Tiffany M. Santos

Drawing on her career-long focus on representing public education organizations, Tiffany Santos advises Southern California school districts and local agencies regarding all aspects of special education, labor and employment issues, governance, litigation, charter schools and student matters such as discipline, discrimination, harassment and bullying.

With deep knowledge in the special education statutes that regulate school administrative bodies, Tiffany advises districts on staying compliant and keeps them updated on all developments that might affect their operations. At the federal level, particularly relevant laws include The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Tiffany strategically advocates for clients in a variety of forums, including administrative hearings, state superior courts and federal and appellate courts. Although special education law and related topics tend to be quite complex, her ample litigation experience enables her to craft compelling narratives and persuasively articulate her clients’ positions in ways that both judges and juries can understand. Rejecting adversarial hard-line tactics in favor of relationship-preserving approaches, Tiffany humanizes the process and works towards solutions that work in the best interests of both clients and students.

Tiffany’s practice is distinguished by her commitment not only to solving immediate disputes and challenges, but also to identifying and addressing systemic issues that produce problems in the first place. Taking the long view, she collaborates with districts to improve policies and head off future complications. Tiffany also enables clients to stay out of trouble by frequently conducting a variety of trainings. These sessions provide practical information intertwined with compelling stories drawn from real-life incidents and go a long way towards facilitating positive workplace policies and practices.