Top Rated Schools & Education Attorney in Wellesley, MA

Honors/Awards:

• Awarded for community work

  , Non Ministrare Sed Ministrare Award, Wellesley College, 2018

• MCLE honored by CLE Community r outstanding achievement

  In August, MCLE took home not one but two more awards at the international Association for Continuing Legal Education's (ACLEA) 53rd Annual Meeting in Montreal for its exemplary work during the past year.

  Best in Public Interest: Title VI Language Access Conference

  For addressing an important need, employing innovative methodologies, and making an impact on the public by training lawyers to represent a particularly vulnerable population, MCLE was presented with the Award for Outstanding Achievement in the category of Public Interest for its inaugural Title VI Language Access Conference. This is the seventh time that MCLE has won an award in this mission-driven category.

  In Massachusetts 22% of the population speaks a language other than English at home,

  and an additional 8.6% are deaf or hard of hearing. Often, without the proper representation, individuals with limited English proficiency and persons who are hard of hearing struggle
  to maintain the public bene ts, housing, education, civil and due process rights to which they are entitled. Chaired by Tere Ramos of the Massachusetts Law Re rm Institute and taught by a cadre of expert faculty, this award-winning Conference provided the legal training necessary to understand the rights of LEP and Deaf/RH persons. During the Conference, more than 100 lawyers and advocates were taught how to use Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and a network of language access laws as a defense against discrimination and a tool to ensure equal opportunity.

  Of particular note were the methodologies employed during the Conference, which embodied the spirit of the program's learning objectives. CART real-time captioning services rendered it possible r a deaf attorney to present on the panel and made the Conference accessible to the hard ofhearing in the audience. In addition, closed captioning and a downloadable, searchable written transcript make this program accessible for the life of the archived webcast.

  , Best in Public Interest, MCLE, 2017

• Northeast Arc’s Edward O’Keefe Memori- al Award is given in recognition of pro- fessional achievement on behalf of citizens with developmental disabilities.

  , Northeast ARC O'Keefe Award, 2017

• Powermeter is a ranking of Massachusetts Most influential residents working on behalf of the Latino community.

  , Powermeter MA 100 Most Influential Latinos, El Planeta Newspaper, 2015
• The Pro Bono Publico Award is given to a graduating member of the law class who has contributed to public service in the community., Boston College Law School Pro Bono Publico Award, 2014

• Dean Award for efforts to increase diversity at BC Law School

  , Boston College Law School Diversity Award, 2014
• The mission of Equal Justice Works is to create a just society by mobilizing the next generation of lawyers committed to equal justice. We provide leadership to ensure a sustainable pipeline of talented and trained lawyers are involved in public service. Equal Justice Works provides a continuum of programs that begin with incoming law school students and extend into later careers in the profession. We provide the nation’s leading public interest law fellowship program and offer more postgraduate, full-time legal positions in public service than any other organization., Equal Justice Works Fellow, Equal Justice Works , 2014

• Awarded for efforts to help families with children with special needs

  , Parent Leadership Award, Federation for Children with Special Needs, 2010

Bar/Professional Activity:

• Published article for the Shriver Clearinghouse News, "When Access to Language Means Access to Justice: How to Advocate Effectively on Behalf of Limited-English-Proficient Persons"

  http://povertylaw.org/clearinghouse/collections/languageaccess

  , 2018

• NLADA Conference: Presented on the Rights of Immigrants and Refugees in Education during Uncertain Political Times

  , 2018

• Member of the MA Access to Justice Language Access subcommittee

  , 2018

• Presented nationally on language access issues in education.

  -MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (several locations across MA): Trained their school teams on the Rights of Immigrant and Refugees in Schools (January- April 2018)

  -Migration Policy Institute (Washington DC): Language Access Rights in Schools (March 2018)

  -MA Department of Public Health (Boston, MA): Trained their staff on Title VI (language rights) April 2018

  - Federation for Children with Special Needs annual Conference (Boston, MA): "Legal Rights of Immigrants and Refugees in Schools" (March 2018)

   

  , 2018

• Presented at several Massachusetts Continuing Legal Educaction (MCLE) conferences and tranings:

  Access to Justice Conference on language access issues (November 2017).

