Cynthia Vargas

Highly respected and dedicated education law expert Cynthia “Cyndi” Vargas represents and counsels school districts, county offices of education and special education local plan areas (SELPAs) throughout southern California and beyond, with a focus on the San Bernardino County and San Diego regions. A seasoned trainer, advisor, negotiator and litigator, Cyndi successfully advocates for clients in due process and Section 504 hearings, Individualized Educational Program (IEP) team meetings, mediations and informal resolutions. She also represents clients in compliance complaints with the California Department of Education, investigations with the Office for Civil Rights and a variety of other matters that public school agencies routinely address. Additionally, she lends her insight and experience in disciplining online behavioral misconduct and cyberbullying to the firm’s eMatters practice group.

Clients rely on Cyndi’s adept counsel and services at both the school site and administrative levels. She provides frequent and highly relevant training to administrators and teachers, keeps organizations compliant with requirements and regulations, negotiates advantageous resolutions and avoids costly courtroom battles whenever possible. When an issue is best handled through litigation, Cyndi’s highly regarded strategic skills reinforce her ability to take the right steps and make the right arguments at the right time in the process. She fully understands the importance of proper execution and timing.

Prior to her legal career, Cyndi worked as a special education teacher. This background gave her a valuable and practical understanding of the interconnectedness of education legal matters and the many ways that a single issue can affect various aspects of clients’ operations and missions. It also honed her skills in gaining rapport with various audiences, from students to judges, and her ability to break down complex concepts and convey meaning clearly and cohesively. She also draws on these leadership and communication skills as managing partner of the firm’s Inland Empire office.

As an in-demand speaker, Cyndi has delivered presentations across a wide range of education-related issues before the Association of California School Administrators, the California School Boards Association and the California Association of Latino Superintendents and Administrators, as well as several workshops and trainings for California Special Education Local Plan Areas and individual school districts. While earning her law degree, Cyndi worked closely with the Disability Law Society, an alliance of UCLA law students dedicated to equal access, diversity and inclusion in all aspects of legal education and the legal profession.

Cyndi’s love for her work comes across in every aspect of her practice. She feels very fortunate to work with people who are also passionate about serving students—particularly those with exceptional needs.