Chris Elyse Vance

I stayed in contact with Chris Vance and was put off many many times, until the money ran out and then she dropped my case. I will NOT EVER recommend her to anyone. She had the documents she needed for nearly a YEAR. She knew that I did not have a ton of money, but took me for what I had. Sad whe...n parents of kids with disabilities get drug around and nothing comes of it then the lawyer takes the money and there is nothing to show for it. Do not use her! The reason her "record" looks "amazing" is that she only represents FOR SURE cases, and uses the other parents to pad her pockets. I can tell by the reviews she has done this before. How disgustingly pitiful!

I have always heard great things about Chris Vance but never thought I would have to call her. My son's school district wanted to appeal the favorable outcome of his due process hearing in federal court. When I called Mrs. Vance's office, I received an immediate response. When we met in person, I fel...t like she was the only person who saw the potential in my son. I also felt like she was truly advocating for him. We worked together on the response to the appeal, and she was able to get the case dismissed. With Mrs. Vance, it's not about the money; it's all about what's best for your child and the family. Today, my son is doing well in school and I am so thankful for Mrs. Vance to agreeing to take my son's case. I would refer Mrs. Vance to any family in need of top notch, professional legal advice regarding special education issues.

We went to Chris as a last resort. Our son was 16 years old, had just failed the eight grade and was reading at a first-grade level. He has an Autism Spectrum Disorder and an above average IQ. He was shuffled from school to school, program to program and was completely left behind. We spent upwar...ds of $30,000 to try to help our son read but the school system just wanted to push him through with an extra hour or reading support a week. We spent countless hours in IEP meetings with administrators that wanted to pass the buck and hopefully apse us just enough to get rid of us. The first think that Chris told us was that our son was entitled to a free and appropriate education and that he had not received that. She helped us develop a plan to support our son, helped us figure out the cost to implement that plan, advised us of her expected fee and gave us a timeline to implement. Most importantly, she told us that there was no guarantee but that she would fight with everything she had to get the support that our son deserved. In the end, we were successful, and our son is now receiving the support that he needed. I have read through several negative reviews on this site and they really do not characterize our experience with Chris. If you are expecting someone to work for free and play nice with the school district, perhaps Chris is not for you. If your child has a true need that is not being met and you are looking for someone to fight to the fullest extent possible, in an ethical and professional manner, I would complexly recommend Chris. She was always honest, responsive and reasonable with our family. Her intervention changed our son’s life!

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.

July 2010 we e-mailed Chris Vance as counsel to assist in addressing IDEA violation related to my son's IEP as well as the school's administrations failure to uphold their fuduciary responsibilities related to student safety. I paid an hourly consult as well as left a retainer. Ms. Vance requested ...that I provide information, I did. After several weeks, I e-mailed for update with no response. I called her office, she had no idea who I was and asked me to refresh her memory. Then asked if I had retained her as counsel. I assumed I had as the check had cleared my account. I requested return of the retainer, as she had not done anything related to our case. She billed $520 for the e-mails she failed to respond to and phone call that she had no idea who I was or my son. It was an expensive lesson.