strong><br></div><div><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">Date: Wed, Apr 28, 2021 at 11:21 AM<br>Subject: Fw: May 11 Special Education Open House information Disability Rights NJ virtual session<br></div><br>
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<div align="center" style="margin:0px;text-align:center"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:26px;color:rgb(17,78,100)">Opinion 57: Non-Lawyer Special Education Advocates and the Unauthorized Practice of Law – Superseding Opinion 56</span></div>
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<div style="margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:24px;color:rgb(17,78,100);text-decoration:underline">What You Need To Know</span></div>
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<div style="margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px;color:rgb(0,0,0)">On April 9, 2021, the New Jersey Supreme Court’s Committee on the Unauthorized Practice of Law (Committee) issued a new ethics opinion, known as<span> </span></span><a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001yrfmt9m1wmGLsGqs7_yeLHw1QLwI5Nr13v2e2ObK9edpi_E0zWP4ve8jUHLGrx6SYWNqmdxCRi9pEjTSYhJfdhE94WZ25htSg9VUbXtrKJhhAUPgtk0VAT8bwhld3GdFSc9F6yHljF-eEcq6dKiiy6D48lz_iRCqSKjVwFEf__lAJCLXgY_Od4W9HZdlENU5ourbAf5afP8dyB1cd_uKUOZ5uxr6mXR5TPB9PPof-S8=&c=mpGK7GQunKmBwNuRGhgMRzqE2IuZ4foWsBc-hsA65iGZsHQNAX6dCQ==&ch=up_nnPlNhdj169jh651oMeK1zYpBLIWLr3ejlkhw599MgqtRB2bsPQ==__;!!J30X0ZrnC1oQtbA!Y_upQx3xobkwZJAovt7aPysP6p062GBOaM61ny8vAaRaDI4IUtF--yWtoC8pvRxPZqUaHGU$" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="margin:0px;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(156,14,68)" target="_blank">Opinion
57</a><span style="margin:0px;color:rgb(0,0,0)">, that addresses the issue of whether non-lawyer advocates can represent or speak on behalf of special education students in IEP meetings and mediation conferences. The Committee determined that non-lawyer advocates
are practicing law when they are advising, representing, or speaking on behalf of students at IEP meetings and mediation conferences. </span></div>
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<div style="margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px;color:rgb(0,0,0)">However, the Committee recognized that special education is complicated to understand and that there is a lack of lawyers with special education knowledge available to help parents who need
them. It is for this primary reason why the Committee determined non-lawyer advocates with special knowledge or training of special education laws and procedures can represent students in IEP meetings and mediation. The Committee made it clear that non-lawyer
advocates must have explicit permission from the parent to appear at the IEP meeting without the parent. The explicit permission requirement does not apply to court-appointed special advocate (CASA) volunteers. </span></div>
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<div style="margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px;color:rgb(0,0,0)">The Committee also made it clear that non-lawyer advocates must have the parent accompany them during mediation. However, these advocates do not require explicit permission from the parent to
communicate with the school district in less formal settings.</span></div>
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<div style="margin:0px"><a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001yrfmt9m1wmGLsGqs7_yeLHw1QLwI5Nr13v2e2ObK9edpi_E0zWP4vb1SdKxioqO7J8y6l3WRMHRK3W2WoYjRtF7ky7eEiKn4XQWPO6KDmIPDlfuvN59Lllo--fW0lOkyoVwsC7VgjkKkztaPtMGimiFljnKLEDKVuy4j_k9Hzig=&c=mpGK7GQunKmBwNuRGhgMRzqE2IuZ4foWsBc-hsA65iGZsHQNAX6dCQ==&ch=up_nnPlNhdj169jh651oMeK1zYpBLIWLr3ejlkhw599MgqtRB2bsPQ==__;!!J30X0ZrnC1oQtbA!Y_upQx3xobkwZJAovt7aPysP6p062GBOaM61ny8vAaRaDI4IUtF--yWtoC8pvRxPpOIaA2A$" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="margin:0px;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(43,72,135)" target="_blank">Read
More About Special Education</a></div>
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<div style="margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px;font-style:italic">Do you have questions about<span> </span></span><span style="margin:0px;font-style:italic;color:rgb(32,31,30)">IEP meetings, student evaluations, compensatory education, transition services,
and the dispute resolution process to your child's special education needs?</span><span style="margin:0px;color:rgb(32,31,30)"></span></div>
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<div style="margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px;color:rgb(32,31,30)">Join the Special Education Team from Disability Rights New Jersey on<span> </span></span><span style="margin:0px;font-weight:bold;color:rgb(156,14,68)">Tuesday, May 11 at 3pm</span><span style="margin:0px;font-weight:bold;color:rgb(32,31,30)"><span> </span></span><span style="margin:0px;color:rgb(32,31,30)">for
an hour-long virtual Open House to learn about special education during the COVID-19 pandemic. </span></div>
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<div style="margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px;color:rgb(32,31,30)">Two of Disability Rights NJ’s experienced special education experts will be available to answer questions regarding various topics under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act during the COVID-19 pandemic. </span></div>
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</div></div>-- <br><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><font face="tahoma, sans-serif"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34)"><br></span></font><div><font face="tahoma, sans-serif"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34)"><span></span>Warmly, <br>Linda Melendez, President<br>National Federation of the Blind of New Jersey<br>732-421-7063<br></span><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34)">Email: </span><a href="mailto:president@nfbnj.org" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank">president@nfbnj.org</a><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34)"></span><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34)"><br><i>Website: </i></span><a href="http://www.nfbnj.org/" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank"><i><span style="color:rgb(5,99,193)">www.nfbnj.org</span></i></a><i style="color:rgb(34,34,34)"><br>Facebook: </i><a href="https://m.facebook.com/NFB-NJ-353099574776238" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank"><i><span style="color:rgb(5,99,193)">https://m.facebook.com/NFB-NJ-353099574776238</span></i></a><i style="color:rgb(34,34,34)"><br>Twitter: </i><a href="https://twitter.com/nfbnewjersey" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank"><i><span style="color:rgb(5,99,193)">@NFBNewJersey</span></i></a><i style="color:rgb(34,34,34)"><br>YouTube: </i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKEDbjGsCYHMlwd4gqpBPjg" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank"><i><span style="color:rgb(5,99,193)">NFBNJTransformDreams</span></i></a><i style="color:rgb(34,34,34)"><br>Live the life you want.<br></i><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34)"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34)"><i><font size="1">The National Federation of the Blind of New Jersey is a community of members and friends who believe in the hopes and dreams of the nation’s blind. Everyday we work together to help blind people live the lives they want.</font></i></span></font><br></div><div><font face="tahoma, sans-serif"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34)"><i><font size="1"><br></font></i></span></font></div><div></div></div><div dir="auto"></div><font color="#888888"></font></div></div>