Meet Our Team

Mr. Silva is a Founding Partner of Adams Silva & McNally LLP. Mr. Silva has dedicated his legal career to education law, and that focus has given him broad expertise across special education, student matters, labor and employment, charter schools, and general education law. He has represented school districts before state and federal courts, the Public Employment Relations Board, the Department of Fair Employment and Housing, the Office for Civil Rights, and the Office of Administrative Hearings.

Mr. Silva’s commitment to education started long before law school. He began his career as an elementary school teacher in the Coachella Valley Unified School District. That experience shaped the path he would take next: while studying at Rutgers University School of Law, he worked in the Special Education Law Clinic, representing students and their parents in special education matters. The perspective he gained there—seeing the system from both the classroom and the courtroom—continues to inform how he represents education clients today.

A sought-after speaker and trainer, Mr. Silva regularly leads workshops for education leaders through organizations including the California School Boards Association, the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, the California Latino School Boards Association, the Association of California School Administrators, LRP, the San Diego Council of Administrators of Special Education, and individual school district clients. His workshops have covered topics such as superintendent contracts, special education issues, labor relations, and Brown Act compliance.

Mr. Silva’s contributions to education law have been recognized throughout his career. In law school, he was co-recipient of the A. Jennifer Smaldone Memorial Prize for his work advancing the legal rights of individuals with disabilities, and in 2009, he was named one of Hispanic Business Magazine’s 100 Most Influential Hispanic Leaders.