About Ashley
Ashley VanCleef built a career at the intersection of classrooms and courtrooms. She drew on classroom experience and legal training to shape a practice that sits squarely inside education law. Her path is methodical rather than accidental.
She holds a B.S. in Special Education from the University of Central Oklahoma (1998) and earned a J.D. in Education Law from the University of Baltimore (2011). Those credentials inform how she approaches school disputes and administrative hearings. They also explain why she has stayed in education-related work since leaving law school.
VanCleef began her post-law school practice inside the public school system. In 2012 she worked for Montgomery County Public Schools as a lawyer, handling matters that arise in public education settings. That work exposed her to individual student issues and district-level policies. In 2016 she moved into private practice as an attorney at the Law Office of Brian K. Gruber, P.C., where she broadened her experience representing clients on education-related legal matters.
In 2019 she opened Law For Parents, LLC and became its principal lawyer. The firm name reflects the clientele she serves: families, students and caregivers who are involved in school disputes. At Law For Parents she manages case intake, prepares administrative filings and represents parties in hearings and settlement discussions in Maryland.
VanCleef maintains active membership in the State Bar of Maryland. She is also a member of the National Association of the Deaf and the International Dyslexia Association, both since 2018. Her local professional ties include the Frederick County Bar Association, where she has held membership since 2016. Those affiliations keep her connected to changes in special education practice and the evolving standards used by schools and courts.
Her training in special education and education law, combined with experience inside a school district and in private practice, gives her a practical perspective on how educational decisions are made and reviewed. She works on procedural and substantive issues that affect students, including individualized education program matters, disciplinary proceedings and accessibility concerns.
She practices in Maryland and leads Law For Parents, LLC in representing families and students in education law matters.
