Debbie Ferdman

Senior Of Counsel

Education

Debbie Ferdman received a Bachelor of Arts in Education from National College of Education/National Louis University, a private institution located in Evanston, Illinois. Upon graduating, Debbie spent a year in Chicago before relocating to California to pursue her teaching career. After three years of teaching, she moved to Sacramento to attend McGeorge School of Law with the aim of specializing in special education law. In 1997, Debbie earned her Juris Doctor degree.

Career and Service

In 1989, Debbie commenced her teaching career within the Chicago Public School system where she was assigned to an institution dedicated to educating children with significant learning challenges.

Debbie relocated to California and spent three years teaching at Charles Lowman Special Education Center, part of the Los Angeles Unified School District. During her time at Lowman, she worked with students who had significant cognitive deficits and students with severe emotional disabilities. Before concluding her teaching career, she successfully transitioned all her students to comprehensive elementary school campuses.

During law school, Debbie worked at California’s protection and advocacy agency, known as Disability Rights California. There, she represented clients at Regional Center hearings and IEP team meetings. Upon earning her law degree, Debbie served as a Clients’ Rights Advocate at the Nevada Disability Advocacy and Law Center, where she represented clients in special education matters.

Upon her return to California, Debbie continued to advocate for clients in both Regional Center and special education matters. After more than three years working at non-profit agencies, Debbie established her own law firm specializing in special education advocacy.

Debbie felt she could best serve students and ensure they were receiving services and supports to which they were entitled under both State and Federal laws by changing her approach and representing school districts. For the next 20 years, Debbie represented school districts in both Southern and Northern California, where she acquired comprehensive knowledge of the inner workings of school districts and special education law.

In 2024, Debbie transitioned back to representing students and joined Moore Law for Children.

Message from Debbie

I am extremely fortunate to have always known that I wanted to work in the field of special education. When I was in middle school, I watched a made for television movie called “A Circle of Children” which focused on a teacher working with students with emotional disabilities and how she found a way to connect with her students, even those who were non-verbal. That movie provided the trajectory of my career.

I have also been drawn towards working with children, whether as a babysitter, camp counselor, teacher, or advocate. My passion for working with students with special needs has always guided my career.

Finally, while I am passionate about my career as a special education attorney, my most important job has been raising my now 19-year-old twin daughters who are both neurotypical. Like you, as a parent, I have had to sit at IEP team meetings and often fight for the services and supports my daughters have required. Having been on all four sides of the special education continuum, as a parent, teacher, district attorney and student attorney, I fully understand the challenges you face and how to best navigate through the often-confusing processes related to special education. I look forward to working with families to help ensure each and every student with special needs receives the services and supports to which they are entitled.