Clients' Testimonials

A Lovely Note from Martina S. A Decade Later

More than a decade ago I represented Martina and her son. School and life were going very poorly. Through concerted advocacy, I was able to get the school district to pay for an out of district placement that had transformative changes for both mother and son. I so very grateful to have received a wonderful email years later that concluded as follows:

"I cannot end this email without saying thanks. It is difficult not to become emotional when I think about what you gave not
only my son, but also me. You gave my son a chance to earn a quality education, which gives him a better quality of life.
As a result, it gave me a better quality of life. And when I look back to the place in life where you found us both and
where we are today, with profound gratitude I say thank you. "

From Beth S.

One of the nicest compliments I have ever received especially from a fellow attorney:

In my experience as a lawyer, it's a rare thing to be able to say to 
yourself that you have made a difference in the world, and it's 
something I always wish I could do. It's something you do every day, 
and I want you to know how much I appreciate it. You not only did a 
great job representing my daughter, you do GOOD in the world. Especially in 
her world. Thank you so much.

Testimonial of Lisa L.

The following is a testimonial from a client who had struggled for years with her school district over issues of placement. We were able to come to a very satisfactory and quick resolution. Her child is now attending a different school that is able to meet his needs.

To all parents of special kids, there is someone out there who cares: There is an exception to the rule: There is an honest ethical attorney who puts the needs of your child ahead of all else. There is a way to get our children what is fair and appropriate: The answer to all of this is Charlie Fox.  I swear, even the mention of his name is magic.  Thanks to Charlie and Amanda, my son will be finally going to a great school; the sky's the limit.  I honestly believe Charlie saved this family, and my son's education.  Charlie Fox is a hero. Please don't waste your time, effort and money on quick fix advocates.  Only someone with Charlie's experience with the ins and outs of school districts can make changes happen.  We all love our children, and we all want to help them succeed. 

Testimonial of Gabe C.'s Mother

Our son, Gabe C., was entering fourth grade when we finally decide to file for due process.  We waited long enough for him to learn basic skills.  Gabe is a great child and always received good grades, but we knew they were not representative.  Gabe could not read, write or spell [even though he has an average level of intelligence but severe phonological issues].  We were in Charlie’s office the following week, we talked, and he agreed to take our case.  We thought we knew everything there was to know about Gabe’s IEPs, until Charlie reviewed our files and asked his own questions.   

Charlie not only knew the special education laws, but where our child should be academically.  He looked at the goals, knew they were inappropriate and knew the school was not providing any sort of systematic, researched based reading program, as Gabe requires.   

Charlie recommended we seek an outside educational evaluation to obtain the reality about where Gabe was academically. Whatever Charlie wanted us to do, we did.  Our child was in serious trouble and Charlie provided us with the way out.  Charlie knew what needed to be done. Due process was our last resort, and now we were in it to win it.  So was Charlie.

Together we sat through three resolution sessions, more than eleven hours, of going nowhere, which is where we had been for years.  We provided the district with our independent evaluation of Gabe and still they did not acknowledge our concerns.   

The hearing date was set.  Charlie crafted an incredible prehearing brief which outlined our case.  Our story was simple. Gabe could not read, write or spell. Charlie knew our case inside and out.  Whether the witnesses were on our list or from the district, Charlie lead them to testify what we already knew.  We could not have been in better company at our four day hearing.  Charlie, with Amanda’s endless dedication and support, told our story and made the case.  Ten days later, Charlie called to say we won, we won it all.  Never again will we sit in an IEP meeting without Charlie Fox. 

Charlie came into our lives as a man who knew about special ed law and appropriate education.  Charlie studied our case, told us what we needed to do, created a plan, followed the rules, researched other cases, outlined our case from the beginning, lined up witness to testify, focused on the unbiased opinions of professionals, asked the right questions, told Gabe’s story, worked endlessly, closed our case with conviction, won our case, and saved Gabe’s life.  We watched it all play out and we are humbled by Charlie Fox.  He is a master in his trade, dedicating his life to children who are pushed to the side. Charlie is a gifted, brilliant, talented, dedicated, honest, articulate, passionate, gift from God.  Charlie will always be a part of our family.  He changed the course of our son’s future and we will forever be grateful. 

Charlie, to the world you are one person.  To one person, you are the world.  Not many can say they have made a real difference in this world.  Thank you Charlie, you did it.   

 

Testimonial of Jennifer B.

Jennifer's son is a young child on the autistic spectrum who is very bright, but was breaking down badly in an inappropriate placement. When I first met the family things were going from bad to worse and we needed another placement to move him forward. The school district has one of the most difficult special education directors. Despite this fact, the child was placed in a new program without the need for due process and is now thriving. The mother's comments follow:

I just want to take a moment to tell you how much I appreciate everything you've done for my family and I.  I no longer am on eggshells on a daily basis, knowing that my son is receiving not only an appropriate education, but one he really enjoys.  You've helped our family tremendously.  I hope you realize that.  You are a wonderful man, Charlie, and I know you do what you do from your heart.   

