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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Exlawdean][quote=Anonymous]My child did quite well throughout college and completed an undergraduate degree in political science six years ago.

After working in various jobs that were (mostly) policy related, said child decided to apply to law school, was accepted to a DC area program, and began their first semester last fall.

However, there were some bumps in the road during that first semester…aside from getting acclimated to the “newness” of law school, there was a 7 day absence due to an illness that required hospitalization; difficulty getting help with legal writing assignments from the school; and the unavailability of required medication that was needed for concentration. As a result, the fall semester grades weren’t great and an academic dismissal was issued.

This came as a complete surprise to my child (and to us as well), but I investigated and found out the story we got was indeed accurate. Our child appealed the decision, but the appeal was denied.

Are first semester dismissals typical in law school? I would have thought that academic probation would have been the first step, especially given the handful of challenges that were experienced during the semester.

My husband and I are very upset by this, but our child is devastated. We think it was an extreme measure, but we’re not really sure of how to advise our child to address it, assuming it even should be addressed. The dismissal letter that was provided had a line that read, “we encourage you to reapply for admission.,” but I’m not sure if that was a genuine statement. It seemed strange to dismiss a student from school and encourage them to return all in the same letter.

We think this child is capable of successfully managing and completing law school (our other child is not), and they would like to continue working toward a law degree. Would you be able to offer any suggestions on possible next steps? Would switching to another school be feasible? How do most law students proceed in cases like this?

Thank you for any insight you can offer.

[/quote]

[i]On the facts that you have given, the school's action seems unusual and more than a bit harsh. My guess, and it is only a guess, is that the grades were extremely low. In such a circumstance, when I was dean I likely would have offered up a "reset," a chance to start the first year, again, on a clean slate. Perhaps that is what the quoted language means. If so, the most obvious strategy is to reapply for admission, try to stay healthy, and perform better on the tests next year. I wish you and yours the best.[/i][/quote]

PP, is your child at the absolute end of the road with the appeal process? If not, I would encourage him/her to get an attorney and keep trying to change the result. [/quote]

I am the PP/parent of the dismissed 1st semester law student. Thank you to everyone who offered insight and suggestions...they were all very helpful.

A few weeks ago, our child submitted the dismissal appeal and had a hearing with a panel of law professors (or possibly Deans) to explain the circumstances that contributed to the low gpa. Based on the letter received from the school following the hearing, the appeal was denied. However, reapplication (for part-time status) was encouraged, but no timeframe was mentioned. I assume the application would not be considered for the 2023-24 admission cycle, but the letter did not specifically say that. Nor did it specifically say (or imply) that reapplying would guarantee admission.

We are not lawyers, so we don't really know how to advise him...[b]what type of attorney would be able to assist us with this? [/b][/quote]
You may want to try attorneys with experience in administrative law / due process hearings,  attorneys who note experience in education law, especially higher education law, maybe disability law, if applicable. Attorneys who have experience in special education law and IDEA due process hearings, while not directly applicable, may have transferable knowledge b/c they work with IEPs. Maybe attorneys experienced in tenured faculty administrative proceedings would have transferable knowledge.  I don't know the circumstances surrounding the dismissal, though. [/quote]

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