For students and families who study and live in the Orlando metro area, life is about more than an occasional visit to Disney World. As a student or parent of a student, you must also navigate the local educational system and all the challenges that schooling presents.
Whether you're the parent of a student attending a K-12 school, or a college student hoping to graduate with a blemish-free transcript, an Orlando student defense advisor can be a rock-solid resource. If you or your student are facing allegations of misconduct or academic sanctions that threaten your reputation and personal record, the Lento Law Firm will seek the best possible case outcome.
Orlando Metropolitan Area - Kissimmee, Sanford, Lakeland, Deltona
As the fourth most populous city in Florida, Orlando has developed into a metropolis with all of the modern amenities—including a variety of educational opportunities for natives and transplants alike.
Those who attend elementary, middle, or high school in the Orlando metro area face one glaring hurdle: their youth. Whether your student is a child or you consider them a young man or woman, they're still developing. The pressures of academics and adolescence can weigh heavy and may lead a student to make irrational decisions, struggle psychologically or emotionally, and fall short of their own personal standards.
College students in Orlando and surrounding cities must balance a flourishing social scene with their academics. Between trips to local theme parks and a rich club scene, the Orlando metro area provides much to distract a college student from their academic and professional goals.
The Lento Law Firm advocates for students in Orlando, Kissimmee, Sanford, Deltona, and Lakeland. We make student defense a primary focus because we know the challenges that come with being a student. We also know that schools do not always err on the side of leniency or mercy, so we work hard to make those schools consider cases from a human perspective.
Allow our team to fight for your or your student's best interests.
We Serve Students Attending All Schools in Orlando, Kissimmee, Lakeland, Deltona, and Sanford
Our firm prides itself on its nationwide reach but also on our local knowledge of K-12 schools and universities. We extend our services to every student in the Orlando metro area, including those attending:
Colleges and Universities in the Orlando Metro Area
As a rapidly growing city in one of America's most populous states, there is no shortage of colleges and universities in Orlando and surrounding locales. We can help with your student defense issue if you are your student attend:
- University of Central Florida (UCF)
- Valencia College, West Campus
- Rollins College
- Full Sail University
- Lake-Sumter State College
- Johnson University Florida
- Bethune-Cookman University
- Florida Southern College
- Seminole State College
- Stetson University
- Beacon College
- Eastern Florida State College
- Herzing University - Orlando
- Polk State College
- Southeastern University
- Warner University
- Webber International University
- Daytona State College
- South Florida State College
- All other colleges and universities in the Orlando metro area
We also offer our representation if your college or university is not listed here.
Graduate and Specialty Collegiate Programs
Graduate, trade, and specialty students face challenges that the typical student may not, whether it is research-specific policies or the difficulties of straddling the professional and academic arenas. Our firm focuses heavily on assisting graduate students and can defend any student attending:
- All University of Central Florida Graduate Programs
- AdventHealth University
- Polytechnic University Orlando Campus
- Concorde Career Institute - Orlando
- Florida Polytechnic University
- Gwinnett Institute - Orlando Campus
- Florida Institute of Technology
- Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach
- All other graduate, trade, and specialty programs in the Orlando metro area
Again, an attorney-advisor from the Lento Law Firm can help even if your or your student's program is not listed here.
K-12 Private Schools
Ever-intensifying academic competition means that a student's performance in every single grade matters. Whether your child is in kindergarten or at the precipice of high school graduation, every report card and behavioral report carries weight.
We defend students attending K-12 private schools throughout the Orlando metro area, including:
- Lake Highland Preparatory School
- Trinity Preparatory School
- Montverde Academy
- Oneness-Family School
- Windermere Preparatory School
- Lake Mary Preparatory School
- The Geneva School
- The First Academy
- The Master's Academy
- Central Florida Preparatory School
- Orangewood Christian School
- Bishop Moore Catholic High School
- The Crenshaw School
- International Community School
- Foundation Academy
- Leaders Preparatory School
- Forest Lake Academy
- Pine Castle Christian Academy
- Any other private school serving students K-12 in the Orlando metro area
Our team helps students attending any private elementary, middle, or high school in the Orlando metro area. If your student's school isn't listed here, the Lento Law Firm can still provide a strong defense.
K-12 Public Schools
Every parent hopes that their child's school in Florida will take a vested interest in their success. However, public school students may be especially vulnerable to schools that lack a sense of genuine care for a student's personal and academic well-being.
The Lento Law Firm will ensure your child receives a fair shake as a student within:
- Orange County Public Schools
- Osceola County School District
- Seminole County Public Schools
- Volusia County Schools
- Lake County Schools
- Any other public school district within or nearby the Orlando metro area
Every student counts. The Lento Law Firm fights hard to make sure that schools in the Orlando area understand this and that each student we represent receives the due process they deserve.
We Handle Academic and Non-Academic Student Issues in the Orlando Metro Area
The Lento Law Firm has a firm grasp of the issues that students face. Whether your child is facing behavior-related discipline or an academic issue, our team has likely represented a student (or many students) in similar circumstances.