Charlie, it was your genius ideas and your brilliant help in the meetings that did all the work.  THANK YOU.

Thank you Charlie from Mike D.

Mike's daughter entered high school as a star athlete and all around good student. She quickly hit some major emotional bumps that the school would not acknowledge or do anything about. Out of desparation, the parents needed to unilaterally place her in a residential school which worked well over a period of months. We did not need to file due process and were able to negotiate for full reimbursement, and now Mike's daughter is coming home. Here is his comment on the experience.
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I want to thank you Charlie for your help during a very difficult time for our family. You were very honest and forthright about our chances for a positive decision. Our school district did not take us seriously until they knew that you were involved. I believe that your representation during the IEP meeting directly effected our positive outcome. There is no way that we could have navigated this system without your help. Our daughter is returning home from a residential treatment center to start a new life this month. Thank you so much for your help and support.

Testimonial from Susan S.

Susan's son has learning disabilities. The family is very thoughtful and knowledgeable of his needs but were running into consistent brick walls with the school district. We filed due process and after hard negotiating reached a settlement. The following is a testimonial reflecting on her experiences with me as their attorney.
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The circumstances that lead a parent to conclude they need to hire a special education attorney for their child is painstaking.  The process of finding, interviewing and eventually hiring an attorney seems to be another overwhelmingly emotional task that evolves around the “special needs” child.  However, the time, energy, and cost of not hiring a special education attorney when discord begins with a school district can be even more detrimental to a family.

I chose Charles Fox as my son’s special education attorney after interviewing two other high profile special education lawyers in the Chicago land area and after exhausting the use of a lay advocate.  Of course, my decision to hire Mr. Fox was based on good “gut” feeling, but it was also founded on what I considered to be paramount considerations when making such a critical decision involving your child’s future.  Unlike the other attorneys, I especially liked the fact that I would be working directly with Mr. Fox and not a paralegal, partner or secretary.  Also, from a financial standpoint, the retainer and fee schedule seemed fair and reasonable compared to some of the astronomical figures loosely thrown around by the other attorneys. Finally, it was imperative that my objectives, input and principles would be honored while building our case; in other words, we would work as a team and not “add labels” to my child in order to build a stronger case.

After hiring Mr. Fox, I found that he was accessible, dependable and honest. In fact, he was always reachable by e-mail or cell phone, he was never late to a meeting, and he even helped keep my expenses down by allowing me to do some of the communication with my district. Consequently, I was never shocked when I received a bill.  And, he was always compassionate regarding our frustrations. Perhaps, because he is a parent of a special needs child too.

In IEP meetings and our subsequent mediation, Mr. Fox was extremely knowledgeable regarding special education law, had a commanding presence, promoted teamwork, and was tenacious when he needed to get my district’s attention and make them accountable!  We had a very successful mediation and were able to avoid due process.                      

Testimonal from Patricia F.

The following post is from a grandmother/residential parent of a wonderful young women, who has a  disability. Patricia, her daughter and grand-daughter all came together to successfully fight the school district under IDEA. I was their attorney.
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It is difficult for a parent to feel confident in choosing an attorney to legally "fight" a school district when the treatment of your child has been deplorable for many years. Having been involved in the legal field for 13 years, 9 of which was management, I felt I had the upper hand in choosing an attorney that would focus on our situation, be truthful about the results and had the tenacity to match skills, knowledge and wits of the school district's legal counsel. The rumor that school districts have "deep pockets" when it comes to addressing what they are doing wrong is no rumor - it is very true.

Deciding on an attorney to represent your most precious gift is one of the most important ones you will make. It's like making a wish for the "do all, end all" answer to bring a sense of justice to the sometimes inhumane manner in which your child has been treated by the representatives of their respective school districts.

Our wish was granted the day we met Charlie Fox. There are many lawyers who have passed the bar and are licensed to practice law. It is extremely rare and almost impossible to find an attorney that has the expertise necessary to deal with the other side AND has the "fire in his belly" that will brighten and improve your child's life to a level never thought possible.

Today, my granddaughter is a B+ student and looking forward to college. There is a night and day difference in her confidence level and what she is able to accomplish due to the changes at school. We no longer have to request, demand or insist on ways to allow her to be afforded an appropriate education. The school is very cooperative and even comes up with suggestions on their own.

There is a very simple explanation for this change. We did our "homework" when choosing an attorney to help us fight our battle and became a proud member of the "Charlie Fox Team."

Thank you, Charlie. Words cannot begin to express our gratitude!