School Law Update 2026

Ms. Sang is a partner with Berney & Sang, where she is focusing her practice primarily in the area of education law. She has represented hundreds of families in special education cases. In 2015, The Legal Intelligencer named Jennifer a Lawyer on the Fast Track. And in 2017, the Philadelphia Magazine named her one of the best attorneys under the age of 40 in Pennsylvania practicing special education law. Prior to joining Berney & Sang, she served as a fellow for the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, where she participated in constitutional litigation. Ms. Sang earned her J.D. degree from Temple University Beasley School of Law and her B.A. degree from New York University.

Hetal Dhagat (she/her) is a Senior Attorney in the Pittsburgh office of the Education Law Center. She supports ELC’s litigation and policy advocacy across all issue areas. Previously, she engaged in litigation and advised clients on issues of environmental law. Hetal has represented families in immigration proceedings, taught English as a second language, and interned with the National Immigrant Justice Center in Chicago, Illinois. Prior to attending law school, she taught and supported an afterschool program for middle school students in Boston, Massachusetts through AmeriCorps. She also taught English to elementary school children in Costa Rica. Hetal graduated from Tufts University and the Northwestern University School of Law, where she was the Development Editor of the Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property and the recipient of a Leonard S. Rubinowitz Public Interest Fellowship.

Jesse Rubin (she/her) joined the Philadelphia office of the Education Law Center in 2025 as an Equal Justice Works Fellow sponsored by PNC Bank and Blank Rome LLP. As a law fellow, Jesse provides direct representation, systemic legal advocacy, and community education to protect the education rights of underserved Philadelphia students who have witnessed or experienced interpersonal violence (IPV). Jesse advocates for trauma-informed school district policies and practices and represents students in special education matters, due process hearings, and other venues so that children impacted by IPV are afforded the opportunity to participate in public education to the same extent as their peers. Jesse graduated in 2025 with a J.D from the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and an M.S.Ed. in Education Policy from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education. During law school, Jesse was a Toll Public Interest Scholar and a Littleton Fellow. Jesse advocated for youth and families through her experiences interning at Education Law Center, Philadelphia Legal Assistance, Advocates for Children of New York, and Advocates for Justice and Education. She also participated in Penn’s Interdisciplinary Child Advocacy Clinic, Youth Education Project, and If/When/How: Lawyering for Reproductive Justice. Prior to graduate school, Jesse taught middle school math and coached co-ed soccer in Pueblo, Colorado.

Kevin is a partner at Berney & Sang. He has dedicated his career to public service and advocating for people with disabilities. Kevin started his career at Berney & Sang as an associate, after which he served as a Senior Deputy Solicitor General for the State of Florida and as the Director of Advocacy, Education, and Outreach at Disability Rights Florida—Florida’s federally designated protection-and-advocacy agency for people with disabilities. At Disability Rights Florida, Kevin supervised special-education due process hearings and federal impact litigation. Since Kevin returned to Berney & Sang, he has continued his advocacy on behalf of persons with disabilities, helping them secure their rights under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and other civil rights laws. Kevin serves clients in Florida, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. Kevin graduated from Harvard Law School cum laude in 2013, and he served as a law clerk to the Honorable Charles R. Wilson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

Lynne P. Sherry is a Partner at Weiss Burkardt Kramer LLC, having joined the firm in August 2018. She is also the Chair of the firm’s Special Education Department. Her practice focuses on education law with a concentration in special education law and legal issues impacting students. She represents school districts in all stages of special education and school discipline disputes, with a focus on collaboration and creative problem solving. Lynne provides extensive Professional Development, legal training, and consultation to districts on a range of legal topics. She is a frequent presenter for the University of Pittsburgh’s Tri-State Area School Study Council. Lynne also serves as an Assistant Solicitor to the School District of Pittsburgh. Prior to joining WBK, Lynne was the Supervising Attorney for the Dependency Division of the Allegheny County Office of Conflict Counsel, where she represented hundreds of abused and neglected children. In that role, she was also appointed as Educational Decision Maker for many of her clients, responsible for making all educational decisions, including special education and early intervention. Lynne also represented students in school discipline and school transfer matters, truancy proceedings, and at IEP meetings. She was a stakeholder of the Children’s Roundtable, a statewide program launched by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court with a goal of ensuring that all children achieve timely permanency. Lynne was a member of the Allegheny County Roundtable’s Educational Success and Truancy Prevention (ESTP) Committee, focused on improving educational stability and success for court-involved youth. Lynne received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Work with a minor in Spanish from Providence College in 2005, where she graduated summa cum laude. In 2010, she was the first student to graduate from the University of Pittsburgh’s dual degree program in Law and Social Work, where she was Order of the Coif and Articles Editor for the University of Pittsburgh Law Review. Lynne was the recipient of the Law School’s Community Service Award as well as CALI Excellence for the Future awards in Legal Research & Writing; Ethics of Lawyering; Race, Religion & Law; and, Human Behavior & Law. Lynne is admitted to practice in the Courts of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania and the Third Circuit. She is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association and the Allegheny County Bar Association, where she is a member of the School and Municipal Law Section.

