Frances Shefter is an Education Attorney and Advocate who is committed to helping her clients have a stress-free IEP experience.

Before attending law school, Frances was a teacher for nine years.  She has a B.S. in Early Childhood Education from Towson University and a M.S. in Special Education from Florida International University.  For seven years she taught regular and special education and for two years she ran the Special Education Department.  In these positions she attended and ran several Individualized Education Plan meetings and Child Study Team meetings, did observations and developed behavior modification plans, attended and ran manifestation hearings, monitored implementation of IEPs, 504s and behavior modification plans, and administered and helped to interpret various evaluations.  These experiences have given her inside knowledge that is invaluable to assisting parents and guardians in seeking a Free Appropriate Public Education for their child.

Frances is currently admitted to practice law in Maryland, the District of Columbia and Florida (inactive).  She started her legal career in Florida practicing family law.  However, she always knew that her heart was in special education.  Shortly after moving back to the DMV area, she opened her law firm to help serve families of children with special needs.

Her background puts her in a unique position at any IEP table.  She is the only person at the table that can say she has been in almost every position that makes up the team.  She has been the regular education teacher, the special education teacher, the LEA designee, the attorney and the mom.  This enables her to communicate with the rest of the team in a more persuasive manner.

Anne Marill is an education advocate focused on helping her clients through the IEP and 504 processes. Prior to becoming an advocate, Anne was both a teacher and counselor in public education. She holds a B.S. in Elementary Education from the University of Maryland, an M.S. in School Counseling from Johns Hopkins University and a Post-Master's Certificate in Clinical Community Counseling from Johns Hopkins University. Anne also holds both national (NCC) and state (LCPC) certifications in counseling.

Anne worked in public education for over 32 years. She taught at the elementary and middle school levels and was a school counselor at the middle and high school levels. In these roles, she both participated in and ran IEP and 504 meetings, conducted student observations, compiled educational histories, reviewed and interpreted educational and psychological testing, wrote 504 Plans, functional behavior assessments and behavior intervention plans and contributed to IEPs. At both the middle and high school levels, she served in the role of 504 coordinator, ensuring that all 504 Plans were fully implemented, tracking progress, modifications etc. as appropriate and both scheduling and running 504 meetings.

Upon retiring from public education, Anne decided that she wanted to continue supporting families through the challenging IEP and 504 processes, but from “the other side” of the table. With this in mind, she embarked on a new role as an education advocate. In this role, she became a member of the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, Inc. (COPAA) to learn as much information and process as possible from experts in the field while networking to gain as much new knowledge as possible.

On a personal level, Anne has a child who has an IEP. As a result, she knows from a parent perspective how difficult and emotional the process can be. She is ready to support you
through the challenges of the IEP and 504 processes. She has the perspectives of an educator, counselor, advocate and parent. She looks forward to connecting with you to see how she can help.

Shane has worked in the administrative fields for 7 years while obtaining his business management qualification. He began his journey from humble beginnings as an administrator and manager of a veterinary clinic to handling multi chain retail outlets to finally finding himself in law firms. This is where he obtained skills such as learning to become an Intake specialist, learning how different fields of law operate and the day-to-day management of a law firm. This gives him the ability to successfully navigate through various systems and platforms and to have the confidence of being at the front lines and first contact for new and former clients. In February 2022, he finally found himself at Shefter Law, PA as the firm’s administrative assistant, receptionist and intake specialist, aiding Shefter Law, PA to help families truly have a Stress-Free IEP™ experience.