Attorney Michael Basch
Michael Basch has advocated on behalf of children with disabilities for over 35 years, without charging any fees to parents. His practice focuses exclusively on special education. He has represented thousands of families in connection with IEP meetings, resolution meetings, and due process hearings.
Mr. Basch is a past recipient of the Chancellor’s Award for Pro Bono service and Philadelphia’s Brighter Futures Award. He has served on boards of many organizations that advocate for children with disabilities. Mr. Basch has lectured widely in the area of special education and dispute resolution.
Mr. Basch earned his undergraduate degree summa cum laude from Duke University and his law degree from Yale Law School. During those years, he took time out to serve as a Peace Corps volunteer in Senegal, West Africa and to intern at several prestigious civil rights organizations, including the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the Public Defender Service in Washington DC.
Following law school, Mr. Basch clerked for Hon. U.W. Clemon, United States District Judge for the Northern District of Alabama, after which he returned to Philadelphia in 1989, where he joined the firm of Fine, Kaplan and Black. There he helped pioneer the practice of pro bono representation of children with special education needs. He is continuing on that path at Education Law Partners.
He and his wife currently live in Philadelphia. They have two grown sons.
Pumpkin
Pumpkin is Mr. Basch’s trusty associate, who greets all visitors to the fur-m with enthusiasm. He has pup-ticipated in over 100 virtual meetings, including IEP meetings, resolution sessions and settlement conferences. Pumpkin employs his excellent listening and empathy skills to keep meetings from getting overly ruff, thus improving the likelihood of paws-itive outcomes.