Elizabeth Lester-Abdalla (she/her) is a Staff Attorney at Women’s Law Project. Elizabeth focuses on access to reproductive healthcare, workplace equity and discrimination, and LGBTQ+ equality. Prior to joining WLP, Lester-Abdalla worked in the Impact Litigation Section of the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General where she represented the Commonwealth in affirmative litigation and policy issues of statewide importance including access to contraception, Title IX discrimination, election protection, gun industry liability, and mental health parity. She previously clerked for the Honorable Harvey Bartle III in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and Assignment Judge Deborah Silverman Katz in New Jersey Superior Court, Camden County. Elizabeth earned her J.D. from William & Mary Law School and a B.A. in History and Religious Studies from Duke University. She is based in the Philadelphia office and roots for all things Philly and Philly sports.

Patrick Cremin supports ELC’s litigation and advocacy efforts through the Public Funds Public Schools campaign, which works to ensure that public education funds are allocated to public schools. Patrick also engages in legal and policy advocacy related to education equity and students’ rights. Prior to joining ELC, Patrick was an attorney at Children’s Law Center of California where he represented foster youth in their dependency proceedings. Patrick has a B.A. from UCLA and a J.D. from Harvard Law School, where he participated in the Education Law Clinic.

Ms. Snyder is the Chair of the Special Education Law Practice group at McKenna Snyder LLC. She concentrates her practice in the areas of: special education law, charter school law, education law, school reform & insurance defense. She represents clients in a variety of matters pertaining to state and federal laws and regulations, including but not limited to IDEA and Section 504. Prior to entering private practice, she clerked for the Honorable Bonnie Brigance Leadbetter of the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania. While in law school, she interned for the Honorable Juan R. Sanchez at the Chester County Court of Common Pleas. She received her J.D. from Villanova University School of Law, where she earned the Theodore L. Reimel Distinguished Service Award. She received her B.A. in English, magna cum laude, from Villanova University. She has been admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the United States District Courts for the Eastern, Middle & Western Districts of PA, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, the Supreme Court of New Jersey, the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, and the Supreme Court of Ohio. Ms. Snyder is also a member of PBA’s Legal Services for Exceptional Children Committee and has been an invited lecturer at state and national conferences on special education and education law topics, including sessions at: PBI’s Exceptional Children’s Conferences; Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Charter Schools’ conferences; Education Law Association and Lehigh University. Ms. Snyder may be reached at: [email protected].

Kristina Moon (she/her) is a Senior Attorney in the Philadelphia office of the Education Law Center. She supports ELC’s litigation and policy advocacy across all issue areas. Kristina’s current and recent work includes ELC’s lawsuit against the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for a more adequate and equitable school funding system and a federal class action on behalf of former students abused and denied education at Glen Mills Schools, ELC’s campaign for Inclusive Schools and Honest Education, and advocacy on behalf of English Learners, LGBTQ youth and students in the foster care and juvenile justice systems. Previously, Kristina worked as a staff attorney with Prisoners’ Legal Services of New York, where she used litigation and administrative advocacy to advance the rights of incarcerated individuals and specialized in young adult advocacy. Prior to that, as a litigation associate at Dechert LLP she coordinated the firm’s efforts in a federal civil rights action challenging the excessive use of solitary confinement for youth with mental health needs in delinquency placement. Kristina also worked as an attorney with Juvenile Law Center where she was a member of the Luzerne County “kids-for-cash” litigation team and employed legislative and litigation strategies to combat the criminalization of consensual teen technology use. Kristina is a graduate of Franklin & Marshall College and Temple University Beasley School of Law. Prior to law school, Kristina worked in direct service with underserved youth and families through an AmeriCorps violence-prevention position in Seattle, WA and an after-school program in Ithaca, NY.

