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Constitutional Law

8175 Limonite Avenue, A, Jurupa Valley, CA 92509

Area of Practice: Civil Rights - Special Education Law With more than 25 years of experience in the legal field, Phillip primarily focuses on special education law. Phillip Sparks is an attorney licensed to practice law in the State of California. He grew up in Southern California and obtained his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Los Angeles. Thereafter, he attended the University of Southern California to receive his Juris Doctorate. Following law school, he worked in various law firms with the practice areas of Criminal law, Insurance Defense, Civil Litigation, Real Estate, Entertainment, and Collections. He also had management positions in a number of telecommunications companies. In 2008, he began his journey in special education law. He has been part of the faculty of the National Business Institute, lecturing on subjects in Special Education Law. Since beginning his practice, he has helped numerous families gain the placements and services they need for their children.

Constitutional Law

116 Sherman St, Fairfield, CT 06824, USA

Richard T. Meehan, Jr. has established himself as one of the top trial attorneys in the State of Connecticut since his admission to the Bar in 1974. Richard T. Meehan, Jr. has excelled in the practice of law in successfully representing clients in criminal and civil cases. His skill and achievements have led to Richard T. Meehan, Jr. being certified as a CRIMINAL TRIAL SPECIALIST by the NATIONAL BOARD OF TRIAL ADVOCACY (NBTA). Board certification is given only after a thorough screening of the credentials and trial abilities of an applicant, including: documentation of their experience, judicial and peer references, and after successful completion of a rigorous examination. Possessing the NBTA certificate means that the lawyer has been held to a higher standard of professional and personal conduct. NBTA lawyers maintain active trial practices and are required to submit a disclosure of misconduct annually, and meet the criteria for recertification every five years. Mr. Meehan, Jr. has successfully defended clients in many of the most highly publicized criminal cases in Connecticut. His widely recognized legal abilities have enabled Richard T. Meehan, Jr. to obtain multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements in complex medical and dental malpractice and personal injury litigation. His success in personal injury cases has been featured in professional periodicals, as well as statewide print and broadcast media. Mr. Meehan's 2.6 million-dollar verdict against a surgeon, in 1995, is reputed to be one of the largest awards against a single physician in Connecticut to date. That case has been featured in the national media, and was the subject of an investigative series on Channel 3, Eyewitness News. His recent 1.2 million-dollar settlement for a machine operator who suffered a traumatic amputation is reported to be the largest tort recovery against an employer despite the limitations of Workers Compensation. Mr. Meehan has made a significant contribution to the development of Connecticut caselaw in a number of appellate cases, having argued before the Connecticut Supreme Court and the Connecticut Appellate Court on twenty-five appeals. Mr. Meehan also served as a consultant to the Rules Committee of the Superior Court in the drafting of the Rules of Practice in Criminal Cases first published in 1976. He is a Past President of the Greater Bridgeport Bar Association, the youngest member then elected to this prestigious position. He has lectured frequently to the Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association-People's Law School, Greater Bridgeport Bar Association, and Fairfield County Detectives School, and has held appointments as an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Legal Studies Program at Sacred Heart University, and as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Quinnipiac College School of Law, where he teaches an advanced criminal trial practice course. In addition, he has served as an Alderman for the City of Bridgeport from 1974-1979 and during that time was twice elected President of the Bridgeport Common Council, a position second in authority to only the Mayor. Richard T. Meehan, Jr. is admitted to practice in the State of Connecticut as well as the United Stated District Court for the District of Connecticut, Second Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court. Mr. Meehan has served as a volunteer Special Master in the Superior Court, conducting settlement conferences in personal injury cases, as well as having served on numerous panels as an arbitrator. In 1999 Mr. Meehan was appointed as a Fact Finder and Arbitrator for the Superior Court by the Chief Court Administrator. Mr. Meehan is a member of the Connecticut Bar Association, the Greater Bridgeport Bar Association, the Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association, and the Connecticut Criminal Defense Lawyers Association. Mr. Meehan began his legal career as a law clerk to Justice Herbert MacDonald of the Connecticut Supreme Court. A 1974 honors graduate of the University of Connecticut School of Law, Mr. Meehan served as Research and Special Projects Editor of the Connecticut Law Review, and was the recipient of awards for excellence in the fields of Torts, Contracts and Criminal Procedure. Mr. Meehan has been recognized in Who's Who in American Law; Who's Who in Connecticut, Who's Who in Society; Who's Who of Emerging Leaders in America and the Bar Registry of Preeminent Lawyers. Mr. Meehan has served as a volunteer to numerous organizations throughout Fairfield County, most recently as President of the Advisory Board for Catholic Family Services. In addition, the father of five sons, he has been active in community youth organizations for the past twenty-five years. He has served as an officer and coach for the Shelton Youth Flag Football League and as assistant coach for the Boy's Varsity Basketball Team for Notre Dame High School of Fairfield.

