Hillary D. Freeman – Top Women Attorneys of America
Princeton, NJ WW/Press/ – Attorney Hillary D. Freeman, Founder and Owner of Freeman Law Offices, LLC, has been recognized by the Top Women Attorneys of America 2027 edition.
For families raising a child with a disability, the path through schools, agencies, and courtrooms can feel lonely and overwhelming. Attorney Hillary D. Freeman has spent nearly two decades making sure no family has to walk that path alone. As the founder of Freeman Law Offices and a nationally recognized special education and disability-rights attorney, she has built a practice devoted exclusively to children, adults, and families affected by disability. Her work spans administrative proceedings and state and federal courts, where she fights to secure appropriate educational services, community supports, and civil rights protections for the people who need them most.
Ms. Freeman’s dedication is professional, but it is also deeply personal. She is the sister of an individual with autism, and she grew up seeing the obstacles families face when they try to navigate educational systems, access services, and plan for an uncertain future. She knows the frustration of a meeting that ends without answers and the worry that keeps parents awake at night. Those experiences shaped a conviction that still guides every case she takes: every individual with a disability is entitled to meaningful opportunity, dignity, inclusion, and the supports necessary to reach their full potential. For Ms. Freeman, these are not abstract legal principles. They are promises she has seen matter in her own family’s life.
That conviction has carried her into the lives of thousands of families across New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Each family arrives with its own story, whether it involves a child who is falling behind in reading, a student whose behavior is misunderstood, or a young adult preparing to leave the school system. Ms. Freeman meets them with knowledge, patience, and a clear plan. Her clients often come to her feeling unheard. They leave knowing that someone with deep expertise is standing firmly on their side.
Her advocacy has also reached far beyond her home states, including landmark litigation in Nevada. In Rogich v. Clark County School District, she represented a student with dyslexia who was denied the instructional methodology required by her Individualized Education Program, or IEP. The court held that the district’s failure to provide the required methodology constituted disability discrimination under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. That ruling sent a powerful message: an IEP is not a wish list, and when a school ignores what a child is legally owed, the consequences can rise to the level of discrimination. For families of children with dyslexia everywhere, the decision affirmed that the right teaching approach is not optional.
In S.K. et al. v. Clark County School District, Ms. Freeman represented a Jewish, autistic, nonverbal student in a matter arising from an antisemitic attack. The case brought together two forms of vulnerability, and it demanded both legal skill and genuine compassion. The matter settled favorably on behalf of the family, giving them a measure of justice after a painful experience. Today, Ms. Freeman continues to pursue change on an even larger scale as counsel in class action litigation seeking systemic reforms for students with disabilities. Where individual cases help one child at a time, systemic reform has the potential to transform the experience of countless students at once.
Ms. Freeman understands that a family’s needs do not end at the classroom door. She counsels families on public benefits, Special Needs Trusts, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Medicaid eligibility, and long-term planning for adulthood. These areas can be confusing and unforgiving, where a single misstep can put essential support at risk. She also advises family law attorneys so that divorce settlements and support arrangements protect individuals with disabilities without jeopardizing eligibility for critical benefits. This guidance can make the difference between lasting security and an unexpected loss of care. By looking ahead to the years after graduation and beyond, she helps parents find peace of mind about the future their loved ones will face.
Her voice carries well beyond the courtroom. A sought-after speaker, Ms. Freeman presents regularly to attorneys, educators, advocates, and policymakers on special education law, disability rights, autism, dyslexia, guardianship, and transition planning. In 2025, she was invited to present at the international Towards Unity for Health Conference. She has addressed the needs of students with autism at the United Nations and has presented on disability rights under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, known as the CRPD. Her expertise has led her to advise government officials in the United States, Ghana, and Liberia on implementing the Convention’s requirements. Through this work, the lessons she has learned representing individual families are helping shape how nations protect people with disabilities.
Hillary D. Freeman also works where lasting change often begins: in the drafting of the law itself. She collaborates with state senators to draft and revise legislation advancing the rights of individuals with disabilities. Her frontline experience gives lawmakers a practical view of how policies play out in real classrooms and real homes. When she sees a gap that leaves families without protection, she works to close it at the source.
Her leadership extends to the professional organizations that strengthen her field. Ms. Freeman is a former President and Vice President of the New Jersey Branch of the International Dyslexia Association, where she helped advance awareness and support for individuals with dyslexia. She is a current member of the School Law Committee of the New Jersey State Bar Association, contributing her insight to ongoing conversations about education law. These roles reflect the respect she has earned among colleagues and her commitment to raising the standard of advocacy for everyone.
Her credentials match the scope of her mission. Hillary D. Freeman was admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar in 2005 and the New Jersey Bar in 2006. In 2025, she was admitted to the Supreme Court of the United States, a milestone that speaks to the depth of her legal career. She earned her undergraduate degree from Ithaca College and received her J.D. from Widener University School of Law.
What makes Hillary D. Freeman’s story so inspiring is not any single victory, credential, or speech. It is the steady, unwavering purpose that runs through all of them. She began with a personal understanding of what families endure, and she turned that understanding into a career that has changed lives in courtrooms, statehouses, and international forums. For the parent searching for answers, the student who deserves a fair chance, and the adult planning for an independent future, Ms. Freeman offers something rare: expert guidance grounded in genuine care. Her work is a reminder that the law, in the right hands, can open doors that once seemed firmly closed.
The Top Attorneys of North America, a New York based publication, distinguishes and profiles leading attorneys who have reached a recognizable degree of success and leadership in their field. The directory is valued for promoting awareness of the accomplishments within the North American legal community.
MESSAGE HILLARY D. FREEMAN:
