Blog

Feb. 20, 2020

Delinquency is a legal term for criminal behavior carried out by a juvenile. Delinquent behavior is divided into two categories: status offenses and delinquency offenses.

Feb. 20, 2020

Juvenile court is unique and should not be treated as if it were adult court for young clients. While the substantive criminal law is the same in juvenile and adult court, the procedures and sentencing law are substantially different.

Feb. 20, 2020

In an appeal, an appellate court reviews the record of the pre-trial and trial proceedings for legal errors. The record includes the court file, the court reporter’s transcript and the evidence and exhibits introduced in the trial court. In general, an appellate court does not consider information that is not contained in the record.

Sept. 30, 2018

Although most of my clientele are university-level students and faculty, there is an increase in K-12 students being accused of sexual harassment and sexual violence. In recent years, I have worked with students as young as fifth grade (accused of pinching a girl) who have faced disciplinary actions including suspension, expulsion, involuntary transfers to other schools, being placed on independent study, loss of the right to participate in extra-curricular activities, and other consequences. […]

June 30, 2018

Many students and their parents are shocked to learn that it is possible to be accused of violating Title IX policies for events they did not participate in.In a recent case of mine, a student was at a party and heard a rumor that other students were engaged in sexual activity in a men’s restroom […]

Aug. 2, 2017

One of the most important requirements of Title IX is that schools publish their grievance procedures and stick to them. Without knowing what to expect, a student cannot prepare. This is essential to keeping hearings fair […]

Jan. 4, 2017

In situations where there is a simultaneous police investigation, restraining order case, or criminal or civil court proceeding, I use my experience with educational, administrative, criminal, and civil rules and procedures in order to assist my advisee with an effective and comprehensive strategy […]

Jan. 3, 2017

Providing evidence of consent is a complex process, and without the benefit of an experienced advisor, many students fail to show sufficient evidence of consent or lack of consent to prevail in the grievance process.

Dec. 31, 2016

The U.S. Department of Education mandates that schools, colleges, and universities apply the “preponderance of the evidence” standard to determine the merits of sexual violence and sexual harassment grievances. Preponderance of the evidence means that based on an examination of the available information, the accusation is shown to be more likely than not that the […]

Dec. 29, 2016

Your school or college will likely not close the investigation if the Complainant, Respondent, or both withdraw from the school. Congress has passed several laws that mandate investigation and reporting of Sexual Violence, Domestic Violence, Stalking, Sexual Harassment, Hate Crimes, and other illegal activities on college property and during college-sponsored events and activities. […]