There’s not a lot involved in a university appeal, at least not in terms of procedure. You write the appeal; you submit the appeal; you wait for the Appeals Officer to make a decision. The real trick is in knowing what to write. An appeal is not a chance to argue for your innocence. You did that at the hearing. Your situation has changed, and your arguments must change. Otherwise, your chances of success are virtually zero.
Luckily, you don’t have to file your MU-Columbia appeal on your own. The university allows you to choose an advisor. Choose wisely.
The LLF National Law Firm’s Student Defense Team was founded to protect student rights, and we’ve helped hundreds of students defend themselves from all types of misconduct charges. We know MU-Columbia judicial procedures, including how to file appeals. Most importantly, we’re always on your side and ready to fight for your academic future.
It’s important, though, that you contact us immediately. MU-Columbia gives you just ten business days from the end of your hearing to file your appeal. That’s not much time to put an appeal together. Call the LLF National Law Firm today at 888-535-3686, or use our online questionnaire to tell us more about your situation.
The MU-Columbia Appeals Process
An appeal isn’t a chance to reargue your case. It’s not for complaining about the outcome, either. An appeal is a very specialized judicial process designed to serve as a check on the system. The central issue is whether or not you were allowed a fair chance to defend yourself at the original hearing.
Here’s what you need to know about the MU-Columbia appeals process.
- First, it’s important you recognize that you no longer have the presumption of innocence (“not responsible”). That presumption dictated how the school could treat you during the investigation and hearing. Rightly or wrongly, you’ve now been found “responsible” for your offense, and that automatically puts you at a disadvantage.
- Again, the focus in the case has shifted. During the hearing, you were allowed to offer any argument that might prove your innocence. Proving unfair treatment requires a more narrow argument. In fact, MU-Columbia accepts just four grounds for an appeal:
- The university failed to follow its own procedures as outlined in the Code of Conduct.
- New evidence has come to light that might have changed the outcome had you had access to it at the time of your hearing.
- The sanction applied in the case is clearly disproportionate to the nature of the offense.
- Your presumption of innocence put the “burden” in the case on the university. That is, the university needed a “preponderance of evidence” to substantiate the charges against you. You’re now the accuser, though. You’re claiming the university mistreated you in some way, and that means you now have the burden to provide a preponderance of evidence.
- MU-Columbia hearings take place in front of a committee of decision-makers. A single Appeals Official will decide your appeal.
- Unless you have uncovered new evidence since the hearing, all of your supporting materials must come from the record of the hearing.
- The Appeals Official cannot overturn the hearing outcome. The best you can hope for from your appeal is the chance to start over and defend yourself again at a new hearing.
What role does the LLF National Law Firm attorney play in all this? The moment you contact us, we’ll sit down with you and go over your entire case. We’ll also review the record of the original hearing, looking specifically for grounds to support your appeal. Of course, we’ll draft the appeal itself and make sure it’s filed on time. Plus, we’ll keep a close watch on everything that happens to make sure you’re treated fairly.
What’s at Stake
The first thing this outline suggests is that filing an appeal can be an uphill battle. After all, you’ve exhausted many of your most important due process rights. That doesn’t mean you should give up.
For one thing, you absolutely can win your appeal. Lots of students do. That’s because universities, as a rule, make lots of mistakes when it comes to investigating and adjudicating misconduct cases. Keep in mind that you weren’t tried by a seasoned prosecutor. There wasn’t a learned judge making decisions about which evidence to allow in and which to exclude. Your case was heard by faculty, administrators, and other students, smart people, but not exactly experts in the law. Frankly, it’s surprising when investigators and hearing committees don’t make mistakes. And when they make them, you have every right to use those mistakes to gain a new hearing.
There’s another important reason to keep fighting, though. Your options are limited at this point. Suspension and dismissal are life-changing sanctions in and of themselves, but they also include a transcript notation about your offense. That means you can’t transfer your way out of this problem. Even if you return from a suspension and earn your degree, your graduate school and career options will be limited by your record.
Finally, keep in mind that this time around, you’re not on your own. You’ve got an LLF National Law Firm attorney behind you. We’ll make sure your rights are protected and that you get the best possible resolution to your case.
An Additional Option
In fact, LLF National Law Firm attorneys can sometimes get you a fair settlement even if you lose your appeal.
All colleges and universities maintain an Office of General Counsel (OGC). These are attorneys who provide schools with legal advice. The OGC sometimes maps out a school’s judicial system, and they may even serve as observers during judicial procedures.
The LLF National Law Firm has developed a number of relationships with OGC around the country. We rely on these relationships to give us insight into how to defend our clients. We can also sometimes use these relationships to negotiate with a school like MU-Columbia outside normal judicial channels. We have, in the past, managed to reduce client sanctions and remove sanctions from transcripts.
Don’t expect this kind of service from a family or local attorney. We’ve been defending students for a number of years, and this experience has put us in a position to help in ways other lawyers can’t.
Fighting For Your Future
Whether you’re entirely innocent or simply looking to get fair treatment from the University of Missouri-Columbia, you owe it to yourself to continue the fight. We’re here and ready to help. We’ll guide you through the entire appeals process, make sure you put forward your very strongest arguments, and guarantee the university respects your rights.
As we said in the beginning, though, you cannot afford to wait. There are deadlines for filing your appeal. Get started now. Contact the LLF National Law Firm at 888-535-3686 or use our online form.