I represent students, not schools. When a college, university, or professional program puts your degree or career at risk, I work on your side, in the school's process and in court.
Each area below links to a longer guide on A Students' Lawyer. Deadline running? Start with Fast Start or call 561-308-9119.
Dismissal or probation for grades, failed exams, failed remediation, or unsatisfactory progress, plus deceleration, repeat years, and readmission. Courts defer to genuine academic judgment, so these cases usually turn on whether the school followed its own written standards and made a careful, deliberate decision.
Read more: Academic dismissal · Academic probation · Readmission after dismissal
Professional and graduate programs add promotions committees, technical standards, board-exam requirements, and professionalism findings that can follow a student into licensing. A large part of my practice involves students in these programs.
Read more: Medical school · Nursing school · Law school · Graduate and doctoral programs
“Unprofessional” is one of the most flexible labels a school can use. I test the finding against the written standard, the actual evidence, and how the school has treated other students in similar situations.
Read more: Professionalism and fitness concerns · Academic vs. professionalism dismissal
Cheating, plagiarism, AI-use accusations, and code-of-conduct charges. At Florida's public colleges and universities, Fla. Stat. § 1006.60 requires written notice at least 7 business days before a hearing and lets an advisor or lawyer take a direct part in the proceeding, including questioning witnesses.
Read more: Code of conduct defense · Honor code cases · AI accusations
I advise students in Title IX investigations, hearings, and appeals. As of 2026, colleges follow the 2020 federal Title IX regulations, because a federal court vacated the 2024 rule in January 2025. For sexual harassment complaints, the 2020 rules call for a live hearing where each side's advisor can cross-examine.
Read more: Which Title IX rule applies · Title IX hearings and cross-examination · Title IX cases
Denied, delayed, or ignored accommodations in classes, clinical rotations, and exams, including licensing exams. Federal rules require colleges to adjust academic requirements that discriminate based on disability, though not requirements a school can show are essential to the program or to licensing.
Read more: Accommodations under 504 and the ADA · Exam accommodations · Florida Bar exam accommodations
Your file is often the case. FERPA lets you inspect your education records (the school must comply within 45 days of your request) and ask the school to amend records that are inaccurate or misleading.
Read more: FERPA guide · FERPA records help · FERPA vs. attorney-client privilege
Removal from a rotation, clinical site, or externship can end a program as surely as a dismissal letter. I look at the evaluations, the program's clinical policies, and whether the school followed its own removal process.
Read more: Clinical rotation removal · Clinical and externship failures
Forced medical withdrawals, denied leaves, conditions for returning from leave, and satisfactory academic progress (SAP) appeals, including how time away from school can affect federal loan eligibility.
Read more: Leave of absence · Forced medical withdrawal · SAP appeals
Unequal discipline, retaliation for speaking up, and discrimination based on disability, race, national origin, sex, or religion. Complaints to the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights generally must be filed within 180 days.
Read more: Discrimination · Retaliation · OCR complaints
Grade appeals, dismissal appeals, and the short internal appeal windows many schools use. An appeal built on the school's own policies is usually stronger than one built on how unfair the decision feels.
Read more: Grade appeals · Appeal preparation checklist · The five-day appeal window
When the internal process fails, I am prepared to litigate. A final decision by a Florida public college or university is generally reviewed by a certiorari petition in circuit court, due within 30 days. Private schools are usually held to the promises in their own catalogs and handbooks.
Read more: Can you sue your university? · Where to sue a university · Current litigation
Public schools (state universities and Florida College System colleges) are government actors, so due process applies, and Fla. Stat. § 1006.60(3) adds conduct-hearing rights.
Private schools: courts treat the relationship as a contract drawn largely from the catalog and handbook. More: FAQ · Florida guide.
Deadlines in school disputes are short, and the record is usually built early. Start with the Fast Start process, read Why Act Early, or call or text 561-308-9119.
Attorney Advertising / General Information: This website is for general information and is not legal advice. Viewing this site or contacting me does not create an attorney–client relationship. Do not send confidential information until a signed engagement agreement is in place. Outcomes depend on the facts and record; no result is guaranteed.