ELC’s Helpline

ELC provides information, referrals, legal advice, and advocacy to families, youth, caseworkers, attorneys, judges, community members, etc. statewide through its Helpline. We provide this service free of charge.

Because we have limited staff, we may not be able to respond to requests that are not related to areas of our current work. Some callers may not speak with a lawyer but may receive information, a publication, or a referral regarding their issue or question. We provide legal advice to a limited number of callers and direct representation in a few cases that have the potential to impact numerous students.

Here is important information about contacting us:

• To request legal help, please fill out this online request form, available in English o en español.
• If needed, you can call our Helpline at 267-541-3471 (Eastern and Central PA), 412-258-2120 (Western PA), or toll-free at 800-411-3815.  Para español, llame al 215-789-2488.  You will be asked to leave a message identifying your question or issue and a phone number where you can be reached. Someone will respond to the message within approximately two to three days to gather additional information. Please note that our response to your question does not establish an attorney-client relationship.
• Email us at [email protected] if you are NOT seeking legal assistance.  If you need legal assistance with an education issue, please use the online intake form or call the Helpline at one of the numbers above; do not email us, thanks.
• Are you a member of the media with an inquiry? For a timely response, please contact our communications specialist, Paul Socolar, at [email protected].
• Note: Due to our limited staff capacity, we encourage those with special education questions to take advantage of a telephone intake service for families of children with disabilities, available through the Disability Rights Network (DRN) at 800-692-7443. You can call DRN directly for special education questions.
• One key resource is ELC’s annual Back-To-School guide, which has useful fact sheets and self-help tools on a wide range of issues.
• To see our resources and publications, click here.
• To submit a request for training, please email [email protected]

Locations:

Education Law Center
1800 JFK Boulevard, Suite 1900-A
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Phone: 215-238-6970
Fax: 215-772-3125

Education Law Center
429 Fourth Avenue, Suite 1910
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
Phone: 412-258-2120
Fax: 412-535-8225