Disciplinary and Licensing Matters: Students and Teachers
Collora LLP has counseled both students and teachers faced with disciplinary proceedings arising out of alleged misconduct. We have also provided advocacy for graduate students seeking professional licenses after some kind of misconduct accusation.
Because misconduct allegations in a school setting can often involve some kind of criminal investigation or charge, it is very important for academic clients to have counsel who understands the procedures and ramifications of parallel civil and criminal proceedings.
We are one of the few firms well-equipped to handle parallel civil and criminal proceedings when they arise because many of our lawyers are cross-trained in business litigation, regulatory proceedings and government enforcement actions. Thus, we understand how an adverse civil outcome can also influence a potential regulatory or criminal action by the government, and vice versa.
We are committed not only to producing a good result in an in-house proceeding, but to producing a result that will not harm the client’s position in a criminal proceeding or create collateral damage to the client’s reputation or professional license.
We are pleased to share with you the following executive summary showing the kinds of academic clients we have represented in governmental and in-house proceedings, the legal issues we have handled for them, the forums in which we have appeared, and some of the representative results that we have produced for them. (For information about our experience with other forms of Administrative Agency Advocacy, see the links at the bottom of this page.)
Clients
Collora LLP has represented a variety of clients in proceedings related to alleged misconduct of students and teachers, including:
- High School Students
- Undergraduate Students
- Graduate Students
- Teachers
- Professors
- Teaching Doctors
- Student Discipline Panels
- Teacher Discipline Panels
Issues
Our lawyers have dealt with many disciplinary issues arising from academic settings, including but not limited to:
- Cheating Allegations
- Code of Conduct Allegations
- Contract Issues
- Drug-related Allegations
- Due Process Requirements for Hearing Panels
- Gambling Allegations
- Kidnapping Allegations
- Plagiarism Allegations
- Sexual Assault Allegations
Forums
Our firm has appeared in or provided counseling for participants in a number of forums for the resolution or adjudication of academic misconduct allegations. We can provide you with lawyers who are familiar with the rules, procedures and operations of the following relevant forums:
- In-house Student Discipline Panels
- In-house Teacher Discipline Panels
- Massachusetts Superior Courts and District Courts
- Massachusetts Appeals Court
- Supreme Judicial Court
- U.S. District Courts
- U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeal
Results
The results of our counsel in academic settings are highly confidential, but we have helped clients to achieve the following:
- Avoid suspension or expulsion.
- Avoid criminal charges or inquiries.
- Avoid the loss of or inability to obtain a license.
For more information about other forms of administrative advocacy we provide to clients, click on any of the pertinent links below.