Meet Lori Kirsch-goodwin | Founding Partner of Kirsch-Goodwin & Kirsch and mother of adult child with special needs

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lori Kirsch-goodwin and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lori, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I was a civil litigator at a medium sized insurance defense firm when I was contacted by my child’s school advising they wanted to evaluate him. The process of evaluating him began for special education. I had some disagreements with the School District during the process and could not find a lawyer in the field of special education to help me. One of my partners at the firm I was at had a special needs child, so I asked him for help. He was wonderful and helped me navigate along with my sister who had been a special education teacher before becoming an attorney. She worked at the same firm as me at the time.
After we obtained an IEP for my son, the partner that helped me said I should pay it forward and help someone else navigate the process.
That is what I did, and I love it. I decided to change my field of law. The firm I was at during this time, was not the right place to do special education law. So, I decided to look to go somewhere I could practice in that area. I spoke with my sister, and we decided to open our own firm. 18 years later, here we are.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
It was not easy. The special education field is small. People are not aware that there are attorneys that do this type of work. We did not want to pay for advertising, so we did presentation and networked to get our name out there. We now get most of our clients by referrals of prior clients and from our adversaries (those attorneys that represent schools). We have expanded the practice to include defending students (regular education and special education) for academic integrity issues, discipline, and Title IX. We represent students from Kindergarten through graduate school.

I love what I do. It makes the struggles of running your own business easier, when you love what you do and feel good about what you do. 

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I have actually done that.
I would start with the area I live in, Carefree – aptly named. The town of Carefree and neighboring town of Cave Creek have very quaint little shops, art galleries, and restaurants.
Another day, we would go to Old Town Scottsdale. More shopping, art galleries and restaurants.
I would do a n overnight trip to Cottonwood, for some wine tasting and stay at The Tavern Hotel.
And I would do another overnight trip to Sedona, to see the beautiful red rocks.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My former partner, Kevin Ahearn; my sister and partner Hope Kirsch, my husband who supported me in the endeavor, and of course, my hero – my son-Cutler Goodwin.

Website: https://azspecialeducationlawyers.com/