Katherine Anne Rabb

Kate Rabb is a Maryland special education lawyer with more than 20 years of experience in civil rights law and student advocacy. She represents students and families across all levels of education, from elementary school through graduate programs, helping them secure equal access to learning and the individualized supports they need to succeed.

Kate’s practice focuses on advocacy under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. As an experienced IEP attorney in Maryland, she works closely with families of students with IEPs and 504 Plans to ensure that schools provide appropriate services, accommodations, and placements. She regularly represents families at IEP and 504 meetings, helping to develop effective educational programs and resolve disputes with school districts.

In addition to collaborative advocacy, Kate represents families in special education due process in Maryland, strategically guiding them through the complex process when disputes cannot be resolved without litigation. She has extensive experience handling cases involving evaluations, failure to develop or implement an appropriate IEP, and nonpublic placement in Maryland, including situations where a school district must fund a private placement because it cannot meet a student’s needs.

Kate also advises and represents students facing school discipline, including suspension, expulsion, removal, and academic probation. She frequently advocates for students in manifestation determination meetings, ensuring that schools properly consider whether behavior is related to a student’s disability and comply with legal protections.

Kate serves families throughout Maryland, including Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Montgomery County, Howard County, Anne Arundel County, and Prince George’s County.

Kate regularly speaks and trains in special education law and the rights of students with disabilities for parent groups and professionals including Verbal Beginnings, the Autism Society of Maryland, and Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital.
Kate graduated from Harvard University (magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa) and earned her law degree from Yale Law School. She also completed a program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and holds a teaching certification in high school social studies.