Richard Corrao

I am a litigator and child advocate who focuses my practice on protecting the rights of students and families under federal and state education and civil rights laws including the IDEA, Section 504, and the ADA. I represent students across New York State, including New York City and Long Island, at Committee on Special Education (CSE/“IEP”) meetings, in settlement negotiations, and in due process and related litigation. I also advocate for students facing suspension or IAES removals, those in school district residency disputes, as well as those who have experienced bullying, school-related injuries, or civil rights violations. My goal in every matter is the same: secure meaningful services, safety, and dignity for the child as efficiently and effectively as possible. I received my Juris Doctor from New York Law School and my Bachelor of Science from the New York Institute of Technology. I am admitted to practice in New York State and in the U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York. I am an active member of the New York State Bar Association (Elder Law and Special Needs Sections), the Nassau County Bar Association’s Education Law Committee, the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA). Before joining the Law Offices of Susan Deedy & Associates, I served in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, coordinating fugitive extraditions and eviction proceedings targeting narcotics traffickers in public and private housing. I later worked as an Assistant District Attorney in the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office. From there, I became Director and chief in-house counsel for a national audit and investigatory services provider, helping state agencies recover millions of dollars in unclaimed property on behalf of their citizens. I live on Long Island with my wife and two children. I am co-founder and executive committee member of a local 527 organization and have served as chairman of the Village of Garden City Ethics Committee, as well as on the Village’s LIRR Third Track and Governance Committees. I currently serve as a member of the Board of Directors for Literacy Nassau, a Long Island-based not-for profit organization that makes literacy services accessible to disadvantaged populations of all ages by providing donation-based language-building programs. As an attorney with family members in the special needs community, I bring a personal understanding of what is at stake for parents. That perspective drives the urgency, preparation, and empathy I bring to every case and every child I represent.