Attorney
Profiles
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Vanda Marie Khadem
Vanda Marie
Khadem represents clients both in family law cases and special education
matters. She is an experienced Mediator and Parent Coordinator and also
serves as a Guardian ad Litem in cases involving children with special
needs.
Practice Areas
| Family Law and Divorce |
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Child Custody; child Support;
visitation rights; alimony; marital property division; pre-marital
agreements; guardianship; paternity; restraining orders; modification;
contempt; mediation; parent coordinator services; Guardian Ad Litem; guardianships |
| Mediation |
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Mediation of divorce and post-divorce issues,
including the drafting of all necessary court documents |
| Special Education Law and Advocacy |
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Representation of children with disabilities;
concentration on children with autism spectrum and related disorders
relative to educational placement and services |
| Guardian Ad Litem/Parenting Coordinator |
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Focus on families with children having special
needs |
Experience
Ms. Khadem has been in practice for over 25 years. She specializes in all aspects of family law. Ms. Khadem also serves as a mediator, Parent Coordinator and Guardian Ad Litem with a particular focus on special needs children. Ms. Khadem also represents families of children with disabilities in special education matters. Ms. Khadem’s special education practice includes a unique concentration on children diagnosed on the autism spectrum.
Ms. Khadem has been featured on New England Chronicle News and WUMB FM Radio’s Commonwealth Journal, The Brookline TAB, WBUR and Exceptional Parent Magazine. Ms. Khadem was chosen as a recipient of the 2009 Distinguished Citizens Award presented by the Arc of Massachusetts for her contributions to persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Ms. Khadem is the 2016 House of Possibilities, Champion of Special Children Award Recipient.
Ms. Khadem also serves on the Massachusetts Autism Commission Subcommittee on Employment.
In addition to her private practice, Ms. Khadem is the Founder and President of Autism Higher Education Foundation (“AHEF”) a not for profit organization dedicated to developing life-long learning and educational opportunities for individuals on the autism spectrum. It is Ms. Khadem’s conviction that access to educational/vocational opportunities for individuals with autism is an issue of civil rights.
In her role as President of AHEF, Ms. Khadem developed a ground-breaking, first in the nation program at the prestigious Boston Conservatory to support the educational development of musicians on the autism spectrum.
Ms. Khadem through AHEF developed the Paralegal Assistant Training Program (“PLAT”) in collaboration with the Massachusetts Probate & Family Court system. The PLAT program was highlighted in the Massachusetts Healthy People 2020 Autism Roadmap published by UMASS Medical School Shriver Center. PLAT focuses on vocational training and employment for transitioning high school students with disabilities in five of the Massachusetts Probate & Family Courts several District Courts and the Massachusetts Appeals Court.
Education
Admitted 1986, Massachusetts
1987, U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts
1992, U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit
Suffolk University, J.D., 1986
Harvard Law School Mediation Program, 1997
Bryn Mawr College, B.A., Political Science, 1982
Professional Affiliations
Member- Massachusetts Bar Association: Family Law section
Dispute Resolution Section
Member- Massachusetts Association of Guardian Ad Litems
Member- Association of Family and Conciliation Courts
Presentations
“Paralegal Assistant Training Program”, Presenter, Central Massachusetts Autism Summit, April 2017
“The Special Needs Child in Divorce”, Boston Bar Association, November 2016, Presenter.
“The Special Needs Child in Divorce”, Norfolk Probate & Family Court Training, October 2016, Co-presenter.
“Children with Special Needs: Challenges for Families and the Family Court”, 2016 Massachusetts Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, Legal Expert.
“25th Annual Family Law Conference, Special Needs Child in Divorce”, 2015 Massbar CLE, Faculty member
“Estate Planning and Divorce” MCLE 2015, Faculty member
“Special Needs Child in Divorce” Boston Bar Association, 2015
“Special Needs Child In Divorce” Greater Boston Collaborative Law Practice, February 2015.
“School Law Conference”, MCLE (May 2011), Faculty member
“Representing Persons on the Autism Spectrum.” Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee, MCLE 2010, Presenter
“Who Speaks for This Child?”, MCLE 2009, Faculty member
“GAL Training: Dealing with Children with Special Academic & Emotional Needs.” MCLE 2009, Faculty member
Additional languages
Fluent in French and Farsi.
Contact
E-mail: vkhadem@khademlaw.com.
Tel: (617)739-7335 |
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