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Raleigh College Crimes Attorneys


Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill are home to some of this country’s most respected universities. Their rolls are full of young adults filled with the potential to affect positive change as they graduate and move on to their careers.

College is also a time where students face temptations that could lead to criminal charges. Underage drinking can lead to a variety of crimes that could land a promising student in criminal court or student disciplinary proceedings resulting in suspension or expulsion. Don’t let a college crime ruin your future, contact our Raleigh college crimes attorneys today.

It is imperative that students charged with crimes take an expedient and proactive stance in getting their criminal action resolved. There are a variety of tools that an experienced college crimes attorney can use to speed up the normal dismissal opportunities. Colleges will want to know that the pending criminal case has timeline that will quickly result in a positive resolution. An agreement to dismiss the case prior to the court date could assist in any future school sanctioned disciplinary proceeding. Don’t wait to hire an college crimes attorney when everything you’ve worked for hangs in the balance.

College Crimes Lawyer in Raleigh, NC

If you are enrolled at the University of North Carolina, North Carolina State University or Duke University, and you are facing any kind of criminal charges or school disciplinary proceedings as a result of a mistake you made, the experience of the college crimes attorneys at the Scharff Law Firm will help you stay in school and achieve a positive result in the court room.

We focus on maintaining constant contact with our clients so that no question lingers or goes unanswered. We have experience dealing with school sanction committees and have worked in close conjunction with both the criminal courts and the universities to achieve positive results for our student clients.

Our goal is that you leave your first free consultation with our firm with a road map to help navigate both the criminal court process and your school’s disciplinary proceedings. We are here to offer explanations in response to your questions about timelines and worst-case scenarios. Call the Scharff Law Firm at (919) 457-1954 for any questions you may have regarding your future. A college crimes defense attorney will answer the phone to immediately address your questions or we can schedule a time for you to come in to our office for a free consultation.

Common Criminal Offenses of North Carolina College Students

The time in a person’s life when they experience the most growth is also a time filled with the most mistakes. Most people will find themselves charged with a criminal offense when they are own their own for the first time, and experiencing a freedom that allows them to make mistakes. Some students are only 17 years old when they are first beset with the temptation of drinking and drugs found across college campuses.

If you’ve been charged with underage drinking, DWI, possession of drugs or paraphernalia, assault, sexual battery, or theft – contact a Raleigh college crimes attorney right away. Most first offense minor crimes can be resolved through a negotiated dismissal opportunity. The quicker this result is negotiated, the smoother your school disciplinary process will be. If you’ve been charged with a felony, you may only have one opportunity to resolve your matter in District Court. If you don’t act quickly, you could delay the resolution of your case for months while it is processed through the Superior Court system.

Many times, college crimes will come about as a result of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. At the Scharff Law Firm, we have seen kids charged for being with a new friend who is shoplifting, or in a random dorm room with alcohol or marijuana. Don’t let a situation like this result in your dismissal from your university. These types of crimes can have serious consequences if they’re not handled quickly and efficiently by a skilled defense law firm. Call us now so we can help you navigate through the dilemma of a pending criminal charge.

Sanctions for College Crimes

The punishment for a criminal conviction can vary based on the nature of the allegations and your criminal history (or lack thereof.) If it’s your first offense, it may be tempting to go to court on your own and pay a fine thinking that you’ve escaped some sort of punishment. This is a mistake you don’t want to make. Often times, people leave court without realizing that they have created a criminal history for themselves that may never be erased, or have been placed on some period of unsupervised probation. An admission to guilt to some types of underage drinking charges can result in a year-long suspension of your privilege to drive. Don’t attempt to handle these types of ‘minor’ charges on your own.

Criminal convictions will negatively affect future employment opportunities, prevent you from entering rental contracts for housing, and could impact whether or not you’re allowed to remain at the school you’ve worked so hard to attend. Felony charges and convictions will prevent you from engaging in many other rights and opportunities that U.S. citizens take for granted on a daily basis.

The North Carolina University Disciplinary Process

When you enroll in a university, you agree to adhere to a code of conduct. If you are in violation of this agreement, you will be requested to appear before some sort of discipline committee or tribunal. Often times, the school will appoint some sort of representative to help you plead your case. Sometimes this is a fellow student. It is recommended that you hire an attorney with experience handling college crimes to help you proceed through your school’s disciplinary process. The school sanctions can be brought against you, even if the criminal activity took place separate and apart from campus life.

Each disciplinary process for each school has minor differences, but generally, if you don’t accept responsibility for the conduct you will be entitled to some sort of hearing that isn’t much different than a trial in a courtroom. Allegations are made, and you’ll have an opportunity to respond to those allegations. Some assigned trier of fact will determine whether or not you will be held responsible for the allegations made against you. If found responsible, you can be sanctioned by being placed on some sort of behavioral probation, suspended from school for a period of time, or permanently dismissed. Future college applications will often inquire as to whether you were released from your prior university due to a violation of your code of conduct.

Defending Students in the Triangle in North Carolina

If you are currently enrolled in one of the universities in the triangle area and are charged with a college crime, make sure you consult with a North Carolina college crimes attorney to review your options as soon as possible. You may be eligible for some sort of expedited dismissal opportunity that would otherwise be unavailable to you without representation. At the Scharff Law Firm, our attorneys have been helping students with their pending charges for 15 years. We have the experience and relationships to open up a variety of options that you may have been unaware were available to you. Call us for a free consultation today.