Mauk & O’Connor, LLP is a law firm devoted to representation of families involved in special education disputes with local schools in northeastern Illinois. We are committed to assuring thorough, comprehensive advocacy for parents and their disabled child. Our firm also seeks to maximize access to representation in meritorious cases by offering flexible fee and retainer policies.
We assist our clients in seeking appropriate educational services for children who experience difficulties because of a learning disability, emotional disorder, developmental delay, or other impairment that requires specialized assistance in order to access educational opportunities. We identify outside experts where necessary, and help develop strategies to enforce the legal rights of children with disabilities to a free and appropriate public education.
The American Bar Association Standing Committee on Delivery of Legal Services selected Mauk & O'Connor, LLP as a recipient of Meritorious Recognition for the 2011 Louis M. Brown Award for Legal Access. The Brown Award recognizes programs and projects that employ innovative means to enable affordable access to legal services for those of moderate income, who do not qualify for legal aid yet lack the discretionary funds to pay the traditional costs of legal services. The Committee was impressed by the firm's use of attorney fee shifting provision of IDEA (the federal law on special education services for children with disabilities) to maintain a law practice for clients who are overwhelmingly low to moderate income families.