Adrián E. Alvarez

Adrián E. Alvarez is an Assistant Professor of Law at St. John's University School of Law, teaching courses on Disability and the Law, Professional Responsibility, and Introduction to Law. His scholarship focuses on reimagining federal disability antidiscrimination law and policy. Previously, he served as Special Counsel to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (2022-2023), advising on Section 504 Rehabilitation Act rulemaking. He held roles as Practitioner-in-Residence at American University’s Disability Rights Law Clinic, where he supervised student attorneys in special education cases, and practiced at Children’s Law Center in Washington, D.C. He clerked for Judge David Briones in the Western District of Texas. Before law, he worked as a humanitarian aid worker in Sierra Leone and Sri Lanka, and as a researcher for a Brazilian human rights organization.

Holds a J.D. from American University Washington College of Law, an M.P.A. from Princeton University, and a B.A. in Latin American Studies from the University of Texas at Austin.

Research emphasizes intersection of disability rights, education systems, and public policy. Advocacy work includes special education litigation and legal reforms to protect marginalized communities. Current scholarship bridges clinical legal education with systemic policy analysis.