  Committee for Public Counsel Services Annual Conference and Training (December 2017)

   

  , 2017

• Presented at COPAA (national special education) Annual Conference (Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates): "Language Access Rights of Students with Disabilities." (March 2017)

   

  , 2017

• Chair, Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) Title VI (language access) Conference- December 2016

  , 2016

• NLADA Conference: Presented on Title VI rights in education.

  , 2016

Pro bono/Community Service:

• At Ramos Law, we believe that everyone should have access to quality legal help when it comes to their child’s education. Our fee structure for special education cases reflects these values.If a family has a case that we believe we can help with, we will work with them regardless of their ability to pay. We know that many families don’t qualify for free legal services but can’t afford the high fees that most law firms charge. Our sliding-scale fees take your situation into account. The total charge to the family will depend on the client’s ability to pay. 

  We believe this "low bono" model is providing much needed help for a very large part of the population that is currently without access to needed education law assistance. Seventy percent (70%) of families that go to legal services in MA for education representation are turned away, and very few can afford the market rate. Ramos Law creates a consistent system that allows for access to legal services. Some of our clients do not pay at all and many pay just $25 an hour for an attorney.

  , 2018

• At Ramos Law, we believe that everyone should have access to quality legal help when it comes to their child’s education. Our fee structure for special education cases reflects these values.If a family has a case that we believe we can help with, we will work with them regardless of their ability to pay. We know that many families don’t qualify for free legal services but can’t afford the high fees that most law firms charge. Our sliding-scale fees take your situation into account. The total charge to the family will depend on the client’s ability to pay. 

  We believe this "low bono" model is providing much needed help for a very large part of the population that is currently without access to needed education law assistance. Seventy percent (70%) of families that go to legal services in MA for education representation are turned away, and very few can afford the market rate. Ramos Law creates a consistent system that allows for access to legal services. Some of our clients do not pay at all and many pay just $25 an hour for an attorney.

  , 2017

• Represented clients referred by the Federation for Children with Special Needs and Mass Advocates for Children, as well as community organizations such as the Northeast ARC, Multicultural Services (Holyoke).

  , 2018

Scholarly Lectures/Writings:

• Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 requires recipients of federal funding to ensure meaningful access to programs and benefits for limited-English-proficient people. But other federal laws—such as those governing education, health care, and housing—and state laws also require language access, which usually means interpretation and translation services. Attorneys can take concrete steps to improve their representation of limited-English-proficient clients., Author, When Access to Language Means Access to Justice, Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, 2014

Representative Clients:

• Latino Parents suing school disitricts for lack of language access in schools. https://www.wgbh.org/news/education/2018/05/07/parents-around-the-state-get-lost-without-translation

  , 2018

• PLESH v. Holyoke Public School and MA DESE et al

  http://www.wbur.org/edify/2017/08/21/latino-parents-holyoke-schools-translation-efforts-are-inadequate

  , 2017

Videos:

• Equal Justice Works presents the education law work of fellow Teresita Ramos on behalf of Limited English Proficient families in Lawrence, MA, Equal Justice Works Fellow Teresita Ramos, 2014

• Telemundo television news article about the lawsuit from Puerto Rican families living in Holyoke MA for national origin/language discrimination.

  , Padres hispanos demandan a escuelas por discrimen, Education, english language learners, Special Education, 2017

Newsletters:

• Intractable school challenges awaiting state’s new education commissioner, Education, english language learners, Special Education

• Ninety percent of students in Lawrence schools are Hispanic, and many have limited English language skills — more than 70 percent of pupils are non-native English speakers. This language gap makes special education a particular challenge.

  The problem runs deeper than that, however. Lawrence routinely flouts educational regulations and basic rights when dealing with special education students and their parents.

  , The dark lining to silver cloud in Lawrence’s school system, Civil Rights, Education, english language learners, Special Education

• Two complaints filed with the US Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights center on the language barriers non-English-speaking parents face when their children have disabilities and need to navigate the complicated legal world of special education and all itsbureaucratic red tape.

  , US probes adequacy of interpretation services in Lawrence, Braintree schools, Civil Rights, Education, english language learners, Special Education

Educational Background:

• Graduation Honors: Excellence in Pro Bono Award, Dean's Award for Diversity.
  
  Academic honors: Public Service Scholarship (three year full-tuition award, merit based).
  
  Fellow: Clough Center for the Study of Constitutional Democracy Law Fellowship
  
  Finalist: NALP/PSJD Pro Bono Publico Award

  , 2014