Meet Us
Deanna consults with clients on day-to-day legal matters and represents clients in litigation at both the administrative and federal court levels. In addition to legal representation, Deanna also enjoys providing professional development to school district staff at national conferences, state conferences, and at the local school level.
Deanna has a valuable combination of professional background and passion for supporting school systems that allows her to understand and represent the unique needs of school systems. Prior to her legal career, Deanna obtained a Master’s of Arts degree and an Educational Specialist Degree in the field of school psychology from Middle Tennessee State University. Deanna then practiced for six years as a nationally certified school psychologist in public schools in both Tennessee and Ohio. Deanna’s experience as a school psychologist has provided her with a unique insight and knowledge of the challenges faced by today’s school personnel.
Furthering her education, Deanna graduated magna cum laude with a Juris Doctorate from the University of Dayton School of Law. Deanna was the executive publication editor for the University’s law review and published a comment on the use of restraints in public schools. While obtaining her legal degree, Deanna clerked for an Ohio law firm that represented over a hundred public school districts. Deanna worked on a number of legal issues faced by school systems, including special education, Section 504, ADA, general education, student discipline, employment law, and board policy. Under an Ohio intern’s license, Deanna also obtained courtroom experience through her externship with an Ohio prosecutor’s office.
Upon completion of her legal degree, Deanna went into private practice as an attorney with the Law Office of Melinda Jacobs PLLC (LOMJ). As an attorney with LOMJ, Deanna was mentored by a renowned special education attorney, Melinda Jacobs, and gained experience in consultation, trial preparation, litigation, and professional development in the legal areas of IDEA and Section 504. These experiences have prepared Deanna to provide unparalleled services to her clients.
Angel McCloud has spent her entire career of over 27 years working with children in various capacities. She received undergraduate degrees from Middle Tennessee State University, including a B.S. in Criminal Justice and a B.S. in Sociology. Angel spent 13 years working for the Juvenile Court in Rutherford County, beginning as a Youth Services Officer and eventually being promoted to Assistant Director and Director. While working full time for Juvenile Court, she attended law school at the Nashville School of Law and graduated summa cum laude in 2003. For the next 14 years Angel worked as in-house counsel for school districts in the Middle Tennessee area. During her tenure as in-house counsel, she worked in all areas of school law including special education, Section 504, ADA, employment disputes and litigation, civil rights compliance and policy development. After nearly 14 years as in-house counsel Angel was given an opportunity to join the law firm of her long-term colleague, mentor, and friend Melinda Jacobs. The firm represented school districts all over Tennessee in matters related to special education, Section 504, and ADA. This opportunity eventually lead to to the formation of Arivett Law PLLC.