Chris Elyse Vance

I never take the time to write reviews, much less for a lawyer....BUT...I had to take the time to say how much I think Chris Vance is the best lawyer there is for child advocacy. We hired her when my son (disabled) was being abused in the school. We heard about Chris, met with her and instantly ...knew that she was the one to get things done for our son. We were never sorry for a minute. She was and is the best advocate for Special Needs children. She knows the laws inside and out. Chris is very assertive. She was extremely responsive to any and all questions / issues we had. She is extremely smart. Her services are all about the child and getting what the kids need....never about her ego, money or anything else. I would hire her again in a New York minute. I just wish I could go to her with ALL issues that would require a lawyer. I have read the other reviews and see that they were untrue. I cannot see how anyone could post anything but positive comments regarding Chris. BUT, knowing the schools as well as I do, I am suspecting that those posts were done by the school and NOT anyone that has ever interacted with her.

Mrs. Vance helped us with my daughter with Dyslexia. The school district could not teach her to read. We worked with them for 3 years. Finally privately placed her at Lindamood-bell for 12 weeks and they caught up her 2 and half year gap. This changed Angela's life. I will forever be grateful to... Chris Vance for helping us over a two year period. She was honest, professional, smart and knew how to handle the school district.

Hired Ms. Vance to represent my son. She managed to accomplish absolutely nothing for him, but did manage to cash her $7,000 retainer check! She attended one IEP meeting and was confrontational with school staff and a complete embarrassment! She was a no-show for the second meeting and left me on ...my own! DO NOT HIRE HER!! She is out only for money! She will tell you what you want to hear, as long as you keep paying her!!

We hired Chris to represent our child. She proved to be honest and thorough. She made going through Due Process very easy. I was becoming a little stressed until we met her. She was a game changer!!!! As a parent and educator of a precious special needs child, I HIGHLY reccomend her. I'm surpris...ed that the previous person has negative comments. I'm even more surprised that they waited 5 years to post. Thanks to Chris my child has an appropriate educational program. Our special needs kids deserve an appropriate education too!!! She and her husband will always have a special place in our hearts.

As a Special Educator, special needs parent, and now 3X Stroke Survivor, knowledge is power. After years of self-advocating for my daughter, who is disabled, Attorney Chris Vance became my cushion. Through her fields of Educational Law, skills, strategy, and added intestinalfortitude she cannot be ma...tched. Chris personally understood frustrations, previously utilized attempts, and my families current needs. Afterall, the educational battle between myself and the Gwinnett County School System, at that point was over 8 long years. I knew that I was qualified to continue to advocate for Tao but why? Sometimes, my daughter's Individualized Education Plan meetings would last for up to 9 hours. Then we would stop the meeting and a, "to be continued" was scheduled. There I sat for many, many years alone, exhausted, and guarded. Chris was a "game-changer" for Tao and me. In her words, "you are a Special Educator...in the field, an employee of their system, and you are still experiencing problems, ok." To my suprise that day's, "ok ", meant that I could finally...exhale. Furthermore, having Attorney Chris Vance on board priceless! GCPS, received immediate notice of representation from Chris. Literally, as we continued to discuss the issues, she drafted, edited, and sent it. Looking back, through hindsight, Chris moved things along real fast. Chris personally requested all my daughter's records, picked them up, and reviewed them. She scheduled meetings, placed calls, and even built a relationship with Tao. My child's case was very complex but Chris never wavered. Afterall, I needed some help. If you have a student suffering from a disability in any school system, you can understand but if in Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS)...HELL! I honestly called several other attorneys prior to hiring Attorney Vance. Many were afraid of GCPS, and others just didn't want to deal with them. Two attorneys that I consulted with stated, "GCPS is big and they have tons of money!" Their intention was to convince me that I should just be happy with current services. When I asked them to enlighten me...they put it simple. GCPS is a nasty enemy. They will never be wrong about anything and even if they are they won't admit it. I know that seems pretty harsh but it is daily practice for the GCPS System. As a former, terminated, and parent of children in the GCPS System most of their practices were great. Three of my 5 children were well-educated. The two that fell under the umbrella of Special Education, were definitely left behind. Chris recognized that GCPS System was all of the above mentioned concerns. Chris wasn't afraid, intimidated by system size or worried about how complex the case was. Chris was caring, respectful, eager, and affordable. I was too happy to hire her and somewhat immediately relieved. I had arrived and finally could pass the baton. Chris shocked me on many occasions for good reasons. My child, where someone actually recognized that she, was an Individual. An individual, young girl named Tao who had special needs in Gwinnett County. We began to live again as a family and having Attorney Chris Vance represent us, a Blessing! If I had it to do all over again, Chris would have represented us from day one. We will never ever forget her!