• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content

Fagen Friedman & Fulfrost LLP

Jennifer Aardema

Associate

San Diego
jaardema@f3law.com
D 760.814.6117
Jennifer Aardema

What can I solve for you?

Clients appreciate the sharp insight, work ethic, listening skills, compassion and steady demeanor I bring to an array of the special education and student issues they encounter. While I take a microscopic view to their immediate challenges, I also see their circumstances through a wide-angle lens and help them with their long-term goals.

What's it like to work with me?

I’m an enthusiastic problem-solver. I find it highly rewarding to help special education students, not only individually, but also on a larger scale, by guiding school districts in creating policies and environments that allow them to best meet the children’s learning needs. At the same time, I’m always working to protect clients’ interests and enabling them to make the most of their limited funding.

Top Issues in My Practice

  • #specialeducation
  • #studentissues
  • #studentdiscipline
  • #titleix
  • #iep
  • #idea

“Education is perhaps the most important function of state and local governments…it is doubtful that any child may reasonably be expected to succeed in life if he is denied the opportunity of an education. ”

Overview

Jennifer Aardema focuses her practice on special education, particularly where that area intersects with student issues, discipline matters and the regulations of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. With a student-centric approach, Jennifer helps clients by drawing on her calm, engaging and empathetic manner and deep knowledge of special education gained from her background as the older sibling of a brother with special needs.

Jennifer’s dual understanding of families’ and administrators’ perspectives make her an ideal conduit and mediator—someone uniquely suited to preserve the relationships between parents and school districts. She guides her clients in implementing sound strategies that best help children by optimizing the often-insufficient resources they receive from taxpayers and from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Providing comprehensive evaluations of special education students, Jennifer examines their school records and other data to ascertain the types of services they’ve received, how much progress they’ve made, and whether additional steps should be taken to fulfill the goals set out in Individual Education Plans (IEPs). From these analyses, she also gains a clear picture of school districts’ likely liability in the event a case goes to settlement negotiations.

Jennifer previously worked in special education law as a summer associate at a California education law firm and also interned throughout law school at the education and disability clinic and the child advocacy institute. The recipient of many awards and honors, Jennifer is very happy to combine her longstanding interest in law with her passion for public education and her strong desire to help special-needs students.

Involvement

Professional Affiliations

  • Advocates for Children and Education, President
  • Representatives for Youth in Academic Affairs, Chair

Certifications

  • Wiley W. Manuel Certificate for Pro-bono Legal Services

Recognition

  • Distinguished Service Award, San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program
  • Exceptional Achievement Award for “Academic excellence, service and contributions to the University” from California State University, Northridge
  • Pro-Bono Service Recognition with High Distinction
  • CALI Excellence for the Future Awards in Professional Responsibility
  • James A. D’Angelo Outstanding Child Advocate Award
  • Student Leader Scholarship

After School

My husband and I have three dogs and a bird, and we love to take them to the beach and on our hikes. Yes, we even take the bird—he wears a little harness. I also love baking, farmers markets and filling spaces with houseplants until they look like jungles.

Education

  • University of San Diego School of Law (J.D., cum laude)
  • California State University, Northridge (B.A., Child and Adolescent Development, cum laude)

Admissions

Bar Admissions
  • California

Related Services

  • Special Education
  • Student Rights & Discipline
  • Title IX

Related Clients

  • Public Education K-12
Fagen Friedman & Fulfrost LLP
Get the latest F3 NewsFlash®
Sign-up Now
Contact Us
  • © 2023 Fagen Friedman & Fulfrost LLP
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap
Site by
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
algoliasearch-client-js1 yearNecessary in order to optimize the web site's search-bar function . The cookie ensures accurate and fast search results.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
CookieDurationDescription
_ga1 yearRegisters a unique ID that is used to generate statistical data on how the visitor uses the web site.
_ga_#1 yearUsed by Google Analytics to collect data on the number of times a user has visited the web site as well as dates for the first and most recent visit.
_gat1 yearUsed by Google Analytics to throttle request rate.
_gid1 yearRegisters a unique ID that is used to generate statistical data on how the visitor uses the web site.
collect1 yearUsed to send data to Google Analytics about the visitor's device and behavior. Tracks the visitor across devices and marketing channels.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT
  • Professionals
  • Services
    • Business
    • Communications & Media Relations
    • Education Technology
    • Employment Law
    • Facilities & Construction
    • Governance & Leadership
    • Government Affairs & Public Policy
    • Interscholastic Activities
    • Investigations
    • Labor Relations & Negotiations
    • Litigation
    • Next Level Client Services
    • Real Estate & Property
    • Special Education
    • Student Rights & Discipline
    • Title IX
    • Virtual Learning
  • Our Clients
    • Charter Schools
    • Community Colleges
    • Higher Education
    • Independent & Private Schools
    • Public Agencies
    • Public Education K-12
    • Religious & Parochial Schools
  • Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Access
  • Events
    • Special Education Symposium
    • Student Legal Symposium
  • Our Firm
    • Leadership
    • Locations
  • Careers
  • Civics
  • Insights & News
  • Contact Us