(From left to right) Colleen Villarreal, ’10; Tilman Heyer; Aimee Perry, ’10; and Marcy Gutierrez, ’01.

Sacramento, CA:  GUTIERREZ, PERRY & VILLARREAL, LLP (GPV) is excited to announce their one-year anniversary!  Opened in August of 2021, and specializing in education law, GPV is owned and operated by three women, all mothers of school-aged children, who have over 40 years of combined experience in providing legal support and representation to public school districts in California.  Areas of expertise include special education and student matters.

“GPV was founded on the idea that a boutique law firm can provide ‘big firm service’ in a more customized, approachable, student-centered way” says Aimee Perry, Founding Partner at GPV Law and a ’10 alumna of McGeorge School of Law.  “And GPV has done just that!  In just one year, we represent clients in over 7 counties.  The growth has been tremendous, and the client feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.  They can feel the difference.”

“GPV is founded on the premise of creativity above profit,” says Colleen Villarreal, Founding Partner at GPV Law and a ’10 alumna of McGeorge School of Law. “Our clients wear many hats and there are many legal requirements that must be met.  At GPV, we strive to find creative ways to make our clients’ day-to-day lives a little easier, while ensuring legally compliant and that students receive the services and supports they are entitled to.”

GPV provides a wide range of legal services from strategy, preventative legal advice, and trainings, all the way through attendance at IEP meetings, mediations, due process hearings, and appeals.  The firm’s passion for education is apparent in all that they do, and their commitment to students is what sets them apart.

“I feel really good about the work that we do at GPV because the legal services we provide are for the betterment of our public school system, and the children our schools serve,” says Marcy Gutierrez, ’01, a Founding Partner at GPV Law and Adjunct Professor at California State University, Sacramento. “Being a former high school teacher, I find that GPV’s focus on students aligns with my core professional values, as well as my personal commitment to supporting public education.”

Some of this year’s highlights include:

  • Partnering with local educational agencies to provide customized program reviews, ensuring that programs are not only running efficiently, but effectively and defensibly, while also taking into consideration fiscal implications.
  • Providing professional development and trainings to educators in the greater Sacramento area, and beyond.
  • Creating and providing clients with a quick and easy document generation form for common, but legally required letters, saving clients time and money.
  • Sponsoring the C.K. McClatchy High School Law & Public Policy Program, which is focused on increasing diversity on the bench.

Visit them at https://gpvlaw.com/ to learn more!

About GPV Law:  Gutierrez, Perry & Villarreal was founded on a desire to work with local educational agencies on a personal and professional level, with a focus on their individual needs and goals.  GPV specializes in student and special education matters and brings a preventative legal approach and an ability to think outside the box.  GPV’s legal team is dedicated to bringing a unique perspective and unparalleled understanding of how LEAs operate, enabling them to provide legal advice and suggest solutions in an understandable and practical way.