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Meet the Keller Law Team
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ROBIN P. KELLER, ESQ.
MANAGING PARTNER
Robin has experience in all areas of 504 and IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act) proceedings, from initiating a
special education referral to advocating at PPT meetings. Robin is also well experienced in Mediation, Resolution Sessions, Due Process Hearings, and the filing of State and Federal Complaints. She also has extensive experience representing regular and special education students in school expulsion hearings, residency disputes, and transportation issues. Before establishing her education law practice in 2011, Robin was a commercial litigator representing clients in administrative hearings, formal and informal mediations, arbitrations, and trials. She is a graduate of the University of Connecticut School of Law.
Robin is passionate about equity and has dedicated a significant portion of her practice to assisting parents and guardians of the underserved and most vulnerable children.
DANI COHEN
NON-ATTORNEY SPECIAL EDUCATION
ADVOCATE & IEP COMPLIANCE
Dani has over 13 years of special education experience. She started as a teacher, served in a large public school district doing IEP
Compliance, and then worked as Assistant Director of Pupil Personnel Services. Dani’s understanding of an individual student’s learning style and her knowledge of IEP compliance provide invaluable support, insight, and advocacy opportunities to parents of children with special learning and behavioral needs. She also has her certification in special education from both NY and CT.
Dani holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Rollins College and a Master’s degree in childhood education from Hunter College as well as a Master’s in Special Education from College of Saint Rose. Dani is completing her doctoral program in Educational Leadership at the University of Bridgeport with a dissertation focusing on childhood trauma and ADHD.
JENNIFER STEINER
NON-ATTORNEY SPECIAL EDUCATION
LEGAL ADMIN, ADVOCATE
Jen is a trained non-attorney special education advocate who has been with Keller Law since 2018 assisting numerous Connecticut
families in securing appropriate educational services and accommodations for their children with special educational needs. Jen received her bachelor's degree in education from Illinois State University and taught middle school science. After her son was diagnosed with autism, she began practical training in special education advocacy and has completed COPAA's (“Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates”) basic and advanced advocacy training. She is active in the community, having served on the Boards of the Norwalk Special Education Parents Advisory Committee (N-SpedPAC), the School Governance Council, and the Parent Teacher Association at her child’s elementary school.
DAVID HEUVELMAN
QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL LEGAL INTERN, SECOND YEAR
David is well-versed in special education needs and the importance of collaboration with school districts. As a second-year law student at
Quinnipiac University School of Law, David focuses on education and family law and is working on a concentration in Alternative Dispute Resolution. David is a chosen leader in the Norwalk Community, having worked with special education parent groups and chairing the Norwalk Special Education Parents Advisory Council. He is also serving his second term elected to the Norwalk Common Council representing District A. David is the father of a special education student and has committed to establishing equity and finding solutions that work for all children. He has a BA from Carroll University and an MFA from the University of Alabama. He is excited to be working towards a new career and expanding his abilities with Keller Law.
Darcy Hempstead
NON-ATTORNEY SPECIAL EDUCATION
BI-LINGUAL ADMINISTRATOR
A native of Nicaragua, Darcy came to the United States when she was ten years old. She became familiar with the Special
Education process by advocating for her brother at PPT meetings. He is a student with autism at Norwalk High School.
Darcy joined Keller Law as a Bilingual Administrator, fluent in Spanish. She works alongside the Keller Law team, ensuring LatinX parents’ concerns for their child’s education are understood and represented by Keller Law. Darcy lives in Norwalk with her husband and son. Her interests include spending time with her family, quiet meditative walks in the woods, and living the American dream.
LAUREN BARETTA
QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL
LEGAL INTERN, SECOND YEAR
Lauren is passionate about community outreach and advocating for students with special needs. Upon graduating from
Connecticut College, she worked as a paraprofessional and literacy tutor with special education students at the elementary and middle-school levels. In 2020, she received a competitive Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) grant in Malaysia and supported Malaysian high-school students for several months. Lauren is now a second-year law student at Quinnipiac University Law School, Vice President of the Public Interest Law Project, and a Staff Member of the Quinnipiac Health Law Journal.
ANDREW KELLER
QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL
LEGAL INTERN, THIRD YEAR
Andy provides Keller Law clients a unique ability to advocate for the educational needs of medically complex children.
Andy is in his final year of law school at Quinnipiac University. While in law school, Andy focused his training on health policy, the legislative process, education law, poverty law, and civil rights law. Additionally, Andy completed several externships that enriched his understanding of Connecticut citizens' legal challenges. These externships included a summer internship at UCONN Health, Office of The General Counsel, a second-year internship in the Antitrust and Government Program Fraud Section of the Connecticut Attorney General’s Office, and a third-year externship at the Connecticut State Office of Health Strategy. From this education and experience, Andy has developed insight into the legislative process for enacting policy changes for the rights of special needs children, the rights of children with disabilities under civil rights law, and interagency dispute challenges for medically complex children.
Prior to law school, Andy obtained his medical degree from The Ohio State University Medical School. He completed his internship and residency at Duke University Medical Center and a cardiology fellowship at The University of Texas Health Science Center in Dallas. Andy practiced cardiology at Danbury Hospital for thirty years, serving as Chief of Cardiovascular Services and Chief Medical Officer.
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