Who We Are?

Our History

Cherkas Metcalfe Law was founded by Katie Metcalfe and Adrianna Cherkas, friends and colleagues, since 2008. Katie and Adrianna met at the Defender Association of Philadelphia where they both worked as Child Advocate Attorneys, representing and advocating for vulnerable children and youth in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 2019 they rejoined forces again at a small disability rights and education law firm in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. There, Katie served as the Managing Attorney for Special Education and built up a strong following of clients who relied on her experience and compassion to guide them through the intricacies of special education matters, ensuring their child’s educational rights were secure. Adrianna’s practice area focused on the disciplinary aspects for students (many of whom have disabilities), civil rights violations in educational settings, conduct violations and discipline in higher education, accommodations for college and university students, testing accommodations, juvenile delinquency, and powers of attorneys and guardianships for families with disabled children entering adulthood.

Over the course of years, Katie and Adrianna found that their practice areas overlapped in so many ways, allowing them to offer clients and families comprehensive representation from childhood through early adulthood in the areas of education law, student discipline, civil rights, and estate planning. Clients benefited from the comprehensive and collaborative continuity of representation within a single firm. Katie and Adrianna’s easy-going teamwork, mutual respect and trust, and shared vision for an inclusive law firm that honors and values its team members’ hard work, transparency, and dedication to advocating for the rights of students, children, juveniles, and families led to the birth of Cherkas Metcalfe Law, PLLC.