Maura McInerney (she/her) is Legal Director at the Education Law Center, a non-profit legal advocacy organization dedicated to ensuring all children in Pennsylvania have access to quality public education. Maura has been a litigator in the private and public sectors for over thirty years. Since arriving at the Education Law Center in 2007, Maura has litigated precedent-setting state and federal cases on behalf of underserved children, including a class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of children in foster care which resulted in the dismantling of an inferior, segregated school and the awarding of compensatory education services to hundreds of children in foster care, and a federal case that established several important educational rights of homeless children. She was also ELC’s lead litigator in a fair school funding case which resulted in Pennsylvania’s current school funding system being declared unconstitutional in February 2023.  In addition to leading ELC’s litigation efforts, Maura engages in legislative and policy work at the national and state level and is recognized as a national expert on laws involving the education rights of children who are homeless and those in foster care. She helped found and represents ELC as a member of the national Legal Center for Foster Care and Education. In 2012, Maura was named Child Advocate of the Year by the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Children’s Rights Committee for her work on behalf of children in foster care. She has also received the Unsung Hero Award from the Legal Intelligencer for her litigation on behalf of students experiencing homelessness. Before joining ELC, Maura served as Special Counsel in the Trial Department at the international law firm Duane Morris for twelve years, where she co-counseled over sixty cases, including numerous trials and appeals at the federal, state and administrative level. As an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Maryland, she handled dozens of administrative hearings and appeals. She also served as a law clerk for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. In 1990, Maura co-founded a transitional housing program in Columbia, M.D., which continues to provide housing, legal support and social services for families. Maura graduated from Fordham Law School in 1988.

Ms. Wakelin is a Senior Attorney in the Philadelphia office of the Education Law Center. Her work focuses on litigation efforts to advance educational access issues for all students. In addition to supporting ELC’s impact litigation, Ms. Wakelin manages the Education Helpline, which is a statewide helpline that provides advice, resources, and direct representation on education civil rights issues. Prior to joining ELC, Ms. Wakelin was a supervising attorney with the Special Education Clinic at Equip for Equality in Illinois. There, she led a multi-attorney team to represent students with disabilities in both individual and systemic educational matters. Before becoming a supervising attorney, Ms. Wakelin was a staff attorney and an Equal Justice Works Fellow at Equip for Equality. As a 2008 Fellow, she created the Autism Project, which provided legal representation and self-advocacy training to families seeking to obtain critical research-based educational services and appropriate school placements for their children with autism. Ms. Wakelin began her career as a high school special education teacher in Mississippi and later attended Northwestern University School of Law. At Northwestern, she represented students at-risk of school expulsion and served as the Managing Attorney of the Journal of Law and Social Policy.

Kalani Linnell is an experienced education law practitioner with a keen understanding of the issues from both a legal and practical standpoint. She advises clients in matters involving special education, student civil rights, and operations/practices. She is an associate with Sweet, Stevens, Katz & Williams LLP. In the years before joining the firm, Kalani worked with law firms with significant education law practices. She also worked as an investigator and hearing officer for a consulting firm that advised educational institutions in major areas of legal compliance. She also worked as a teacher in a large Pennsylvania school district prior to attending law school. As such, she has a deep understanding of the challenges teachers and administrators face on a daily basis in terms of discipline, safety, and plan/goal implementation. She is especially dedicated to the issue of Title IX compliance, both its historic regulations and the impending new directives. In 2020, she was invited to join a select group of attorneys providing guidance on the rules to the State University of New York. She also advised the Pennsylvania School Board Association on model policies relating to Title IX, and she has delivered a number of live presentations on the subject, including “The Intersection of Title IX and Special Education” at the Council for School Attorneys/National School Boards Association conference in 2023, and “The Equitable Application of Title IX,” to the Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE) Law and Leadership Academy in 2024. She maintains a constant commitment to professional development by seeking opportunities to learn, grow and share through client in-service training, writing legal alerts and articles on cutting-edge topics, and presenting live continuing legal education programs and seminars. She is a graduate of Drexel University, Thomas R. Kline School of Law (J.D., cum laude) and West Chester University of Pennsylvania (B.S.Ed., magna cum laude). She is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania and the U.S. District Court, Eastern and Middle Districts, and the U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit.