Staff Bios

Gary S. Mayerson

Gary Mayerson is a graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center and the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. In early 2000, Gary formed Mayerson & Associates, the first law practice in the nation dedicated to representing children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders and related developmental disabilities.

Gary and his staff have been responsible for many leading federal court decisions that are shaping the way that courts are looking at IDEIA-based entitlements. See, e.g. Zachary Deal v. Hamilton County Department of Education (6th Circuit 2005); K.B. v. Nebo Board of Education (10th Circuit 2004); De Mora v. Bucks County MH/MR (3rd Circuit 2004).

Gary has testified before Congress on the subject of the federal IDEA statute and is the author of How To Compromise With Your School District Without Compromising Your Child-A Field Guide for Getting Effective Services for Children With Special Needs (DRL Books 2004). Gary and his book were featured on the Today Show as part of NBC's week-long series on autism. He is an active board member of Autism Speaks and speaks regularly at conferences and symposiums.

Christina D. Thivierge

Christina D. Thivierge graduated from the City University of New York School of Law. Prior to attending law school, Christina spent nine years with the Central Connecticut ARC working with adults diagnosed with autism and other disabilities. Christina also served in the Peace Corps in Guatemala. Since joining Mayerson & Associates in 2000, Christina has litigated due process cases in New York, New Jersey, Indiana and Alaska. Christina is admitted to practice in New York and New Jersey.

Randi M. Rothberg

Randi graduated from the University of Pennsylvania (BA, cum laude, 2000) and the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University (JD, 2003). During law school, Randi was a published member of the Cardozo Women’s Law Journal executive board (“Not As Simple As Learning the ABC’s: A Comment on Owasso Independent School District No. I-011 v. Falvo and the State of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act,” 9 Cardozo Women’s Law Journal 27 (2002)). She also published “Copyright Term Extension Legislation” in Extending Mickey's Life: Eldred v. Ashcroft and the Copyright Term Extension Debate, (Peter K. Yu, ed., forthcoming).

A recipient of the David Berg and Charles H. Revson Fellowships, Randi interned at the Innocence Project and a small civil rights firm, as well as worked with Sanctuary for Families/Cardozo Advocates for Battered Women. Randi also served as a Brechner Fellow at the Anti-Defamation League (2002-2003). Prior to joining Mayerson & Associates, Randi was a litigation associate at a small general practice/defense firm.

Support Staff

Mauricio Bertone; Mauricio, our senior paralegal, graduated from Universidado do Sagrado Coracao (Brazil) with a B.S. in Systems Analysis (1995) and was Paralegal Certified from New York University in 2002. Mauricio provides essential litigation and organizational support with respect to files that often are both complex and voluminous.

Pebbles Quevedo; Pebbles, one of our full-time paralegals, graduated from Kingsborough Community College in 2000 and is obtaining a Bachelors degree at FIT. She is a former employee of the NYCDOE Impartial Hearing Office, working as a Case Manager. Pebbles’ parents, as you might deduce, are diehard fans of “The Flintstones.”

Valerie J. Harris, our financial administrator and bookkeeper, holds a Master’s Degree from Florida State University and joined Mayerson & Associates shortly after its inception. Valerie is an Adjunct Professor at Marymount College and previously worked as a crisis counselor for abused children. She also is the mother of twin boys, one of whom has autism.

Internship Program

We are committed to providing meaningful learning opportunities for students who are interested in the field of educational rights. The families that we represent also benefit from the additional support provided by our intern staff. Interns accepted during the 2003-2004 school year have included Anna Boksenbaum (CUNY Law School), Ranse Howell (CUNY Law School), and Rebecca Urbach (Northeastern Law School).