Leona E. Filis, owner of The Filis Law Firm, P.C., in Houston, is an attorney who focuses her time and energy on helping families with children with special needs. Filis has built her practice by being a partner and a resource to parents, helping them navigate through tough decisions regarding their child’s care.
Filis grew up in a Greek family, spending much of her youth in the family-owned restaurants. After graduating from the University of Texas, she attended South Texas College of Law in Houston. When she passed the State Bar in 2002, Filis founded The Filis Law Firm, PC, as a general civil practice. Later, being that she lived in Houston, Texas, she began working in oil and gas law. Her personal life changed in 2010 when she received the diagnosis that her son, Jonathan, was on the Autism Spectrum. Since then, Filis realized that the niche of a Special Needs Attorney was not being filled and that many parents were overwhelmed and uninformed regarding their medical and legal rights.
Her primary focus is to help guide and educate parents and families of children with special needs. Filis and her staff provide free presentations to parent groups with information about Interest Lists for Medicaid Waiver Programs, SSI, local services and programs, Estate Planning, Supplemental Needs Trusts, Wills, Power of Attorney and Medical Power of Attorney documents, Supportive Decision-Making Agreements, 529A accounts, transitioning into adulthood, Guardianship cases, and lesser restrictive alternatives. In addition to the monthly e-newsletters to her clients, Filis has a publication – “8 Steps to Consider When Raising a Child with Special Needs” and an article “Utilizing Section 504, IDEA, and Special Education” in The Houston Lawyer, January/February 2018. Her article was included in a compilation that won the 2017-2018 State Bar of Texas, Substantive Law Series of Articles Award for Special Needs Law & Advocacy.
Filis is active in her community with her volunteer work and donations of pro bono legal services and funding of special projects. Her interests include charities that share her passion to help individuals with disabilities. She is on the Advisory Board of the Houston nonprofit S.A.F.E. Diversity Communities. Recently, Filis was honored to be the 2019 Chair for the 5th Annual Blue Carpet Scholarship Awards Gala for S.A.F.E. Diversity Communities.
Leona Filis
Founder/ Managing Attorney
Filis Law Firm
leona@filislaw.com
www.filislaw.com
713-462-1777
5600 NW Central Drive, Suite 202
Houston, Texas 77092
