ADAM WASSERMAN
I have spent my entire professional career leveling the playing field for people with disabilities while working to help to remove the shame, stigma and fear often experienced by my client
My legal practice covers all of California. I represent children and young adults from age 3 through high-school who are eligible for special education.
For most of my clients, I personally attend their IEPs and oversee their educational plan. Compliance is a key factor in a successful IEP. My team of experts and I not only assure that the IEP is appropriate, but is carried out with fidelity. I firmly believe that parents have a civil right to be involved in their child’s education plan and work to ensure that those rights are maintained throughout a child’s education.
My firm has been successful in negotiating and receiving services and compensation and have seen lives change for the better.
Early in my career as an Attorney, I recognized significant flaws in the education system at the very highest level. To provide a solution to these problems, I developed an educational software program and personally traveled from State to State to ensure that students with learning difficulties have the same opportunity to succeed as those without such challenges. As a result, almost every State in the US has integrated this program into the discrete areas of education that were affected by these issues. I’ve been fortunate that I have had the opportunity to affect the lives of millions of people for the better.
I obtained my J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. My M.S. is from New York University and my B.A. from Hofstra University, New College. I spent one-year studying philosophy and religion at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. I also studied Traditional Chinese Medicine at Yosan University for three years.
MARY PEITSO
Mary Peitso has been helping families navigate the special education system since 2006. After receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree from San Diego State University, Mary went on to later complete the Lawyer’s Assistant Program at the University of San Diego and received her paralegal certification. She has been a paralegal since 1997 working for lawyers who practiced various types of law. Having been a member of the first class at the Institute of Special Education Advocacy in 2011 at the College of William and Mary Law School in Williamsburg, Virginia, Mary returned there in 2016 to complete an advanced advocacy course and receive certification.
Mary has been a member of the Council of Parents Advocates and Attorneys since 2009 and was a Committee Member on the Office of Administrative Hearings Special Education Advisory Committee from 2012-2014. Mary is also on the Regional Advisory Committee for the State Council for Developmental Disabilities Regional Advisory Committee.
REBECCA ZUNIGA
Social justice, equality and compassion are at the core of Rebecca Zuniga’s work with Education Justice Law Group. As a first-generation Immigrant, Rebecca is all too familiar with the obstacles many families face as they advocate for their child’s educational rights. Her passion for advancing the rights of students with disabilities, coupled with her work to increase access to education and home & community-based services, inspired Rebecca to continue this work by joining the hardworking and dedicated team at Education Justice Law Group in 2021 as their Operations Manager and Paralegal.
After receiving her Bachelor of Music degree from Johns Hopkins University, where Rebecca used her classical training to amplify musicians in minority groups, Rebecca began her work as a Paralegal for a private firm providing legal advocacy to injured and disabled workers. Committed to protecting the rights of individuals with disabilities, Rebecca transitioned into her role as a Legal Intake Advocate with Disability Rights Maryland, the state’s designated Protection and Advocacy agency as federally established by Congress in 1975. At Disability Rights Maryland, Rebecca provided direct advocacy support, training, translation/interpretation and case management services to thousands of Marylanders with disabilities, and Rebecca was involved in many successful negotiations and settlements that led to life-changing results for the clients.
André Ríos Bollinger, Of Counsel
André Ríos Bollinger was born and raised in Venice, California to Peruvian-American parents.
He attended the University of California, San Diego where he majored in Ethnic Studies and worked on various student movements.
Mr. Bollinger’s work in social justice led him to becoming elementary and middle school teacher. While teaching Mr. Bollinger completed his Master’s Degree in Elementary Education at Loyola Marymount University. After seeing the education system fail students many times, Mr. Bollinger left teaching and attended Loyola Law School.
While in law school Mr. Bollinger helped sue school districts, such as the Los Angeles Unified School District, through the ACLU, and defended juveniles charged with crimes through the Center for Juvenile Law and Policy.
After graduating law school, Mr. Bollinger joined the San Diego County Office of the Public Defender where he handled all manner of cases, from misdemeanors and homicides, in both the adult and juvenile divisions.
He has been an elected officer of the California Public Defender Association (CPDA), chairing both the Diversity and Racial Justice Committees, and currently chairs the San Diego County Bar Associations (SDCBA) Criminal Law Section. Mr. Bollinger is a faculty member of the CPDA Basic Trail Skills Institute, and trains attorneys across the state through CPDA, SDCBA, and the California Lawyers Association. Mr. Bollinger has been appointed by the California State Bar Board of Directors as a commissioner to the Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation, and sits on both the state and local bar diversity and inclusion committees. Mr. Bollinger is dedicated to ensuring that all his clients are given every opportunity to succeed.
RITA MKRTCHYAN
What began as a personal journey in the field of special education law manifested into a practice solely focused on the representation of children with disabilities regarding their special education needs and Regional Center services.
After receiving her B.A. in Legal Studies and Performance Arts from the University of California, Berkeley summa cum laude and J.D. from Pepperdine Law, Rita Mkrtchyan’s early years as an attorney were spent practicing in the area of high stakes business and family litigation. Mrs. Mkrtchyan’s extensive background and experience would later prove invaluable in the representation of children through the state of California special education Due Process mechanism.
Mrs. Mkrtchyan’s personal journey with family and close friends brought her to the special education field. Inspired by her own experiences, and after meeting countless families desperately in need of support navigating the very daunting special education system, Mrs. Mkrtchyan immersed herself in special education law. Ultimately Mrs. Mkrtchyan joined the hardworking and dedicated team at Education Justice Law Group, which is exclusively dedicated to the representation of children with disabilities. She is not only able to insert her legal expertise to her cases, but also her own personal experience.
Mrs. Mkrtchyan has made it one of her most critical missions in life to continue to properly serve all students whose needs require an inclusive setting.
A highly sought-after cited spokesperson, Mrs. Mkrtchyan often appears as a guest legal analyst offering her insights and opinions in her areas of expertise on such media outlets as NEWS NATION among other media outlets and podcasts. Mrs. Mkrtchyan has also been cited as a legal expert on US NEWS, BLOOMBERGLAW, LAW360, FORBES, SEEKING ALPHA, INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS INSIDER, WASHINGTON EXAMINER, FORTUNE and much more.
Mrs. Mkrtchyan has lectured and participated as a featured speaker in numerous educational workshops and seminars at local schools. She has also taught Introduction to Law, Speech and Debate and College Admission courses to high school students at her alma mater, Rose and Alex Pilibos School.
Mrs. Mkrtchyan is an attorney member of COPAA – The Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates and a member of the California State Bar.
Mrs. Mkrtchyan’s versatile personal and professional background and extensive legal experience serves her daily in meeting the very special needs of children throughout California. Mrs. Mkrtchyan lives in Burbank, California with her husband and their four children.
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