Richard M. Peterson, LL.M.

Professor Peterson is director of the Special Education Advocacy Clinic where he directs law students providing advocacy and legal services to parents of children with disabilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). He is also serves as Director of Externships and teaches Special Education Law, Disability Law, and Dispute Resolution in Education..

Professor Peterson has served on the Executive Committee and as Chair of the Law and Mental Disability Section and the Disability Law Section of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) Prior to joining Pepperdine he served as an educational consultant conducting workshops in anger management and conflict resolution curriculum for K-12 teachers, administrators, counselors, psychologists, and probation officers in public, private and alternative schools in New York, Delaware, Virginia, Florida, Colorado, Missouri, and California, and provided monthly teacher development workshops on these subjects for the Compton Unified School District during the 2001-02 school year. Professor Peterson has more than thirty years' experience working with adolescents and teenagers in a variety of capacities including service as a director of youth organizations for his church, athletic coach, adult leader for various troops of the Boy Scouts of America, and has taught numerous religious classes.

He is a passionate advocate for persons with disabilities having served nearly five years as a member of the board of directors of the Regional Center of Orange County, three years as president, and is a frequent speaker to parent organizations, educators, psychologists and related service providers on topics including special education law, dispute resolution, collaborative negotiation, and problem solving. He was the recipient of the E. Kurt Yeager Servant Leadership Award for outstanding service to people with developmental disabilities at the RCOC Spotlight Awards in 2002. In 2006-07 he received the Outstanding Contributor award from Independently Merging Parent Associations of California Together for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children (IMPACT), and a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition from the U.S. Congress for outstanding and invaluable service to the community in 2006. He currently serves on the board of directors of the Down Syndrome Association of Orange County (DSAOC), and former member of the professional advisory board of the Epilepsy Alliance of Orange County and the board of directors of La'a Kea Foundation, located in Maui, Hawaii, a non-profit organization planning the development of real estate, occupational programs, and living options for persons with developmental disabilities.

Key Works

Articles

• Richard M. Peterson, Caught in the Cross-Fire --The Psychological and Emotional Impact of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) upon Teachers of Children with Disabilities: A Therapeutic Jurisprudence Analysis, 33 PACE L. REV. 878 (2013) SSRNHeinOnline
• Richard M. Peterson, Examining Context in the Conflict over Same-Sex Marriage and Education: The Relevance of Substance, Process and the People Involved, 2011 BYU EDUC. & L.J. 323 (2011) HeinOnline
• Richard M. Peterson, The Persistence of Low Expectations in Special Education Law Viewed Through the Lens of Therapeutic Jurisprudence, 33 INT'L J.L. & PSYCHIATRY 375 (2009) SSRN

Popular Press

• Richard M. Peterson, Panel Participant, "Becoming A Law Professor: Pathways Into Academia" (Clinical Law Perspective), J. Reuben Clark Law Society - National Conference, Southern Methodist University, 2011
• Richard M. Peterson, Speaker, "Promoting High Expectations In Special Education For Children With Disabilities: A Framework For Parent Advocacy," CHADD/U.C. Irvine Child Development Center Guest Speaker, 2011
• Richard M. Peterson, Workshop, "Promoting High Expectations In Special Education For Children With Disabilities: Six Steps To Connecting The Dots," California State PTA Annual Convention -Long Beach Convention Center, Long Beach, California, 2011
• Richard M. Peterson, Speaker, "Caught in the Cross-Fire - The Psychological and Emotional Impact of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) upon Teachers of Children with Disabilities: A Therapeutic Jurisprudence Analysis," Germany, 2011