College Students’ Rights

Good Schneider Cormier & Fried is a Boston-based law firm with a national reputation for representing and assisting college and university students accused of wrongdoing in university disciplinary matters or charged with crimes in the criminal justice system.

For more than 25 years, Michael R. Schneider, Philip G. Cormier and Syrie Fried have successfully represented and assisted hundreds of students accused of plagiarism, cheating, improper collaboration, research misconduct, drug and alcohol misconduct, and Title IX sexual misconduct allegations. [1] We have also represented numerous students charged in the Massachusetts state and federal courts with crimes allegedly committed on and off campus. [2]

Examples of successful outcomes include:

• Dismissals of charges in Title IX sexual misconduct and sexual harassment cases.
• Dismissals of exam cheating/plagiarism/improper collaboration, and other Honor Code charges.
• Mitigation of disciplinary sanctions (suspensions, withdrawals) to lesser punishments (warnings, probation), and reduction of sanctions on appeal.
• Resolution of disputes involving satisfaction of degree requirements for students who were penalized academically for minor infractions or mental-health or physical disabilities.
• Acquittals and dismissals of serious felony and misdemeanor charges, including rape, burglary, larceny, credit card fraud, illegal betting, computer hacking, copyright infringement, malicious destruction of property, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault and battery on a police officer, possession and distribution of drugs, illegal firearms possession, alcohol-related offenses, and motor vehicle offenses.

Attaining a college or graduate degree involves years of commitment, hard work, and often a substantial financial investment by students and their families. Expulsion or suspension from college, an adverse disciplinary notation on a college transcript, or even a minor criminal record can impose a substantial disability on future academic and career advancement, and possibly forever prevent students from pursuing their choice of careers.

Many of our student-clients have never been in trouble before. Navigating the procedural maze of a university disciplinary system or the court system can be daunting and stressful. We take great care and pay close attention to our clients and we take a holistic and creative approach to representing them. When necessary, we retain experienced professionals such as investigators, forensic experts, psychologists, and physicians to make the best case for our clients.

If you are a student in trouble, there are legal, contractual, and other procedural rights that may protect you against unfounded or unfair accusations, charges, and punishment. If you are notified that you have been accused of disciplinary or criminal charges, you should immediately speak with an attorney. Even if college officials try to dissuade you from speaking with an attorney, and even if the college bars attorneys from actively participating in disciplinary hearings, you are still legally entitled to obtain private, confidential advice from counsel. Don’t go it alone. Give us a call to see if we can be of assistance.

[1] Our clients include undergraduates, graduate-degree students, post-docs, law students, medical students, dental students, MBA students, and Ph.D. candidates. The institutions where we have assisted student-clients include: Amherst College, Babson College, Bentley College, Boston College, Boston University, Brandeis University, Brown University, Columbia University, Connecticut College, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Emerson College, Fordham University, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology – MIT, Northeastern University, Princeton University, Penn. State University, Smith College, U-Mass Amherst, University of Pennsylvania, Wellesley College, Wheaton College, Williams College, and Yale University.

[2] Courts where we represent students include: Barnstable District Court, Boston Municipal Court, Brighton District Court, Cambridge District Court, Concord District Court, Dedham District Court, East Boston District Court, Lynn District Court, Natick District Court, Roxbury District Court, Springfield District Court, Waltham District Court, West Roxbury District Court, Middlesex Superior Court, Norfolk Superior Court, Suffolk Superior Court, the Massachusetts Appeals Court, the Supreme Judicial Court, the Federal District Court of Massachusetts, and the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.