A measure of the deep respect that he had from his colleagues is that we were referred to him by the counsel for a school district in which a close friend is the director of special education (Steven[s]on High School). Although we interviewed several attorneys, Brooke was the only one who insisted on meeting our son, the subject of our dispute with his school district, before allowing us to hire him. Brooke freely gave of his time before he even knew whether we would hire him: spending two and a half hours with us on a Sunday morning at our initial consultation. While we ultimately paid for the time, it is only because we hired him; he had no way of knowing when he met with us that he would win our confidence. It is easy to understand why Brooke was so successful: he was passionate about his work and he was passionate about his young clients. After only a short while he “got” our son, even as the trained professionals, our son’s teachers, who were supposed to understand our son’s needs, failed miserably. He understood what he needed and he understood what we were up against. As an attorney, myself, it was suggested by some that I could handle my own son’s case. But, education law is not my field and I know enough to know not to dabble in areas in which I have no experience. Brooke made it look easy, but that is only because he was so good at what he did. Brooke’s passing is not only a loss to his family and his firm, but to the entire community of children with special needs. There may be other competent and capable attorneys in this field, but Brooke had a special mix of skill, passion, and appreciation for the potential of his young clients that was rare…
Avi and Annette S.
