Student life can be full of challenges and obstacles for young adults. Living by oneself, juggling studies, grades, assignments, social activities, and sometimes a job or jobs can be daunting and even confusing – especially for young students who have never had to deal with these challenges.
You or your student can easily find yourself in violation of your school or college's code of conduct or other rules and policies – sometimes unfairly. In such cases, having an experienced student defense attorney-advisor by your side can make all the difference. A professional advisor can get you out of sticky situations, uphold your rights and ensure your university or school does not treat you unfairly.
Premier attorney-advisor Joseph D. Lento has spent over 20 years defending students and helping them avoid damaging disciplinary consequences such as suspension and expulsion. The Lento Law Firm is available to represent you or your student in cases of student discipline across the Louisville-Jefferson County metro area.
Don't let an unjust or unwarranted accusation ruin your student's life. Seek professional legal representation if your student is involved in a disciplinary case.
The Louisville-Jefferson County Metropolitan Area
One of the oldest cities west of the Appalachians, Louisville is also the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The Louisville-Jefferson County metro area includes the city of Louisville, other incorporated cities, semiautonomous towns, and 12 surrounding counties, seven in Kentucky and five in Southern Indiana.
With a population of 1,395,634, Louisville-Jefferson Country metro area is the 43rd largest metro area in the US. With its rich cultural diversity, traditions, and customs, studying in Louisville can be a very rewarding experience for students. But it can also create adjustment issues – or growing pains and challenges, which can cause your student to act in unexpected ways.
If your student finds themselves involved in a case of misconduct or in a disciplinary issue, the first thing to do is to seek professional legal representation from someone specializing in student defense. Many attorneys are intimidated by student defense, especially in an area as large and complex as the Louisville metro area. Schools, colleges, and universities have their own codes of conduct and policies, and these can often be tangled and complex, making them difficult to interpret.
But student defense attorney-advisor Joseph D. Lento specializes in student defense and is thoroughly well-versed with the rules, policies, and codes of colleges in the Louisville-Jefferson Country metro area.
Louisville Metropolitan Area Student Concerns
Although Louisville has a welcoming, small-town feel to it, studying and living by oneself can be daunting for any student, especially if they are fresh out of high school. Academic pressures, combined with the stress of socializing and making new friends, finding adequate housing, paying bills, working a part-time job, or volunteering, can cause various issues.
It is common for students to face challenges with coursework or exams, and they can easily fall behind with their grades or resort to dishonest means to pass a class. Additionally, traumatic life incidents such as the death or illness of a family member or beloved pet, an accident or emergency, or the student's own physical or mental health struggles can also impact performance and behavior.
Schools and colleges can be very strict about upholding their standards of academic performance and behavior and can come down hard on students found to be in violation of these standards. Your student could find themselves facing charges of plagiarism, inadequate academic performance, behavioral misconduct, or even sexual misconduct. Don't let a stray accusation ruin their academic record. Retain the services of an accomplished student defense advisor who can help your student contest any charges and protect their rights.
Louisville Metro Area Schools
Joseph D. Lento and the Lento Law Firm are available to take on student defense anywhere in the Louisville-Jefferson County metro area, regardless of your student's level of study or school program. Whether it is sexual or behavioral misconduct, academic progression issues, or any other case of student discipline defense, the Lento Law Firm can help protect your student's rights. Some colleges across the Louisville metro area where the Lento Law Firm provides legal representation include:
- Bellarmine University
- ATA College
- Simmon's College of Kentucky
- Spalding University
- Hanover College
- Indiana Wesleyan University - Louisville Education and Conference Center
- University of Louisville, Shelby Campus
- Thomas Jefferson University,
- Jefferson College,
- Kentuckiana Metroversity
- Indiana Tech
- University of Louisville
- Sullivan University
- Northwood University – Louisville, KY
- Boyce College
- Indiana University Southeast
Attorney-advisor Joseph Lento and The Lento Law Firm are also available to provide legal representation in any of Louisville metro area's technical, theological, medical, nursing, business, or art colleges, including:
- Sullivan University's College of Technology and Design
- Galen College of Nursing – Louisville
- Mid-America College of Funeral Service
- University of Louisville – College of Business
- Louisville Collegiate School
- The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
If your student studies in any of Louisville metro area's public or private K-12 schools, Mr. Lento can help defend their rights. To name just a few schools where Mr. Lento is available for legal student defense:
- Christian Academy of Louisville - English Station Campus
- The de Paul School
- Francis Parker School of Louisville
- Highlands Latin School
- Louisville Adventist Academy
- Walden School
- Chance School
- Academy for Individual Excellence
- Assumption High School
- Beth Haven Christian School
- Highlands Latin School
- Holy Spirit School
- Emma L Minnis Junior Academy
- Francis Parker School of Louisville
- De Sales High School
- Hayfield Montessori School
- Kentucky Country Day School
- Louisville Adventist Academy
Disciplinary Defense in the Louisville-Jefferson County Metro Area
Going to college is an exciting time for students, but it can also be challenging and confusing. Grappling with cultural differences, social issues, academic pressures, and more can cause behavioral changes and missteps. Your student may find themselves accused of academic or behavioral misconduct, sometimes unfairly. Schools, colleges, and universities can often be overzealous in upholding their behavioral standards and can come down hard on students they believe have violated a rule or policy. An experienced attorney-advisor can help your student deal with such instances successfully.
