Our Team

Our Commitment is both Personal and Professional

Founder

About the Founder

Matt Cohen is founder of Matt Cohen & Associates and is well known for his work in special education law and has extensive experience in mental health and human services law. He has litigated numerous special education cases and has represented thousands of chilcren and adults with disabilities and their families. He is also the primary or collaborating author of several amendments to the mental health and special education laws of Illinois. In 1997, he was invited to the White House to participate in the signing ceremony for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997, in recognition of his participation in the process leading to the passage of that legislation.

While engaged in private law practice continuously since 1981, Matt served as the Executive Director and Corporate Counsel of a large psychiatric services corporation from 1985 to 1990. He has represented or consulted with hospitals, residential treatment centers, community mental health centers, agencies, police social workers and private health care, social services and education practitioners.

Nationally, Matt was a founding board member of the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA) a national special education advocacy organization. He was reappointed to the Board of Directors a number of years ago and regularly serves on various committees and task forces. In addition, Matt was a member of the Board of Directors of the national Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorders (CHADD) organization from July 1995 to June 2002, serving as its President from July 1999 to June 2000. In 2002 and 2003, Matt helped to organize the Children’s Behavioral Alliance, a national umbrella group for children’s mental health organizations. Under the auspices of the group, Matt was one of the authors of its nationally distributed policy statement, “In the Best Interest of All.”

Locally, Matt has been on the board of Our Place of New Trier Township, a program for young adults with disabilities, for several years. He also chaired the Illinois Attorney General’s Special Education Committee for over twenty five years, leaving the Committee in 2019. In 2001, CHADD established the Matt Cohen Scholarship Fund, named in his honor. He is the recipient of the “Gordon B Nash Sr. Public Education Award”, from Greater Chicago NAMI in 2009 and 1993 “Illinois TASH Professional of the Year” award. He is also Life Board Member of Youth Organization Umbrella, located in Evanston, Illinois. In 2011, Matt received the “National CHADD Legislative Advocacy Award” and in 2012 was presented with the “Friend of Learning Disability Association of Illinois”. He has been selected to Illinois Super Lawyers every year from 2005-2022, as well as being selected as an Illinois “Leading Lawyer” for many years.

Matt has lectured nationally on a wide variety of special education topics, as well as on mental health and confidentiality law and has authored numerous articles on these subjects. He is frequently quoted by the news media on special education issues. Matt was an adjunct professor of law at Loyola University Law School for many years and has taught at Northwestern University Law School.

In 2009, Matt authored the book A Guide to Special Education Advocacy: What Parents, Clinicians and Advocates Need to Know, published by Jessica Kingsley. He is also the author of Barriers to Inclusion in Local School in Illinois: A Blueprint for Change, funded by a grant from the Illinois Planning Council on Developmental Disabilities.

Matt received his law degree from the University of Minnesota (1981) and his bachelor’s degree from Grinnell College (1977). Matt has two adult sons and loves spending time with them.

TEAM

The Team

Bradley J. Dembs. J.D.
Attorney

Anna Eisner Seder
Attorney

Jill Calian
Attorney

Kimberley K.W. Milburn, J.D., LL.M. in Health Law
Attorney

Elizabeth Hooper
Advocate

Christina Palmieri
Advocate

Deirdre Gruba-McCallister
Paralegal/Administrative Assistant

Tami Kuipers
Office Manager & Intake Coordinator

Niki Lafferty
Administrative Assistant

Brad Dembs joined Matt Cohen & Associates in 2017. Brad is from Michigan, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan in 2009 and a Juris Doctor from Wayne State University Law School in 2012. Brad’s passion for disability rights, and special education in particular, comes from his experience working with and advocating for individuals with disabilities in various contexts over the past two decades. Prior to joining MCA, Brad spent five years working as a Staff Attorney for Michigan Protection and Advocacy Service, Inc., where he focused on special education law.

Brad's duties included representing families of children with disabilities in all stages of disputes with their school districts, from advocating at IEP meetings, Section 504 Plan meetings and disciplinary hearings to filing Due Process complaints and subsequent appeals. Brad also has experience arguing cases in federal district court and in the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. In his free time, Brad enjoys kayaking, cooking, basketball, and playing with his Australian Cattle Dog.
Brad is licensed to practice law in Illinois and Michigan.

Anna joined Matt Cohen & Associates in 2022. She practiced in the areas of products liability and commercial litigation for several years before taking time off to raise her children. From 2014-2017, Anna worked as an Adjunct Professor of Legal Writing at Loyola University Chicago School of Law. Anna became interested in special education advocacy through volunteer work as well as through her own experiences as a parent. Anna looks forward to helping families obtain special education services and supports and Section 504 accommodations. Anna earned a B.A. in Rhetoric and Spanish from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She earned her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center.