Specific issues that we can help with include:
Academic Progression Issues
Whether a student struggles with their times tables in elementary school or can't quite grasp calculus in high school or college, they may face an academic progression issue. Potential consequences of failure to progress include:
- Failure to move on to the next grade
- Loss of course credits
- Loss of academic scholarships
- Probation
- Suspension
- Dismissal
Each school has different expectations of students. At the University of Central Florida (UCF), for example, students receiving certain types of financial assistance must meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards. If they don't meet these standards, the student may lose financial aid and have to leave school.
Academic issues have a backstory. Our team will determine the root of your or your student's academic problems. We will navigate the school's disciplinary avenues to seek a grade change, second change, or other resolution to the academic roadblock.
Academic Misconduct Allegations
Academic misconduct is wholly different from academic progression issues. When a student faces allegations of academic misconduct, they're generally accused of an intentional act aimed at gaining or providing an advantage.
Every school in the Orlando metro area will generally prohibit:
- Using electronic devices to gain an academic advantage
- Getting answers in advance of a test
- Providing answers to another student
- Plagiarizing
- Any other act considered to be academic misconduct
Your or your student's school likely has a detailed, unique policy regarding alleged academic misconduct. Trinity Preparatory uses a two-tiered disciplinary structure (p.20). Level-Two consequences are considered serious and may result in a multi-day suspension, disciplinary probation, or expulsion. Certain types of academic misconduct could fall into this level-two tier of discipline.
The Lento Law Firm will quickly determine how your or your student's school handles academic misconduct. We'll deploy a strategy aimed at minimizing harm to your student.
Behavioral Misconduct Allegations
The rules of polite society generally trick down to schools. Schools in the Orlando metro area may have an even higher behavioral standard than society at large—commanding students to act with respect, discipline, and conscientiousness.
You or your student could face discipline if accused of:
- Disrespecting a teacher or administrator
- Fighting
- Possessing drugs or alcohol
- Drinking while underage
- Engaging in sexual misconduct
- Any other act that violates a school's behavioral policies
Of course, some schools have stricter rules than others when it comes to student discipline. If a student finds themselves at odds with a school's disciplinary policy, call in a student advisor to help.
Many types of student misconduct can result in immediate dismissal. Such a dismissal may have far-reaching consequences, even changing the trajectory of the student's life.
Title IX Allegations
The term “Title IX” has multiple meanings. For student defense purposes, Title IX generally refers to a policy aimed at preventing discrimination and harassment based on gender or sexual orientation.
If a school that receives federal funding invokes the term “Title IX” with respect to you or your child, be alert. The student may be facing significant disciplinary measures, including dismissal. The stigma tied to Title IX allegations is a punishment in and of itself.
Those accused of Title IX may face a drawn-out disciplinary process. Most universities have a dedicated Title IX Office, as Rollins College does. You may find that language that a Title IX Office uses, as in the case of Rollins College, does not bode well for the accused:
“The College encourages students who have experienced sexual misconduct and harassment to file a report with the College. You have the right to have incidents of sexual misconduct taken seriously, and to have those incidents investigated and properly resolved through administrative procedures.”
Universities, high schools, and other academic institutions are wary of being perceived as dismissive toward Title IX allegations. Unfortunately, this can mean that the accused faces the burden of proving themselves innocent.
It is vital that you have an experienced student advisor for a Title IX investigation and any hearing that takes place. Title IX defense is a significant part of what the Lento Law Firm does. We're ready to assist you or your student facing a Title IX allegation in Orlando.
How a Student Discipline Defense Attorney-Advisor from the Lento Law Firm Can Help Students in the Orlando Metro Area
We tailor our services to each case that we handle. As our client, you can expect us to:
- Gather your account of events
- Study each of your school's relevant policies
- Conduct an independent investigation of the events in question
- Gather any evidence, documentation, or witness accounts that help your defense
- Identify the best-case scenario for your case, and recognize your goals for our representation
- Seek an informal resolution with the school
- If necessary, work within your school's formal procedures
- Accompany you to any case-related interviews, meetings, and hearings
- File and complete any necessary appeal
Attorney-advisor Joseph D. Lento can also communicate directly with your school's legal counsel. Generally known as the Office of General Counsel (OGC), the school's attorneys may be able to resolve your case. Our comfort negotiating with the Offices of General Counsel is a significant reason to hire us.
You or your student deserve due process. While we will first negotiate a resolution with the OGC, we are always prepared to take legal action when students are wronged. We will maintain this credible threat in your own case, but hopefully, we'll be able to resolve your case before legal action is necessary.
Hire the Lento Law Firm as Your Student Defense Advisor in Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, or Port St. Lucie
Events that happen today can echo well into the future. It does not matter how young a student is or how inconsequential an alleged offense seems to be. Any discipline can be a blemish on a student's reputation.
There is a resolution to be had in every student discipline case in Orlando. Whether our goal is to reduce the severity of punishment or to avoid discipline altogether, the Lento Law Firm will work towards a positive outcome.
Our firm is ready to fight for you or your student. Contact the Lento Law Firm online or call us today at (888) 535-3686 for a consultation.
