Division of Administrative Law Appeals (DALA)

The Division of Administrative Law Appeals (DALA) is an independent agency that conducts due process adjudicatory hearings for other Massachusetts state administrative agencies.

Contact Us

Address

14 Summer Street, 4th floor, Malden, MA 02148

Phone

Open M-F 9am-5pm

Fax

(781) 397-4720

Who we serve

DALA provides a neutral forum for hearing any case in which one has the right to appeal the decision of another state agency.

Through its Bureau of Special Education Appeals, DALA also conducts mediations, advisory opinions and hearings to resolve disputes among parents, school districts, private schools and state agencies concerning eligibility, evaluation, placement, individualized education programs (IEPs), special education services and procedural protections for students with disabilities. 

Schedule of Hearings

Scheduled Prehearing Conferences & Hearings - March 2024

Scheduled Prehearing Conferences & Hearings - February 2024

Annual Report

DALA 2021 Annual Report to the Legislature

DALA 2022 Annual Report to the Legislature

Welcome Chief Magistrate Natalie Monroe

On January 16, 2024, Natalie Monroe joined DALA as the agency’s Chief Administrative Magistrate.  Natalie is an attorney with more than 20 years of experienced in public service and public administration. Immediately before joining DALA, Natalie was the First Assistant Inspector General for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  As First Assistant, Natalie worked collaboratively across state and local government to help agencies operate more effectively and achieve their missions.  She led and supervised 80+ staff in ten divisions; spearheaded key priorities, such as workplace diversity, strategic planning, and internal controls; and oversaw the agency’s day-to-day operations, including its finance, legal, human resources, data analytics, and risk management functions.

Before being appointed the First Assistant Inspector General in 2012, Natalie was the Chief of the Appeals Division in the Criminal Bureau at the Attorney General’s Office. In that capacity, Natalie led a team of attorneys and paralegals who handled criminal appeals, Singe Justice petitions, habeas corpus petitions, civil rights litigation, and criminal prosecutions on behalf of the Commonwealth.  Natalie regularly represented the Commonwealth in state and federal court, including responding to petitions for writ of certiorari filed in the United States Supreme Court challenging Massachusetts criminal convictions.  Outside of the courtroom, Natalie collaborated with internal and external stakeholders to develop policies, procedures, and legislation to strengthen and protect Massachusetts’ criminal justice system. 

Natalie also served as an Administrative Magistrate for DALA. In that role, she presided over adjudicatory hearings challenging actions taken by other state agencies and wrote numerous decisions interpreting state regulations and statutes. Before entering public service, Natalie was a partner at Sullivan & Worcester LLP, where she handled complex civil litigation, appeals in state and federal court, and white-collar criminal investigations, including cases involving fraud, theft and embezzlement.  She began her legal career as an associate at Zelle & Larson LLP, a national law firm that specialized in complex civil litigation.  Natalie received her law degree from Harvard Law School and her bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College.

In addition to other civic activities, Natalie is on the Board of the Association of Inspectors General, is a member of the Editorial Board of The Massachusetts Law Review, and serves on the Massachusetts Comptroller’s Advisory Board.  A longtime Massachusetts resident, Natalie loves spending time with her family, as well as hiking, skiing, rock climbing, and baking.

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Division of Administrative Law Appeals information

Image credits:  Ed McGrath

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