Biography
Since 1998, Elisa Hyman has been representing individual parents and students in impartial hearings, administrative appeals, federal civil actions, as well as class actions and impact litigation. She is the president of the Law Office of Elisa Hyman, P.C. (the “LOEH”), a private, public interest law firm providing representation in education law, disability discrimination and civil rights cases involving public education in federal court and administrative hearings. With a team of attorneys, the LOEH offers families who cannot otherwise afford education legal services free consultations, no-cost-up front and pro bono legal services. The LOEH has a busy administrative case load and active federal docket, including three class actions and multiple systemic federal cases. Between 2007-2016, the LOEH was Of Counsel to Friedman & Moses, LLP where Ms. Hyman founded the Special Education Law Group. Between 1998 and 2007, Ms. Hyman spent eight years at Advocates for Children of New York (AFC), first as the organization's Deputy Director and then as the transitional Executive Director from 2006-2007. Before joining AFC, Ms. Hyman was Assistant General Counsel at Safe Horizon, where she focused on domestic violence and crime victim policy. Prior to starting a public interest law career, Ms. Hyman was an associate at White & Case. In addition to litigation, Ms. Hyman has authored several education policy reports, spearheaded policy initiatives and served as an education policy consultant to various organizations, including the Gates Foundation. Ms. Hyman has her J.D. from Duke Law School and a M.A. in Economics from Duke University. In March of 2024, Ms. Hyman was awarded the Diane Lipton Award for Outstanding Advocacy in 2024 by the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, Inc. (COPAA) and she is a prior recipient of the Legal Services award of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York.