Jill Calian has been involved with special education law in a several capacities over many years. She first became involved in the world of special education while working on a pro bono case involving early intervention services during the six years that she practiced general commercial litigation at a large Chicago firm. While Jill took a break from the practice of law to raise her four sons, her knowledge of early intervention services came in handy when she subsequently learned that one of her sons has a rare genetic disorder. Wanting to be the best possible advocate for her son, Jill began taking continuing legal education courses focused on special education law and joined COPAA in 2009 and was active in several local advocacy organizations. In 2010, Jill and a colleague formed a law firm dedicated to special education law, serving families in the northern and western Chicago suburbs for seven years. Jill and her law partner took pride in their ability to relate to clients, not just as attorneys, but as mothers of children with disabilities. After wrapping up her law practice, Jill remained active in disability advocacy organizations – with a particular focus on education policy and systemic advocacy in the local school districts. Jill found, however, that she just could not shake her passion for special education law. She is thrilled to join Matt Cohen & Associates and return to the practice of special education law. Jill is a graduate of Miami University (B.A.) and University of Chicago School of Law (J.D.) and clerked for Justice Charles Levin on the Michigan Supreme Court.

Kim joined Matt Cohen & Associates in October 2013. She has focused on advocating for clients requiring accommodations for high stakes testing and higher education under the Americans with Disabilities Act and on assisting clients with compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and state confidentiality laws. She also has experience advocating at IEP, 504 and RTI meetings. Kim is an attorney with a passion for special education and disability rights law born out of personal experience navigating the special education system on behalf of her own children. In addition, Kim has eight years of experience in researching, analyzing, and writing about complex legal issues. She tracked critical legislation, regulations, guidance documents and case law affecting the food, drug and medical devices industry as a researcher and legal writer for the Food and Drug Law Reporter and the Medical Devices Law Reporter for FDA regulated industries. Kim earned a J.D. cum laude from Northern Illinois University in 1994 and an LL.M in Health Law from DePaul University in 2001. She was a Notes and Comments Editor for the Northern Illinois University College of Law Law Review and published an article on the Environmental Species Act. Her diverse experience also includes working as a judicial clerk and acting as hearing officer for county housing and redevelopment authority proceedings. Kim is a member of COPAA and a group for parents of twice exceptional children. She has been active as a leader in Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts, and her local Home & School Association. When she has free time she enjoys traveling, camping, geocaching and reading.

Elizabeth Hooper joined our practice as a special education advocate and educational consultant in ADHD/Executive Functioning. Previously, Elizabeth has served as an educational advocate and tutor for families with students with disabilities in the Western suburbs. Prior to that, she had over 10 years experience as a special education teacher, including experience with inclusive programming, behavior intervention support, and ESL. She received certifications in California for Moderate to Severe and ESL and has an LBS I certification from the Illinois State Board of Education. Elizabeth has a Masters Degree in Special Education from San Francisco State University and a Bachelors Degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Elizabeth brings a broad set of skills to our practice and has had great success on behalf of our clients.

Christine Palmieri joins our practice as a special education advocate. Christine has been passionate about supporting people with disabilities since she was young - growing up with her aunt who had intellectual disabilities and a mother who was a special education teacher. Christine has extensive experience advocating for the unique needs of Chicago Public Schools families, including for her own autistic teenager. She has advocated for and supported families on a wide variety of issues. Christine understands how to navigate the often changing and challenging system in Chicago Public Schools. She has worked to create special education committees in neighborhood schools and is a member of the CPS Office of Diverse Learners Services and Supports 'Family Advisory Board'. Christine is an integral member of SPEACC (Special Education Advocacy Coalition of Chicago) where she has worked alongside and learned from Matt Cohen and Will Hrabe over the last 4+ years advocating for the ISBE inquiry and resulting corrective action (SSCA - Student Specific Corrective Action) and monitoring of the CPS special education department. Christine holds a BA in Architecture & Environmental Design from Montana State University and has worked in the architecture field, but she finds her true passion to be in special education advocacy.

Deirdre started working for Matt Cohen and Associates in May of 2019. She files and organizes documents, as well as various other administrative tasks in the office. Deirdre graduated from Quincy University with a B.S. in Special Education and taught special education for several years in a variety of settings, including a self-contained classroom, a resource room, and a co-taught classroom. She later obtained a Paralegal Certificate from Oakton Community College and worked for three and a half years at a real estate law office. At her current position, Deirdre is able to combine her knowledge of Special Education with her skills in the field of paralegal studies.

Tami began working with Matt Cohen as his assistant and intake coordinator in 2005. She is also a paralegal and the office manager. In her role as intake coordinator, Tami talks to hundreds of parents every year, providing crucial information about the firm, as well as conducting triage on urgent cases. Prior to working with Matt , she worked as a paraprofessional at Elim Christian Services in the middle school and in their ACE Program. She is active in the disability community, particularly in the church setting, promoting inclusion and full participation. She is the Regional Advocate for Classis Chicago South for the Christian Reformed Church’s Disability Concerns Committee and involved with various other organizations.

Niki joined Matt Cohen and Associates in the summer of 2022 as a part-time Administrative Assistant. Niki spent fifteen years in various legal admin support roles with corporate law firms in Chicago before taking time off to be home with her three children. Niki’s interest in special education started while learning to navigate the special education system for two of her children. Niki brings a wide range of skill set to support our clients, attorneys, staff, and everyday business needs of the firm