About Hope
Hope Kirsch took an unconventional route to law. She began her professional life in education after earning a B.S. in Special Education from Boston University in 1975 and an M.A. in Special Education from New York University in 1977. She later returned to school to study law, receiving her J.D. from Brooklyn Law School in 1991. Her background as a certified special education teacher for the New York City Board of Education informs how she approaches cases that touch on education and disability issues.
Her early legal work included a clerkship at the Superior Court of New Jersey in 1993. The clerkship preceded a move into private practice; she joined Garrity, Graham, Favetta & Flinn, PLC as an associate in 1994. That formative period appears to have shaped her litigation instincts and familiarity with state court procedures. By 2000 she stepped into partnership at Broening, Oberg, Woods & Wilson, PLC, taking on greater client responsibility and management duties.
In 2006 she became a founding managing lawyer of Kirsch-Goodwin & Kirsch, PLLC. The firm listing is tied to her name and reflects her role in firm leadership. She holds admissions in New York and New Jersey, is admitted to practice before the Ninth Circuit, and is a member of the State Bar of Arizona since 1998. The Arizona membership is current, and she is active in that state’s legal community.
Kirsch’s credentials include an AV Preeminent peer review rating from Martindale Hubbell, a designation that reflects peer evaluations of both legal ability and ethical standards. Outside the courtroom she serves on the governing board of AZA United, an Arizona organization focused on autism issues. That board role aligns with her earlier training and certification in special education and suggests a continued interest in matters affecting individuals with developmental disabilities.
Her career spans clerking, firm partnership, and founding a law practice. She has worked in multiple regional markets and before a federal appellate court. Her practice is conducted through Kirsch-Goodwin & Kirsch, PLLC and addresses matters arising in New York, New Jersey and Arizona, and before the Ninth Circuit.