Academic Progression Issues
Given federal requirements and educational institutions' eagerness to be seen as premier and high-quality organizations, they can have fairly high academic expectations of their students. Students are expected to attend and pass classes, complete assignments, and get grades good enough to satisfy the standards of the school, college, or university they study in.
Colleges, especially those that receive federal funding, are obligated to ensure that students meet satisfactory academic progression (SAP) standards. The University of Louisville's Satisfactory Academic Progress policy is one such example. Another example is Jefferson College's SAP policy that requires students to successfully complete a minimum of 67% of their program of study by the end of each term.
But schools and colleges don't always apply their standards uniformly and can make mistakes in calculating grades. Any students believed to be falling short of these standards can be penalized and face an academic warning, a failing grade, probation, or worse.
Seeking professional legal representation can help keep your student out of trouble and ensure they pass their classes with adequate grades. Experienced attorney-advisor Joseph Lento can help bring unfair or discriminatory grading to the notice of school authorities and can defend your student against any academic accusations or perceived shortcomings.
Academic Misconduct Issues
Just like educational institutions have high standards of academic performance, they also hold students to lofty standards of academic integrity. Instances of plagiarism, cheating, or any form of dishonesty are dealt with strictly – often resulting in probation, suspension, or dismissal.
Academic integrity policies like the University of Louisville's Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities prohibit dishonest academic practices such as plagiarism on an assignment, cheating or copying during an exam, unauthorized collaboration on assignments, or any other form of academic dishonesty.
But schools can make mistakes in judging academic integrity and wrongly accuse students of plagiarism or cheating. Moreover, they could be unaware of mitigating circumstances or situations that excuse a student's behavior. Seeking legal representation from an experienced student defense attorney-advisor can ensure your student is not punished unfairly.
Behavioral Misconduct Issues
Bad behavior or disruptive conduct, including classroom disruption, threats, harassment, violence, vandalism, trespassing, computer misuse, and drug or weapon use, are a big point of contention for educational institutions, and rightly so. Schools and colleges strive to provide an environment that is safe and most conducive to learning for their students and have no tolerance for violent or destructive behavior.
Colleges and universities have codes and regulations governing student conduct, like the Code of Student Conduct at the University of Louisville, and they adhere to these rules strictly.
If a student is found responsible for any of the misbehaviors outlined in these codes, they are dealt with strictly and can find themselves facing suspension or expulsion.
But schools are not always accurate in their deductions and assumptions and may wrongfully hold a student responsible for misbehavior. Even if the accusation is somewhat warranted, there may be mitigating circumstances and other reasons that entitle you or your student to an appeal.
Retaining a specialized student defense attorney-advisor can help ensure your or your student's rights are fully protected and they are not handed out unfair punishment. Mr. Lento is very familiar with the education system and its rules and regulations, owing to his over 20 years of experience defending students. He can help your student defeat any unwarranted allegations or charges.
Title IX Sexual Misconduct Issues
Schools that receive federal funding have to adhere to the rules outlined in federal Title IX guidelines. These guidelines govern sexual misconduct and prohibit behaviors such as sexual harassment, assault, and violence.
Educational institutions also have their own rules around sexual misconduct, and these are often more comprehensive than Title IX guidelines. In addition to sexual assault and harassment, they also ban prostitution or solicitation of prostitution, distribution of pornography, sexual discrimination, intimate partner violence, threats, and bullying.
If you or your student find yourself facing allegations of sexual misconduct, do not make the mistake of trying to deal with the situation by yourself. A premier defense attorney-advisor can guide you through this tricky process, ensuring your rights are protected at every step of the way and any unwarranted charges are defeated.
School Discipline Defense Attorney Value
While it may be tempting to hire a local attorney to represent your student, cases of school discipline can have a long-lasting impact on your student's career and education. It is advisable to hire nothing less than the best and most specialized student defense available, to ensure your student does not have to suffer unwarranted or excessive punishment, which could leave a black mark on their academic record.
Disciplinary charges based on any form of misconduct can result in suspension, expulsion, or worse, and destroy all the work, effort, and time your student has put into their education.
Attorney-advisor Joseph D. Lento and the Lento Law Firm are much better positioned to defend your student against school charges than any local law firm. Mr. Lento has over 20 years of experience helping students successfully defeat disciplinary charges of all kinds and can help limit damage to your student's career and academic record. Consider retaining the Lento Law Firm for your or your student's defense. You can call our toll-free number at 888.535.3686 or contact us online. Our team is available 24/7.