Constitutional Law

650 Poydras St Suite 1400, New Orleans, LA 70130, USA

Area of Practice: Civil Rights Ron graduated from the University of Massachusetts, Summa Cum Laude, in 1975. He graduated from Franklin Pierce Law Center (now University of New Hampshire Law School) in May 1978. He became a member of the New Hampshire bar later that year. Ron has been a member of the Louisiana Bar since 2009. He is also admitted to practice in all federal courts Louisiana, New Hampshire and Vermont, in the First, Second, Fifth, Seventh Circuit US Courts of Appeal, and in the United States Supreme Court. Ron has devoted his entire professional life to furthering the legal and human rights of persons with disabilities and other disenfranchised and disempowered people. His first job after law school was as a Reginald Heber Smith fellow at Vermont Legal Aid (VLA). While at VLA, he handled a number of significant cases, including a class action challenging the lack of adequate notices of reductions or terminations of food stamp benefits and an argument before the US Second Circuit Court of Appeals on a Social Security case. In 1979, Ron was hired as the first attorney for New Hampshire's Protection and Advocacy Program, Developmental Disabilities Advocacy Center, later known as Disabilities Rights Center (DRC). He became DRC's Legal Director in 1986. Ron worked for DRC for 28 years and, during that time, litigated extensively in state and federal courts, and argued many cases before the New Hampshire Supreme Court and the US First Circuit Court of Appeals. In 2007, Ron left DRC to become the Director of the School to Prison Reform Project at the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) in New Orleans. While as SPLC, Ron worked on education cases in Louisiana, Florida, Kentucky, Michigan, and Texas. In May 2010, Ron left SPLC's employment, although he continued to consult on a contract basis with SPLC to provide back up and support to the Children's Rights in Kentucky and the Michigan Protection and Advocacy Program on school to prison issues. Ron began working at the Advocacy Center, now known as Disability Rights Louisiana (DRLA), in June 2010 on contract as its Litigation Director. In 2016, Ron was hired as a full-time position for DRLA, first as its Litigation Director and later has its Legal Director. In 2021, DRLA hired Ron as the Interim Executive Director, a job he held until April 2023. While at DRLA supervised all of its legal work and directly handled numerous state and federal court cases. A representative list of cases Ron has directly worked on either as lead or direct counsel while at DRC, SPLC, and DRLA are listed on this website. Ron has served as a member of the National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) Legal Committee, 2017 to 2023 and in 1991-1993. He also served on the Board of Directors of DRLA from April 2008 until 2010 and the Granite State Independent Living Foundation, Concord, NH from April 1982 to April 1983. Finally, Ron was the Chair of the New Hampshire Bar Association’s Mental and Physical Disabilities Law Section of the New Hampshire Bar Association, 1982- 1995.

Constitutional Law

3318 W 95th St, Evergreen Park, IL 60805, USA

Area of Practice: Elections and Local Government Law Ross D. Secler focuses his practice on representing municipalities, townships, and other local governments as their general counsel. Ross additionally has a wide array of experience in election and political law, counseling clients through the strategic, legal, and regulatory frameworks governing political campaigns, organizations, and candidates, which includes litigation before the Circuit, Appellate, and Supreme Courts. Ross then works to guide elected officials so they can best serve in their official roles. Ross grew up in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago and received his undergraduate degree from Colgate University before earning his Juris Doctor at Loyola University Chicago School of Law. Prior to joining Odelson, Murphey, Frazier & McGrath, Ltd., Ross was the founding partner of an election law firm in Chicago where he represented municipal, statewide, judicial, county-wide, Congressional, US Senate, and US Presidential candidates. Ross has also served as a member of the Standing Rules Committee for a National Nominating Convention. Prior to practicing law, Ross worked with a non-profit advocacy group in Washington D.C. Ross has also worked directly on a number of political campaigns for candidates running for Congress, the Illinois General Assembly, and the City of Chicago. Ross recently co-authored the article, Is the Party Over? You Don’t Have to Go Home, But you Can’t Stay Here: Political Party Affiliation, Trends, and Requirements After Patton v. Illinois State Board of Election (John Marshall Law Review, Vol. 51, Issue 4). He served as the Chairperson of the Chicago Bar Association’s Election Law Committee and serves as a member of the CBA’s Legislative Committee, in addition to being a member of the Decalogue Society of Lawyers. Ross has been named as one of the “Rising Stars” of Illinois by Super Lawyers every year from 2018 through 2023 and was selected as an “Emerging Lawyer” by the Leading Lawyers division of Law Bulletin Media.