Your back is against the wall at this point. You found yourself accused of some serious form of misconduct at UCLA—drug possession, or hazing perhaps, or some form of sexual assault—and you lost your case. Now you're facing suspension, or maybe even expulsion, and you're not sure what to do.
The good news is that you've come to the right place. The Lento Law Firm was built to help students get the fair treatment they deserve. We work every single day to defend student clients from all kinds of charges. We know education law. We know how university judicial systems operate. No one is better equipped to handle your case than the Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team.
We won't make promises we can't keep, though. We can't promise, for instance, to win your case. We can't promise to get the decision reversed or get your expulsion nullified. We can promise you two things:
- You can't win any appeal you don't file.
- If there's a solution to your situation, we'll find it.
Don't wait, though. UCLA gives you just five days to file an appeal. Call 888-535-3686 today, or tell us more about your problem by filling out our online questionnaire.
Facing Facts
Let's be absolutely clear about the situation. UCLA has found you guilty of some serious form of misconduct, and very likely, the university has either suspended you or dismissed you entirely. These are severe penalties, and they can have severe long-term consequences both on your ability to earn a degree and on the success of your eventual career.
You probably realize that any interruption to your studies is a big deal. Beyond the time you lose when you're away from college, it becomes exponentially harder to regain your focus the longer you stay away. And, if you've been expelled, you may have to start completely over at another institution.
That won't be easy, though. UCLA will include a notation on your transcript about the nature of your suspension or dismissal. Most schools are reluctant to admit students with that kind of record. That means you probably can't just transfer your way out of this. If your sanction stands, it could very well be that your academic career is over.
Even if you choose to walk away from your education entirely, you can be sure that your disciplinary sanctions will come up at job interviews.
Maybe you didn't take the investigation and hearing in your case seriously enough, but that doesn't really matter to UCLA. What's done is done.
All is not necessarily lost, though. UCLA allows students to appeal the outcomes of their hearings. It might also be possible to negotiate some sort of settlement with the school that will let you avoid dismissal or, at a minimum, withdraw from the university without a black mark on your transcript. You face an uphill battle at this point, and you're going to need the very best representation you can find, someone with experience defending students and a successful track record of navigating campus judicial systems. You're going to need help from a Lento Law Firm attorney. You shouldn't give up just yet, though.
The Appeals Process at UCLA
UCLA takes justice seriously. The university can't just dismiss you without cause, and it must provide you with due process protections to help you defend yourself. Before your hearing was decided, you were presumed Not Responsible (Innocent). The university conducted a thorough investigation. You were given the chance to review all the evidence. You were allowed to make your case at a hearing. You were allowed an advisor, and you were allowed to choose an attorney to serve as your advisor.
Unfortunately, you've exhausted most of those due process rights. You still have one left, though: the right to appeal the hearing outcome.
To be clear, there are some limitations on appeals. First, you must file your appeal within five days after being notified of the outcome of the hearing. That's not a lot of time to get your arguments in order. Second, the grounds for appeal are extremely limited. In fact, at UCLA, there are only three:
- Some sort of procedural error occurred that affected the outcome of the case.
- New evidence has arisen that has a potential bearing on the outcome of the case.
- The Student Conduct Committee assigned a sanction that is disproportionate to the nature of the offense.
All appeals are decided by the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs (VCSA). Once they receive your appeal, they have fifteen days in which to consider the case. They are required to take into account:
- The report of the Hearing Administrator, which should include the findings of the Student Conduct Committee;
- Advice from the Dean about punishments assigned in similar cases;
- The content of your written appeal
As this list suggests, you have a very narrow window of opportunity in which to convince the VCSA to set aside your sanction or return the case to the Student Conduct Committee for reconsideration. You don't get to address the VCSA directly or to call witnesses. Their decision is based entirely on the record and what you have to say in your appeal.
In other words, you need this appeal to shine. It must be well-written, it must offer compelling arguments, and it must include the strongest evidence you can find. The attorneys at the Lento Law Firm have written hundreds of these appeals. We know what decision-makers look for, what constitutes the best evidence, and how to make you appear in the very best possible light.
Why the Lento Law Firm?
It's probably abundantly clear at this point why you need a Lento Law Firm attorney on your side if you're trying to appeal a disciplinary action. The rules and procedures in these cases are complex and difficult to navigate. Everything is at stake. You can expect faculty and administrators to close ranks.
At this point, a local or family attorney won't do. You need someone who works in the area of education law, someone who spends every day talking with academics, and someone who has experience representing student clients. You need someone from the Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team.
Need more convincing? We have relationships with General Council attorneys (OGC) at schools all over the country. These Officers provide universities like UCLA with legal advice. It can often benefit you to work with them directly as part of an appeal or to negotiate a post-appeal settlement. You need to know how to approach them, however, and what to say.
Fight For Your Future
Here's the bottom line: You have nothing to lose, and everything to gain by appealing, and hiring the Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team gives you your very best chance of success. You have to act quickly, though.
Contact the Lento Law Firm today at 888-535-3686 or use our online form.
