About Us

Attorney Jennifer Laviano is in private practice in Connecticut. Ms. Laviano holds an undergraduate degree in English Literature from Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York, and she earned her Juris Doctorate, cum laude, from Quinnipiac University School of Law in Hamden, Connecticut.

Read more on how Attorney Laviano became a special education lawyer here:  A Father’s Legacy to Special Education Advocacy

Ms. Laviano has dedicated her law practice entirely to the  representation of children and adolescents with disabilities whose families are in disagreement with their public school districts. Her representation of children with special needs encompasses the full spectrum of Civil Rights advocacy under the IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), from attendance at IEP Team meetings and  Mediation, to zealous and experienced litigation in Due Process Hearings and Federal Court.

Ms. Laviano is a regular presenter, both locally and nationally, on the subject of the special legal rights of children with disabilities and their entitlement to receive a Free and Appropriate Public  Education. Ms. Laviano is on the Board of Directors of COPAA, the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, which is the leading national voice on special education rights and advocacy.

Ms. Laviano represents children with special needs throughout the State of Connecticut.

 Attorney Melissa Gagne holds an undergraduate degree from the Boston Conservatory of Music, a Master’s Degree in English from Connecticut College, a Sixth Year Degree in Education Leadership from Sacred Heart University, and she earned her Juris Doctorate, cum laude, from Quinnipiac University School of Law. Prior to attending law school, Attorney Gagne spent twenty years in public education as a teacher, assistant principal, and principal.  

Attorney Melissa Gagne is a Special Education Attorney, who has dedicated her law practice to the representation of children and adolescents with disabilities whose families are in disagreement with their public school districts. Attorney Gagne also represents students at Manifestation Determination Hearings, Expulsion Hearings and in Title IX investigations.  

Attorney Gagne is an Adjunct Professor at Quinnipiac University School of Law, where she created the first Special Education Law course for law students.  Attorney Gagne is also the Executive Vice President of the Board of Directors for CCARC, a nonprofit agency that provides day and residential services to adults with disabilities in Connecticut. Attorney Gagne is also on the Board of Directors for Special Education Equity for Kids of Connecticut  (SEEK), a nonprofit in Connecticut that lobbies at the State Capitol to improve special education on behalf of Connecticut’s Special Education  students, and a member of the State of Connecticut Autism Advisory Council.

Attorney Gagne is married and has three children. Her youngest son, Ryan, has profound Autism. 

  Attorney Marjorie Jacobson earned an undergraduate degree in English, cum laude, from Brandeis University, and a Juris Doctorate from Boston University School of Law where she was a Law Review editor and published note author. She also holds mediation certification from the Quinnipiac University School of Law Center on Dispute Resolution.

Attorney Jacobson's law practice is dedicated to the representation of children and adolescents with disabilities whose families are in disagreement with their public school districts. She has also represented young adults and families in conservatorship and guardianship matters before the probate courts, and served as Guardian ad Litem in related matters. In addition to her work as a special education attorney, Ms. Jacobson brings more than a decade of corporate law experience counseling Fortune 100 companies worldwide on a full range of legal matters including media, marketing and intellectual property.

Attorney Jacobson also co-founded an educational forum offering innovative financial and legal self-care courses for women, and is a presenter of legal education workshops for corporate employee and workplace wellbeing programs. She is a member of COPAA, the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, a board member and co-chair of the Education, Diversity and Inclusion committee of the Westport Country Playhouse, and serves on the regional board and national commission of the Anti-Defamation League.

Attorney Jacobson is the mother of three, including a daughter with special needs. She uses her personal and professional experience to passionately and compassionately serve other parents to help them obtain the best possible education and futures for their children.