If you've wound up on this page, it almost certainly means you're a University of Alabama student who's found themselves in trouble. You were accused of some serious infraction; you endured an investigation and a hearing; and, unfortunately, the university ultimately found you responsible for an offense. That's essentially the same as a "guilty" verdict. Again, if you're here, UA probably slapped you with a serious sanction--suspension or, worse, dismissal.
Things seem bleak. Your case isn't over just yet, though. It may not feel like it is right at this moment, but the university wants to see that justice is done in all judicial cases. As a result, it offers every student the chance to appeal a responsible outcome.
Appeals aren't nearly as simple and straightforward as they might seem, though, and they're definitely not the sort of campus judicial procedure you want to take on alone. Luckily, the Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team is always on your side. We were founded to protect student rights. We know how the system works—including everything that's involved in appeals—and we can show you how to use the system to your best advantage.
It's important you contact us as soon as possible, though. From the moment you're notified of the hearing outcome, you have just five days to file your appeal. That's not a lot of time to prepare your case. Call the Lento Law Firm today at 888-535-3686, or use our online questionnaire to tell us more about your situation.
The Appeals Process at the University of Alabama
UA gives you the right to consult with an attorney about all campus judicial matters. Students are sometimes tempted to go it alone when it comes to case reviews (appeals), though, because the process seems, on the outside, relatively straightforward.
Basically, you develop a list of reasons why you feel you deserve a new hearing, write them all up, and submit them to the Vice President for Student Life. Simple, right?
Not so much. In fact, while there aren't many steps involved in filing an appeal, the thinking that goes into your case can be enormously complex.
- First and foremost, you must recognize that you are no longer "innocent." Of course, that seems obvious, but you've had the presumption of "Not Responsible" for so long that it can sometimes be difficult to shift your thinking.
- Part of that shift has to do with a change in the “burden” of the case. When you were Not Responsible, you didn't have to prove anything. Instead, the university had the burden of proving you committed an offense. All you really had to do was poke holes in the evidence against you. Now, the shoe is on the other foot. You're trying to convince the Vice President for Student Life that you were treated unfairly by the system. The system is presumed to have operated as it should, and the burden is on you to offer concrete evidence to the contrary.
- While the hearing outcome probably feels "unfair" to you simply because you lost the case, that's not the definition of "unfair" when it comes to appeals. Unfair means something went wrong with the way your case was prosecuted, something that prevented you from getting a "fair" hearing. In fact, UA recognizes just four "grounds" (reasons) for an appeal.
- A procedural irregularity occurred significant enough to have altered the outcome of the case.
- The sanctions the university has imposed are grossly unfair.
- Some new evidence has arisen that could potentially alter the hearing outcome.
- An investigator or decision-maker in the case had some prejudice or conflict of interest that may have altered the case outcome.
- Most cases at UA are initially decided by a committee of decision-makers. Your appeal is now in the hands of a single administrator, the Vice President for Student Life.
- There are no hearings in appeals cases. This means you will not have a chance to address the Vice President in person. Your case rests on just how compelling and clear your appeals document is.
- You are also limited in terms of evidence. Unless you've uncovered some new evidence, all of your “proof” must come from the record of the original hearing.
- The Vice President for Student Life cannot find you “Not Responsible.” If they don't simply affirm the original outcome, they will reduce your sanction or order a new hearing. At best, a successful appeal means starting your case over.
Your job is primarily to get a grip on how the case has changed now that you've been found Responsible. Your Lento Law Firm attorney will handle most of the heavy lifting involved. They'll sit down with you, for example, and go over your case from start to finish. They'll also review the video or transcript of the original hearing, looking line-by-line for grounds to support your appeal. They'll draft your appeal, focusing on your strongest arguments and evidence, and they'll even file it on your behalf.
What's at Stake
Plenty of students try to take on appeals by themselves. Just as many decide not to file an appeal at all. They assume they'll simply lose again, and they walk away.
Here's why that's a bad idea.
First, you simply can't afford to give at this point. If you've been dismissed from UA, that, of course, means the end of your time at the university. It likely means the end of your time at any institution of higher education. Your transcript will now include a record of your offense, and other colleges and universities aren't going to accept you with that kind of record. You'll be heading on to the job market with no degree at all and nothing to show for the time and money you've spent in Tuscaloosa.
Suspension isn't much better. Yes, you can return to the university once you've served your suspension and can complete your degree. That's not always easy, though. Once you've been away from college, it can be hard going back to class. You may face some social stigma, and you may also have lost your financial aid as a result of your offense. Even if you should finish, though, you'll still have to deal with that transcript notation. It'll come up at job interviews, at least for the first part of your career.
There's another important reason to keep up the fight, though—you have every chance of winning a new hearing. Yes, you lost the first time around, but the appeals process exists in the first place because mistakes happen. In fact, they happen quite a lot at universities. Think about it: schools aren't set up to decide weighty issues of law. Chemistry professors are incredibly smart when it comes to chemistry. That doesn't qualify them to rule on a student's guilt or innocence. If you were mistreated by the process, you deserve the right to correct that mistreatment.
Finally, don't forget that this time, you're not taking on UA by yourself. You have a Lento Law Firm attorney on your side. We know the system, we know the players, and we know how to get you the justice you deserve.
Fight for Your Future
Whether you're entirely innocent or you're simply looking to get fair treatment from the University of Alabama, 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 UA 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 Lento Law Firm at 888-535-3686 or use our online form.
