Douglas Silas Solicitors
specialeducationalneeds.co.ukspecialeducationalneeds.co.ukClient SatisfactionAbout
Douglas Silas Solicitors (DSS) is a small, niche, but nationally acclaimed and renowned firm of solicitors run by Douglas Silas.
Douglas specialises exclusively in advising and representing parents of children and young people with Special Educational Needs (SEN) and has done so successfully now for many years.
WHO WE ARE
Douglas has successfully represented thousands of parents of children with SEN and has helped them get the right provision or school for their child, even where they thought that there was no hope left. Douglas (who is himself physically disabled and uses a wheelchair to get around) has, over many years, become the foremost solicitor/firm in the country in the field of SEN.
Douglas/our firm have also won numerous awards over many years, including: ‘SEN Law Firm Of The Year’, ’Education Law Firm/Lawyer of the Year’, ‘Outstanding Achievement’ & ’Niche Law Firm of the Year’ and he has also been shortlisted twice by the Law Society for its prestigious ‘Solicitor of the Year (Private Practice)’ award.
WHAT WE DO
We help parents of children and young people with Special Educational Needs (SEN) who are in dispute with their Local Authority (LA) to get a good Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) for them. We advise them indirectly (i.e. helping them do things themselves), or we represent them directly (i.e. do everything for them)– from helping them seek an assessment, right up to representing them in an appeal to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal.
Parents choose us to help them (usually after personal recommendations) as they know that we have considerable experience of SEN; a nationally acclaimed reputation and an extremely high track record of settling or winning cases. We also work closely with parents, experts and schools during a case, as we have learnt from extensive experience that cases are usually won by presenting good evidence and having the best ‘team’ behind you.
Parents also choose us to help them as they know that we provide honest, independent, objective and the best specialist advice and support that they can get. They also know that, as a small and niche specialist practice, we provide a very high level of personal service and will only help parents where we genuinely believe that we can provide real and added value. In this way, they always know in themselves that they have done the best that they can for their child.
HOW WE HELP
We usually help where parents are trying to get an EHC Plan in the first place, or where they need our help to appeal to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal because:
- They want to request their Local Authority (LA) to conduct an EHC Needs Assessment (we can draft a detailed letter for them to send to their LA requesting one);
- Their LA has issued a draft EHCP, but they need help responding to it (we can draft a detailed letter for them to send in reply to the LA);
- Their LA has refused to conduct an Assessment, has refused to make an EHCP following an Assessment, or has issued a final EHCP but has not put sufficient support in it and/or is not agreeing to name their preferred school (we can help them to appeal to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal).
However, aside from this, we also help parents with the following other situations:
- Where they want to obtain ‘expert’ advice from independent professionals like an Educational Psychologist (EP), Speech & Language Therapist (SaLT), Occupational Therapist (OT), Physiotherapist (PT), or other education/health/care professional, but are not sure who to approach or what to ask them to do;
- Where the LA has said that they are going to cease to maintain their child’s EHC plan, but they disagree.
Staffing Figures
- 1 Number of UK partners
- 1 Number of other UK fee-earners