Merry RhoadesFirm shareholder Merry Rhoades, a frequent presenter on special education law, presented a special education case law update to the Illinois Council of School Attorneys. The Illinois Council of School Attorneys, in conjunction with the Illinois Joint Annual Conference, hosts a seminar for practicing Illinois School Law attorneys. Merry’s presentation, held on November 17, 2006, in the Crystal Ballroom of the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Chicago, Illinois, focused on educating her colleagues regarding current legal trends in the area of special education.
The Illinois Council of School Attorneys (ICSA) is a not-for-profit organization affiliated with the Illinois Association of School Boards. ICSA’s membership is limited to licensed Illinois attorneys that represent at least one Illinois public school district. ICSA’s mission is to provide legal support to Illinois public school districts through the education of its members and provide legislative and other legal support to Illinois public school districts.
Merry C. Rhoades focuses her practice on general counsel services with an emphasis on special education law and student-related issues, school district reorganization matters and tax and finance matters. Because of her more than 20 years experience in representing Illinois public school districts, she has key insights regarding the day-to-day operation of the school district. She has extensive experience in special education administrative hearings, civil rights litigation, state and federal court litigation at the trial and appellate levels, and state administrative hearings.
Merry is an active member of several school related organizations. She is a member of the Illinois Council of School Attorneys Executive Committee and currently serves as its 1st Vice Chairperson and she is a service member to the Illinois Association of School Administrators (IASA). She serves as an Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB) PRESS advisory committee member. Merry has been asked to speak for such organizations as the Illinois Alliance of Administrators of Special Education (IAASE), the Illinois Association of School Administrators (IASA), the Illinois Principal’s Association (IPA) and the Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB) on numerous school related issues.
Tueth Keeney is proud to be one of the state’s largest Illinois education law practices. The firm has one of the most experienced groups of attorneys in Central and Southern Illinois dedicated to serving public schools. We regularly represent nearly 150 public school districts, including many districts in Central and Southern Illinois. Our Firm is also regularly appointed by insurers of educational institutions to represent districts in complex or difficult cases involving school or civil rights laws.