When parents of children with special needs contact me for an initial consultation, I always ask them to bring copies of every document that pertains to their special needs children. No matter how “thick” the file might be, I tell parents that I want to see it. During the initial consultation, I will scan through the documents to get some idea of what I am dealing with and what the potential issues may be.
Some parents, however, do not seem to realize how important it is to share the entire file with their special education attorney at the initial consultation.
In the mind of every special education attorney, every single document is important, no matter how old it might be and no matter how irrelevant a particular document may appear. So, when a special education attorney asks, “Please bring every document that you have in your file,” they really do mean that. Even if you think that a document is irrelevant or “too old,” show it to your attorney anyway. Let your attorney make the decision whether it is relevant or not. You will not waste the attorney’s time by sharing too many documents.
By and large, many of these IEPs, evaluation reports, waiver forms, and correspondences between you and the school are very, very important. In fact, they are among the most important pieces of evidence. Without having had the opportunity to carefully review these documents, it is impossible for any special education attorney to make an educated guess what can be done from here on in.
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