Laura M. Sinars

Laura M. Sinars

Laura Sinars focuses on special education and students’ rights law.  She counsels and represents public school districts at IEP meetings, due process hearings and mediation.  She also represents districts at student expulsion and residency hearings.  Laura has defended district decisions regarding evaluations, services and placement of special education students in due process hearings.  She has successfully prevailed in hearings to defend against parents’ unilateral private placements.  In the area of student rights, Laura has assisted clients with routine student issues related to records, discipline, health and 504 questions.  She has also assisted clients with building strong residency and discipline cases which proceed to hearing and has successfully defended districts’ decisions in state and federal courts. Laura has represented districts before federal and state agencies including the Illinois State Board of Education, the Illinois Guardianship and Advocacy Commission and the Office for Civil Rights.

Awards

• Illinois Super Lawyers, 2005-2018

Education

• J.D., University of Notre Dame Law School
• B.A., University of Notre Dame

Admitted to Practice

• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
• U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
• Supreme Court of Illinois

Recent Publications

• Contributing author, “Special Education,” Illinois School Law, IICLE (2005, 2010, 2012, 2015 and 2024)