Volunteer Lawyers for Justice (VLJ) is honored to recognize Andrew Meltzer as its June Volunteer of the Month. Andrew is a Special Education Attorney with Sussan, Greenwald & Wesler who began volunteering with VLJ’s Children’s Representation Program (CRP) in 2015. Since then, he has devoted over 500 pro bono hours to representing parents of children with disabilities, and his volunteerism has only increased in the midst of the pandemic.
For Andrew, advocating for children with learning differences is a deeply personal mission stemming from his own experience as a classified student. He knows firsthand the challenges families of children with disabilities encounter. Andrew recounts that, for a number of years, he was placed in a wrong educational setting, and it was a daily struggle. Fortunately, his parents recognized the programming and diagnosis did not fully address his strengths and needs, and rigorously advocated with the district for a change of placement. When Andrew received the appropriate services, he made tremendous progress and subsequently took honors and advanced placement courses in high school.
Andrew’s personal experience combined with his law school work at the Education Section of the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office cemented his desire to become a special education attorney. “Those memories of being in the wrong place and feeling stigmatized never leave me, and I am committed to helping other students receive the special education services they need and to which they are entitled so that they, too, have a chance to succeed,” remarks Andrew.
Andrew also recognizes the need for low-income clients to have access to pro bono representation, especially in education cases. Andrew recalls a client, a senior in high school who stopped attending school because the district refused to provide the student with accommodations. He was able to negotiate with the school district for appropriate home instruction services and the client was able to graduate high school on time. She has kept in touch with Andrew throughout her college career and has recently told Andrew that she will be pursuing a law degree. On that experience, Andrew remarks, “Being able to re-orient families through crisis and change their life overall is a deeply rewarding experience."
Andrew does not shy away from taking some of the most challenging special education cases through VLJ, and he is not deterred when the client does not speak English and requires an interpreter or when the case is already in litigation. "Andrew's commitment to VLJ’s clients is unwavering and has only solidified during the pandemic," notes Stella Lyubarsky, VLJ’s staff attorney.
For Andrew’s tremendous contribution to VLJ’s Children’s Representation Program and the many clients he has helped over the years, we are proud to feature him as June’s Volunteer of the Month.