About Andrea M. Valdez
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Ms. Valdez is an attorney licensed to practice in California. She holds a Juris Doctorate from Columbia Law School and a Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Studies from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.
Ms. Valdez’ passion for education and children’s rights started in college. As an undergraduate at Cal Poly Pomona, she was in the Liberal Studies, Pre-Credential program working toward becoming an elementary school teacher. After graduating from college, Ms. Valdez taught reading, math, and ELD in an elementary school Resource Room as a long-term substitute teacher. That experience showed her how important special education and related services are to children with disabilities and how important it is for these children to have a well-written IEP that is tailored to their unique needs. During law school, Ms. Valdez continued to focus her attention and studies on children’s rights. She participated in Columbia Law School’s Child Advocacy Clinic and volunteered with the Legal Aid Society of New York’s Education Advocacy Project. Her interest in, and commitment to, children’s rights led to her being chosen as a Bergstrom Child Welfare Law Fellow and a Columbia Law School Human Rights Intern. Through the Human Rights Internship Program, Ms. Valdez was able to spend a summer working at Public Counsel Law Center’s Children’s Rights Project, where she acted as a special education advocate in IEP and 504 meetings, wrote and filed compliance complaints with the California Department of Education, and successfully represented a student in an expulsion hearing. Upon graduating from Columbia Law School in 2005, Ms. Valdez practiced litigation at a large, international law firm as both an associate and a senior associate. As a corporate litigator, she second-chaired several class action trials, as well as a number of single and multiple plaintiff trials. Ms. Valdez’ substantial litigation experience includes all aspects of the litigation process, including: discovery; expert and fact witness depositions; substantial motion practice and brief-writing at the discovery, pretrial, trial, post-trial, and appellate levels; oral argument; and substantial trial experience. After leaving corporate litigation to stay home with her young children, Ms. Valdez decided to transition back to education law when she saw a friend struggling to get the services her child desperately needed from the school district. She was able to help her friend and wanted to continue to help the many other parents out there who face similar challenges. Ms. Valdez is incredibly thankful to be back in a practice area that she loves, doing work that is so rewarding and can make such a lasting impact on the lives of her clients. Education Columbia Law School, J.D. (Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar) California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, B.A. (magna cum laude) |
