Tracy Hartlieb
Ms. Hartlieb first began working with students with disabilities as a teacher with the Northern Suburban Special Education District as part of the Northern Suburban Recreation Association in Northbrook, Illinois. As an attorney, she has provided disability rights advocacy through the Illinois Attorney General’s Office, represented clients at Equip for Equality’s Special Education Clinic, and, most recently, served as the director of the JCFS Chicago Legal Advocacy Center. She is a member of the national Council of Parents, Attorneys, and Advocates (COPAA), the Special Education Advocacy Coalition of Chicago (SPEACC), the Illinois Attorney General’s Special Education Committee, the Illinois Early Literacy Coalition.
Bar Admissions: Illinois Northern District of Illinois
Education: Loyola University Chicago School of Law (1988, J.D.) Indiana University (1985, B.S.)
Cera Horste
Ms. Horste has worked on special education matters since 2018. As an attorney, she has provided disability rights advocacy to clients through her work at Latham & Watkins, LLP and the JCFS Chicago Legal Advocacy Center prior to working at Hartlieb & Horste. She is a member of the national Council of Parents, Attorneys, and Advocates (COPAA), the Special Education Advocacy Coalition of Chicago (SPEACC), and the Illinois Early Literacy Coalition.
Bar Admissions: Illinois Northern District of Illinois
Education: University of Michigan Law School (2016, J.D.) Harvard Business School (2015, CORe) Indiana University (2014, B.A.)
Verity Sandell
Ms. Sandell joined Hartlieb & Horste in 2022, coming with a depth of experience in educational matters in both private practice and non profit settings. She is passionate about ensuring that students have the services they need to succeed in school and empowering families to navigate school systems. She has experience representing children and families in all stages of special education and school discipline cases, including at the school meeting level and in mediation and due process hearings. While she loves working on all educational matters, she has particular interest in literacy issues and in representing children and families who have experienced foster care and adoption. Before becoming an attorney, she was a teacher and worked in business management. She is a member of the Illinois Early Literacy Coalition and the Council of Parents Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA).
Bar Admissions: Illinois Northern District of Illinois Trial Bar for the Northern District of Illinois
Education: Loyola University Chicago School of Law (2012, J.D.) Dominican University (2008, M.A., Teaching) Pomona College (2004, B.A.)