West Columbia Student Defense Lawyer

As a college or university student, your job is to be learning and enjoying this time in your life. When allegations of a crime or violation of your school’s honor code threaten that, a strong legal defense can help put your life back on track. Violations of a school’s honor code can result in serious penalties such as probation, suspension, or even expulsion. Every allegation of misconduct deserves a strong defense with the help of a qualified defense attorney.

An experienced West Columbia Student defense lawyer understand the criminal process and the school disciplinary process you will face. Let our years of experience defending students work to protect you.

Violations of the School’s Honor Code and Academic Misconduct Allegations

When a student is alleged to have committed academic misconduct, they face serious penalties. These types of allegations are some of the more common allegations students may face. They can result in serious consequences for the student’s immediate academic career and can even have a long-lasting impact on their ability to get a job in the future.

Allegations of academic misconduct can take many forms, including:

  • Plagiarism
  • Using cheat sheets during exams
  • Communicating between students during an exam
  • Improper citation of sources
  • Taking an exam for another student
  • Using electronics to cheat during tests
  • Falsification of data for reports, dissertations, or other academic assignments
  • Unacceptable collaboration

Colleges and universities take academic misconduct very seriously. As a result of this, many allegations are sometimes based on little information or unreliable sources. A proper legal challenge to these allegations can make a school better understand what actually occurred.

Criminal Allegations Against Students

When a student faces allegation of a state or municipal crime, they may also be at risk of honor code violations. This means that the student could face concurrent hearings at school and criminal charges in state criminal court. While any criminal offense could theoretically implicate the school’s honor code, drug and alcohol offenses are some of the most common charges that can violate a school’s honor code.

These include offenses such as disorderly conduct, possession of drugs, possession of a fake ID, and underage consumption. When a student faces criminal allegations at school, in court, or both, they deserve the competent representation of an experienced student defense attorney.

Understanding Title IX in Student Offense Cases

Title IX is a piece of federal legislation that requires colleges and universities to create an office that investigates allegations of sexual discrimination on campus. Sexual discrimination includes discrimination based on gender, sexual orientation, and gender identity. It also means different types of sex crimes as well. This can include crimes such as rape, sexual assault, prostitution, and more.

Sex crimes are not only a violation of Title IX policies but may also be separate state crimes. This can result in punishments by the school for the Title IX violation and criminal charges by state prosecutors at the same time. No matter the allegation, every student deserves the care and attention of a skilled student defense attorney in West Columbia.

Schedule a Consultation With a West Columbia Student Defense Attorney

Every allegation of an offense deserves legal representation. If you are a student, any allegation can quickly destroy your academic career if you do not defend yourself.

An experienced West Columbia student defense lawyer is prepared to represent you. Contact us today for help.