ALISON LEHAN ALLMAN

Senior Attorney

Alison Lehan Allman provides educational and legal services out of the principle headquarters of Special Education Law and Advocacy in Tampa, Florida. In addition to her own cases in special education law, she is the Senior Attorney, and supports and supervises the work of the firm’s educational advocates and attorneys

Ms. Allman is a native Floridian, born and raised in Tampa, where she still resides with her husband, Pat. Ms. Allman attended both private and public schools in South Tampa, and is a graduate of H.B. Plant High School. Ms. Allman earned her B.A. in English from the University of Virginia in 1983, and a J.D. from the University of South Carolina in 1986. She has been a member of the Florida Bar since 1988, and joined the Federal Bar in 2017.

Ms. Allman had a long career as an Assistant State Attorney, serving as a prosecutor in the Misdemeanor Trial Division, Juvenile Trial Division, Felony Trial Division, Intake Division, and participating in the filing decisions of the Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office. In 2007, Ms. Allman decided to take a break from her full- time job as a prosecutor to spend more time raising her two sons, but continued to practice law pro bono, working as a volunteer lawyer for several organizations. She served on the Bay Area Legal Service’s Domestic Violence Assistance Project, helping victims navigate the process of filing for Injunctions for Protection. She joined the Florida Guardian ad Litem, advocating for the best interests of children in the Foster Care system. Her role as an advocate for foster children expanded when she joined Crossroads for Florida Kids as an Attorney ad Litem. While working with the Guardian ad Litem and Crossroads, Ms. Allman was frustrated by what she saw as a widespread problem of children with disabilities falling through the cracks of the educational system. She believes that education is one of the most effective ways to break the cycle of discrimination that many of these children face. She continues to provide pro bono services to the foster children of Hillsborough County.

Ms. Allman was introduced to Mark Kamleiter, the former owner of the firm, Special Education Law and Advocacy (SELA), upon the recommendations of educational advocates in the Tampa Bay area. Ms. Allman joined the firm and began working alongside Mr. Kamleiter in advocating for the educational rights of students with disabilities. She shares his philosophy of working collaboratively with the districts, while at the same time being prepared to take effective legal action. As a former prosecutor, Ms. Allman is prepared to litigate when it is necessary to secure an appropriate education for a disabled child. Ms. Allman also embraces SELA’s unique structure of pairing educational advocates with a supervising attorney, to better serve clients and be more cost effective. Ms. Allman enjoys working with the legal team of SELA to provide compassionate and skillful legal assistance to the families of disabled children.

When Mr. Kamleiter decided to semi-retire in the summer of 2018, he turned over and entrusted the management and ownership of the firm to Ms. Allman. She has embraced the opportunity, and has plans to expand the services of SELA to include assisting with the legal needs of disabled students as they transition from high school and become adults.

In her spare time, Ms. Allman enjoys being outside, participating in the many sports that living in Florida offers. She loves to bike and run on the Bayshore, as well as playing golf and sailing. She is an avid Rays, Bucs and Lightning fan, and loves to watch ACC basketball, especially the UVa Cavaliers.

KIMBERLEY SPIRE-OH

Of Counsel

Kimberley Spire-Oh is an attorney in private practice. Ms. Spire-Oh received a J.D. from Hofstra School of Law and a B.S. in Industrial & Labor Relations from Cornell University. Her practice focuses on special education law and advocacy and disability law representing clients throughout Florida. She also is a frequent speaker on special education issues for many local, state, and national conferences. Prior to starting her law practice, Ms. Spire-Oh was legal editor for LRP Publications’ reporters, bulletins and treatises involving disability law. She has also worked as a mediator, as a Congressional caseworker, as donor relations officer for the Harvard School of Public Health, and as a grant writer and consultant for numerous nonprofit organizations.

