Attorney & Autism Dad
Kelly Kaeser (pronounced, “Kay-zur”), is a private practice attorney and parent of a child with special needs with a passion for protecting the education rights of special needs children in their schools and planning for the future availability of your disabled loved one’s financial resources.
Kelly has over 21 years’ prior experience as a practicing attorney; first as a civil litigator in the Los Angeles court system, then as the General Counsel to a multi-million dollar financial services company. Mr. Kaeser’s personal journey with his second daughter, born in 2008, ultimately brought him to the path of special education law and special needs planning.
Like most parents, finding out his child was diagnosed with a disability was numbing and the daunting world of disability rights was practically unfamiliar before the diagnosis. In addition to all of the new medical jargon, were legal terms like IDEA, FAPE, IEP and the Lanterman Act. After immersing himself in the relevant law for his daughter’s benefit, it was through various support groups that Kelly began meeting other families desperately in need of help understanding and translating the administrative actions and the Federal and State laws that ensure the rights of children with disabilities and form the purpose and systems of the special education system. Kelly soon jumped headfirst into protecting the legal rights of children with disabilities, left the corporate world and ultimately founded the Kaeser Law firm, dedicated to representing children with disabilities and helping other parents and families navigate through the process of obtaining a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and helping parents understand the legal instruments used to protect assets and preserve eligibility for government programs like Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and MediCal.
Kelly works to share with others what he has learned and empower parents who are overwhelmed by the IEP process, feel short changed by the school district, are unsure of the options available or having difficulty obtaining the appropriate education for their child as they are legally entitled. Kelly also works with families and individuals across all asset levels and strives to help provide a peace of mind by designing a cost effective strategy to maintain your child’s financial well-being and his or her long-term eligibility for government assistance.
Kelly is an attorney member of the Council of Parent Attorneys & Advocates (COPAA), attorney member of the California Association for Parent-Child Advocacy (CAPCA), an attorney member of the Academy of Special Needs Planners (ASNP), California Bar Association, Ventura Bar Association, Board of Directors for the Autism Society of Ventura County and International and American Mensa. He received his Juris Doctor from Santa Barbara College of Law after attending the University of California, Los Angeles. Kelly is licensed to practice law in all state and federal courts in the State of California.
