Allison B. Vrolijk

Allison Vrolijk

It's hard to know who posted this, as it was done anonymously, but I can guess.......that it was someone that recently hired me to represent their child/grandchild in a manifestation determination review hearing (I'm guessing it's the grandmother who wrote this review). Once I received and reviewed their records, it became clear to me that the behavior in question was NOT a manifestation of the child's disability (and in fact, their private therapist came to the same conclusion, so would not assist with the hearing). I shared that opinion with them, stating that I would be happy to continue to represent them at the upcoming hearing, but that I did not expect my presence to change the outcome of the hearing. THEY then decided to not have me attend the hearing with them. To be clear, I did not resign "when I knew I was losing." There are laws that govern manifestation determination hearings, and in my expert opinion, this was a hearing that would not be successful for the parent. Upon hearing that opinion, the parent decided not to continue with my services. I am not one of those attorneys that will take any case, even losing cases, just to earn a paycheck. I am honest to a fault, and will let clients know when it would be a waste of their money to pay me to advocate for a position that isn't winnable. That is what I did here, and gave the client the option. They chose to not have me attend. If you are looking for an attorney who will take your money, no matter the strength of your case, then please pass me by. If you are looking for an attorney to give you an honest assessment of your case, then feel free to give me a call.