University Student Defense
Accusations of disciplinary or academic wrong-doing can create enormous amounts
of stress in the already stressful lives of university students. Students often feel
blindsided when the University they trust with their safety and education becomes their accuser. Suddenly, students are left to fend for themselves against teams of
administrators with the power to do great damage to their academic record and future career prospects. When your University turns against you, you need an advocate who understands how the system works, and how to effectively fight back.
The University Disciplinary Process
Although they may feel similar, University Disciplinary Hearings and the criminal
court system share little in common. University Disciplinary Hearings move very
quickly and have few safeguards for the rights of the accused. The amount of evidence needed to find students responsible for infractions is low and was recently lowered further due to federal law. University Disciplinary Hearings follow no rules of evidence, do not allow advocates to speak on behalf of accused students, have an almost non-existent appeals process, and can have their rules changed at any time by university administrators.
Criminal Charges
University students accused of committing a crime can face criminal charges in court and disciplinary charges on campus for the same conduct at the same time.
Defending against these charges requires an understanding of each forum, how the
proceedings impact one another and how best to navigate between the two. Joseph
McCoy’s entire practice is dedicated to defending both criminal defendants and
university students. If you are a university student facing criminal charges in the
District of Columbia, contact Joseph McCoy to be confident in your defense.
Building a Defense
Facing such an uphill battle, accused students need an attorney who knows the
University Disciplinary System and can act swiftly and aggressively to build a defense. Clients at the Law Office of Joseph E. McCoy have access to investigators trained in gathering essential evidence quickly and effectively. Clients will also meet with Mr. McCoy individually to devise the best defense strategy and to prepare to effectively defend themselves in the student disciplinary hearing.
Image Courtesy of Nazareth College CC BY-SA 2.0 used without alteration.