ABOUT US
Hope4Families is excited and hopeful that as a legal resource offering support to the families of special needs children we can make a difference in Southern California school systems. We are a community based 501 (c)(3) nonprofit public interest law firm and we have so much in common with the communities we serve, we share the same love and commitment to our children and families.
The experienced attorneys at Hope4Families are committed to bridging the gap between the special needs of our communities’ children and the resources of our school districts.
Hope4Families Staff
Margaret McNair
Managing Attorney
Vickey Merriweather
Legal Assistant
Idanys Pomares-Molina
Supervising Attorney
Priya Bahl-Sen
Supervising Attorney
Sonja Armstrong
Supervising Attorney
Robert Kohne
Administrative Coordinator
Seshah Wolde-Tsadik
Associate Managing Attorney
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Margaret McNair
Managing Attorney
Margaret McNair has been practicing law for 35 years. One of her proudest accomplishments is being a pioneering deputy district attorney establishing drug court and domestic violence court as a holistic alternative to incarceration. Of course, Margaret’s proudest accomplishment as an attorney is establishing her own law firm to meet a need in the community. As a deputy district attorney, Margaret saw first hand the results of failing to nurture our children. After successfully raising her children and realizing the blessing and privileges that she had enjoyed in doing that, she wanted to give back and help parents who are not as privileged.
As a parent, Margaret learned that each of her children had unique needs and supporting them meant broadening and challenging herself in order to let me grow into who they were created to be. In her free time, she loves reading suspense mystery novels and Hallmark Mystery Romance series. Her favorite series include: the Mrs. Pollifax series, the Mrs. Jeffries series, Aurora Teagarden Mysteries.
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Vickey A. Merriweather
Legal Assistant
Vickey A. Merriweather, a native of Fresno, California, relocated to Los Angeles in 1982. Married in 1993, Ronell and Vickey are the parents of two adult daughters. After 30 years of customer service with A.T.&T, Vickey states, the career shift to Legal Assistant with Hope4Families is quite rewarding to stand in the gap for parents, ensuring their children are receiving FAPE. Vckey enjoys looking at pictures, word search puzzles and the company of family and friends.
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Idanys Pomares-Molina
Supervising Attorney
Idanys Pomares-Molina has been practicing law for over 20 years! Prior to working with Hope4Families, Idanys had the privilege to work for nearly 13 years building an innovative program, in collaboration with the court, county agencies, and pro bono attorneys, to expedite adoptions for thousands of children in the foster care system. Representing students with disabilities is especially important and rewarding for her because all kids deserve an education that allows them to grow to their fullest potential.
Having older children who are almost ready for college, Idanys loves having them in charge when planning family meals together. They like to be adventurous and typically try making new dishes from different foreign cuisines. Whenever she has a chance, Idanys likes to draw and paint, and explore working with different media.
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Priya Bahl-Sen
Supervising Attorney
Priya Bahl-Sen, a graduate of UCLA and Santa Clara University School of Law, has 18 years of experience litigating and advocating for her clients. After practicing in the field of civil and estate litigation for many years, she transitioned to Special Education Law, recognizing the need for dedicated advocacy in this field. Priya is passionate about early education and intervention for our young students and is grateful for the privilege to work with Hope4Families, supporting our families in need.
Through her experiences as a parent, Priya has learned to enjoy the small moments and simple accomplishments. She loves spending time outdoors exploring local hiking spots with my family or enjoying new hobbies like kayaking!
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Sonja Armstrong
Associate Managing Attorney
Sonja Armstrong holds a B.A. in Business Administration from Rhodes College, where she graduated with honors, and a J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School. Sonja has worked in education law for most of her legal career, first with educational institutions and now with individuals and families. Her commitment to children with learning differences stems not only from professional interest, it is also founded in her personal experiences of navigating special education processes in elementary, middle and high schools.
One thing that Sonja finds compelling about parenting is figuring out how to support children as they are going through various stages of their young lives. As her kids journey through life, she has had to work through how to be a trusted source they can turn to and how to be adaptable in other aspects of her life. In recent months, Sonja has discovered new things at home that she loves – including indulging in the favorite shows of other family members.
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Robert Kohne
Administrative Coordinator
Robert Kohne is the H4F Administrative Coordinator and manages the various systems the firm uses to store & share information. He graduated from UCLA with a degree in English Literature. Robert enjoys playing games with his family & developing his baking skills.
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Seshah Wolde Tsadik
Associate Managing Attorney
Seshah Wolde-Tsadik has been practicing law since 2010. He has been a featured panel speaker at several community events and has presented at professional conferences. Inspired by the work of the great civil rights lawyers from the 1950s and 1960s who passionately advocated for equality under the law, Seshah was led to Special Education law, and the protection of all children’s rights to a quality education.
Seshah’s favorite experience as a father has been the all-consuming joy of witnessing his little one develop their own personality. His most enjoyable hobby is traveling.
The Hope4Families Advantage encompasses the full spectrum of advocacy for special needs children under IDEA ( Individuals with Disabilities Education Act). From attendance at Early Resolution Sessions and Mediation, to dedicated and experienced litigation in Due Process Hearings and Federal Court.
The community has found our services invaluable and empowering when dealing with their school districts. The Hope4Families staff is thoroughly committed to providing the highest quality legal advocacy to underserved communities that we so proudly represent. We have seen, firsthand, how our efforts can restore hope to the sufferers of injustice and those continually denied educational rights.
Hope4Families represents clients from school districts that stretch from Los Angeles to Riverside and from Orange County to San Bernadino. We recently have expanded to northern California as well. We also have successfully represented students attending charter schools, including KIPP and Green Dot.
We proudly partner with the Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles Fire Department and The Community Mental Health Center, to educate special needs families and the people that work with them.
Hope4Families also provides hands-on educational workshops designed to help parents more effectively advocate for their children. We hope to give parents the tools to become their child’s greatest champion.