You just found out. Maybe it was a letter. Maybe it was a call from HR. Maybe a supervisor pulled you aside and told you a complaint had been filed. Maybe a university administrator informed you that an investigation was underway. However the news ar…
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Most people spend years learning how to speak, but far fewer learn how to listen. We are taught how to write, argue, persuade, negotiate, present, advocate, and defend our positions. Schools reward students who provide the right answers. Employers re…
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One of the most common misconceptions about legal disputes, investigations, and disciplinary proceedings is that they are primarily about facts. People come to lawyers wanting to explain what happened. They describe the meeting, the email, the accusa…
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Lawyers are not typically associated with humility. The profession rewards confidence. Clients want lawyers who believe in their cases. Judges expect lawyers to advocate forcefully for their positions. Opposing counsel rarely retreats because someone…
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When we are young, the world feels simple — not because it is, but because we haven’t yet lived long enough to see its edges. Stories teach us that people come in two types: heroes who are brave and honest, and villains who are selfish and cruel.…
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Most people do not wake up one morning and decide to become the villain in someone else’s story. They do not set out to be viewed as dishonest, disruptive, incompetent, difficult, or unprofessional. In fact, many of the individuals who later fi…
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Many people assume that investigations, disciplinary proceedings, employment disputes, and other high-stakes conflicts are primarily about facts. They believe that if they are right, tell the truth, and present the evidence, the outcome will eventual…
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When people learn that they are the subject of an investigation, their attention immediately turns to one person: the accuser. Who made the complaint? What did they say? Why are they doing this? Can their credibility be challenged? These questions ar…
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Most people assume that professional success depends primarily on intelligence, talent, experience, or hard work. Those qualities certainly matter. Yet throughout my career, I have seen highly capable individuals lose opportunities, damage their repu…
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When people find themselves in a dispute with a university, employer, licensing board, or other large organization, they often assume that the institution’s greatest concern is being sued. That assumption is understandable. Lawsuits are expensi…
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