In addition to serving as co-president of the Learning Disabilities Association (LDA) of Florida, Ms. Spire-Oh currently serves as co-chair of the League of Women Voters of Palm Beach County’s Education Committee, co-chair of the Juvenile Justice Committee for LDA of America; secretary of the the board of directors for Different Brains, Inc.; vice-president of the board of directors for SeasonQs, and as a member of the Florida State Advisory Committee for the Education of Exceptional Students, the Florida Developmental Disabilities Council’s Partners in Policymaking 2012 Class, the Florida Association of Special Education Attorneys, the Disability Rights Bar Association, as well as the Palm Beach County School District’s Diversity and Equity Committee and Exceptional Student Education Advisory Committee. She received a 2011 Multicultural Leadership Award from the Florida Diversity Council. Ms. Spire-Oh has first-hand knowledge of disabilities as an individual with a seizure and autoimmune disorders and as mother of a twice-exceptional child.

NINA A. KANNATT

Of Counsel

Nina A. Kannatt, Esq. represents our firm in the northeastern part of the state (Jacksonville and all surrounding counties including Duval, St. Johns, Flagler, Nassau and Clay). Nina brings a powerful, passionate and understanding voice to a largely unrepresented area of the state.

Nina hails from New York. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1985 with a Bachelors degree in Psychology. In 1988 she graduated from Villanova University School of Law. Nina then returned to New York and began practicing law concentrating in all areas of Defense Litigation. Several years later she moved to California and continued as a litigator. Her true interest at the time was Environmental law and she was fortunate to obtain a position with the Department of the Army where she was responsible for managing a multi-million dollar environmental cleanup of a military base in the San Francisco Bay area.

In 1996 Nina took a short break from the work force to spend time with her newborn son. Eight years later and with two more children, she was enlightened to the needs of children and families with special needs. Nina states that, “through her children’s school experiences and activities I met many families who where frustrated as they struggled to get the local schools to address the needs of their children. These families often felt like they had nowhere to turn to for help. I know as a parent how hard it is to watch your child struggle and my heart aches when I hear the stories of children who struggle. I decided that it was time to use my skills to help.” Consequently, she became an advocate for families with children with special needs in education in the Jacksonville area.

In 2007 Nina was admitted to the Florida Bar and shortly thereafter opened a Special Education Law Practice. Nina feels fortunate to have met Mark Kamleiter at a COPPA conference where he graciously offered to mentor and assist her with her work. Nina states that, “It quickly became clear that working as a team we can help more families than either of us can on our own. I am delighted to be part of the SELA team as the individuals on our team have so many unique and varied experiences that allow us to serve our clients more effectively than any one individual can. I look forward to the opportunity to make a difference in the life of each child and family that I work with.”

ANDREA W. MACINTIRE

Educational Advocate

Andrea Macintire is an educational consultant and child advocate dedicated to providing support to families who have concerns about their child’s academic progress or emotional and behavioral functioning within the school setting. This includes issues related to IDEA (Exceptional Student Education and Response to Intervention) and Section 504 compliance, as well as student retention, discipline, and placement. She believes in educating and empowering families by teaching them the strategies they need to fight for their child’s rights, while providing them with the technical information needed to fuel that fight. She is also a passionate advocate, serving families directly by representing their interests at school and district meetings. From helping families to initiate the evaluation process and assisting school-based teams with devising and implementing best-practice interventions to monitoring student progress and intervention fidelity, she will work with you to ensure that your child’s rights are protected every step of the way.

Mrs. Macintire received her B.A. in political science and psychology from the University of Delaware in 1992. Graduating with honors (magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa), she went on to earn two graduate degrees (M.A. (1993) and Ed.S. (1995)) in school psychology.

While working as a supervised school psychologist in private practice in Palm Harbor and Largo, Florida, she compiled a bank of research-validated academic and behavioral recommendations in such areas as ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, learning disabilities across subject areas, intellectual disabilities, emotional and behavioral issues, and neurodevelopmental disorders. This collection of recommendations includes less common disorders, such as Tourette’s Syndrome, spatial neglect, epilepsy, disruptive mood dysregulation disorder, dyspraxia, and giftedness with learning disabilities, and is now shared with families in her job as an advocate. Mrs. Macintire has worked with children of all ages, advocating for and designing educational plans for preschoolers through high-school students. As a former nationally certified school psychologist with Pinellas County schools, she secured services for students from within an institution marked by a lack of resources, and worked effectively with all members of various multidisciplinary teams; and, as the parent of a child with multiple disabilities, she experienced first-hand the worry and frustration of navigating the impersonal, often times seemingly indifferent special education system.

