MATTHEW D. COHEN is well known for his work in special education law and has extensive experience in health care and mental health law. He has been the principal litigator in a number of important special education cases and is the primary or collaborating author of several amendments to the mental health and special education laws of Illinois. In 1997, he was invited to the White House to participate in the signing ceremony for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997, in recognition of his participation in the process leading to passage of that legislation. Mr. Cohen has lectured nationally on a wide variety ofspecial education topics, as well as on mental health and confidentiality law and has authored numerous articles on these subjects. He has represented or consulted with hospitals, residential treatment centers, community mental health centers, agencies, police social workers and private health care, social services and education practitioners. Mr. Cohen is an adjunct professor of law at Loyola University Law School and has taught at Northwestern University Law School.

Mr. Cohen served as President of the Board of Directors of the national Children and Adults With Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorders (CHADD) organization from July of 1999 to June of 2000, where he was on the Board from July of 1995 until June of 2002. He currently serves on CHADD's Public Policy Committee. He also serves on the Professional Advisory Boards of the Chicago chapter of CHADD. He is a member of the Illinois Attorney General's Advisory Council on Disability Rights, where he chairs the Special Education Committee. He is also currently on the Professional Advisory Board for Stepping Out, a support organization for young adults with learning disabilities. He was a founding board member of the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, (COPAA), a national special education advocacy organization, where he served on the Executive Committee from 1999 to 2003 and regularly serves on various committees and task forces. For many years, he served as convener for Friends of Special Education, an advocacy colloquium, located in Chicago. He has been a member of the editorial boards of Ed-Law Briefing Papers, and the Disability Rights Compliance Bulletin.

He currently serves as legal commentator for LDOnline, one of the largest online disability news services in the U.S. Mr. Cohen also writes periodic columns for various CHADD publications and has had many articles published in various books and magazines. In 2002 and 2003, Mr. Cohen helped to organize the Children's Behavioral Alliance, a national umbrella group for children's mental health organizations. Under the auspices of the group, Mr. Cohen was one of the authors of its nationally distributed policy statement In the Best Interests of All. In 2001, CHADD established the Matt Cohen Scholarship Fund, named in his honor. He is the recipient of the 1993 Illinois-TASH Professional of the Year award, and is a Life Board Member of Youth Organization Umbrella, Evanston, Illinois. He is also the author of Barriers to Inclusion in Local Schools in Illinois: A Blueprint for Change, funded by a grant from the Illinois Planning Council on Developmental Disabilities and provided expert testimony concerning his research in the Corey H. v. ISBE class action trial in the United States District Court.

While engaged in private law practice continuously since 1981, Mr. Cohen served as the Executive Director and Corporate Counsel of a large psychiatric services corporation from 1985 to 1990. Mr. Cohen received his law degree from the University of Minnesota (1981) and his bachelor's degree from Grinnell College (1977).