Intellectual / Developmental Disabilities

Maximilian Kolbe wrote, “Let us remember that love lives through sacrifice and is nourished by giving. Without sacrifice, there is no love.” In these special needs families, we see a love that does not count the cost. Gil strongly supports parents and caregivers of I/DD persons, whose lives enrich all those around them. Each of us, at some point sooner or later, must face – at times painfully – frailty and illness, both our own and those of others. These limitations are part of being human. Being a caregiver is not easy and has difficult demands. There’s a perception that sick or disabled persons cannot be happy, and that their lives are not worth living and are only a burden to them or others. However, every parent of an I/DD child Gil has ever represented has personified the enduring quality of a love that does not quit in the face of difficulty. These parents have often related how much their lives and hearts, and those around them, have been enriched by their child, and these parents have often emphatically expressed the sentiment "If I could choose again, I'd still choose you." These children's lives have great dignity and purpose, and Gil considers it an honor to witness this kind of true, concrete, and respectful love in action from parents and caregivers, to support it, and to seek additional resources to improve their children's lives and abilities.

Gil has represented parents and caregivers in both contested and uncontested legal matters involving these issues. Occasionally, parents of an I/DD child have divorced, or are in the process of a divorce, and therefore a dispute may occur with respect to who is appointed guardian for their child. It is important to investigate and critically consider these issues, and, where possible, to work from common ground and possibly come to a practical and enforceable agreement through a voluntary resolution or mediation. Gil seeks to preserve relationships, especially marriages and families where possible. Sometimes, however, a judicial resolution is the only remedy, and Gil is a dedicated, experienced, and effective advocate.