Mrs. Macintire believes deeply in the right of every child to receive an appropriate, broad-based education while participating actively in all aspects of the learning community. She is committed to fighting for your child and invites you to contact her and tell her your story.

DEBORAH R. CAMPBELL

Educational Advocate

Deborah Campbell, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, is a Licensed and Certified Speech/Language
Pathologist, Certified Dyslexia Testing and Treatment Specialist and Special Education Advocate. Dr. Campbell is the owner and president of Superior Therapy, with offices in Crystal River and Brooksville. Her knowledge and passion for special education advocacy comes from both her personal and professional experiences with special needs children and adults with disabilities. Dr. Campbell is a graduate of the William and Mary Law Institute of Special Education Advocacy training program.

Dr. Campbell is a native Floridian. She grew up in Margate, Florida, attended undergraduate and then graduate school at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. She completed her doctoral work at the University of South Florida with her research focusing on literacy, language and telehealth. Dr. Campbell is married with two children and currently resides in Citrus County, Florida.  She has been an SLP for over 29 years and has extensive credentials in her field. In 2021, she was awarded Florida’s “Clinician of the Year” from the Florida Association of Speech-Language and Hearing Association.

Deborah is a member of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA), Florida Speech-Language Hearing Association (FLASHA) (and is co-chair of the Florida Medicaid committee), International Dyslexia Association (including the Florida branch) (IDA), Counsel of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA), Professional Membership/Certifier: Learning Alley (previously Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic (RFBD).

Deborah is passionate in her advocacy for children with disabilities in the public school system and works tirelessly to ensure that they receive the educational support that they need.

TAQUAISHA JOHNSON

Paralegal

My name is Taquaisha Johnson. I am Special Education Law and Advocacy’s paralegal, and I am usually your first contact with the firm. I will also be your best resource for continuing contact, relative to the matters which you have with us as we work hard to obtain the best educational services for your child. Always feel free to ask to speak to Alison or any of our staff if you feel that it is necessary. When you do speak with me, I will always try my best to handle your work, deliver your messages, and get feedback to you in a timely manner.

I am a Florida native, born and raised in Ocala, Florida. I have a beautiful daughter and a loving husband. In 2007, I began working with Mr. Kamleiter, serving first as a legal assistant with more than 5 years of experience, and ultimately working my way up to the status of a Certified Paralegal in 2009, with studies done through Penn Foster College. I provide vital services as our paralegal and advocate. Many of the responsibilities include, but are not limited to, direct advocacy, legal case preparation, litigation preparation, file management, office management, scheduling and office communications. As a paralegal, I also work under the Attorney’s supervision in the preparation and filing of Guardianship documents.

Working with Alison, Mark and the Special Education Law and Advocacy’s team has taught me a lot about the importance of obtaining the best educational services for children with disabilities. It is vital that children with disabilities have good legal advocacy, and I am delighted to have the opportunity to work directly with families and children as a paralegal, and advocate in the Special Education Law and Advocacy’s office. It will be my pleasure to work with each of you for the better education of your special child or children.

MARK S. KAMLEITER

In Memoriam

Mark Kamleiter established Special Education Law and Advocacy in 1993, representing children with disabilities for nearly 27 years. Mark believed in collaborating with school districts to find solutions to conflicts, and preserving, if at all possible, the relationship between parents and the school personnel who were educating their children. It was equally important, however, to be prepared to take legal action if a fair and appropriate solution could not be reached. As he grew the firm, Mark instilled this philosophy in all advocates and attorneys who worked with him, and that is still SELA’s philosophy today.

Mark saw special education disability rights as the new civil rights frontier and considered himself a civil rights attorney. He was one of the early founders of COPAA (Counsel of Parent Advocates and Attorneys), and a frequent state and national speaker on issues related to the education of children with disabilities. Mark’s calm but assertive demeanor made him well-respected by disability rights groups and parents of children with disabilities, as well as school districts all over the state.

In the summer of 2018, Mark decided to semi-retire and move back to Paris to rekindle a church (La Pierre Vivante) that he founded many decades before. Even while working tirelessly on his new mission, Mark still found time to provide consultation and advice to SELA, and continued to stay active in the Florida Association of Special Ed Attorneys until his death. Mark will truly be missed.