What type of lawyer should I call to file legal action against an on-line university?

Question

My husband has not been allowed to finish his program. He has had 4 advisors. The school has changed names and no one has contacted him about any changes. He has tried to call an advisor and no one has gotten back to him. Now they are saying he can't complete the course b/c the school is only going to focus on current students due to their "economic uncertainty". They have made it impossible for him at every turn so we are going to sue. All these changes have happened in 1 1/2 years. We are through. Who do we call? Any help is appreciated!

Answer 1

Honestly, I can understand your frustration, but if the school stated it is going to focus on "current students", that leads me to believe that your husband was not a 'current student' when these changes took place, and if that is truly the case, you may not have any recourse because schools are not obligated to stay open for every student that ever registered for classes there :-(.  

I suggest you do a couple things first before calling an attorney who will charge you $$$$ to represent you, and will represent you only if he/she feels that you can only win (if they do it on a contingency fee basis)  - or they'll tell you they'll try, and start charging you right away.  

To Do:

Politely demand that you be allowed to leave a message for, or speak with the Dean of Admissions / Director of Admissions etc. . . depending on the term used for a person in power.

Read through your husband's paperwork (admission paperwork, and anything else you have, for the wording that states - in some way or another "Admission to going out of business college does not guarantee a diploma."   If you can find that on anything, or even on their website anywhere, sorry dear, you folks are out of luck, and would be best off at this point to save yourself the hassles of a long drawn out court battle (if it would even get to that point), spending extra $$ that your husband wouldn't be earning on an attorney, for no guaranteed recourse, and check with another college or university regarding their transfer credit policy, and get your husband going in the right direction so he can finish his degree ASAP.  

The more you delay, and the more institutions you end up going to, the more time / $$ it will cost your family due to lost credits, etc.  

Forget about this institution - why would you / your husband want his degree to come from an institution that for some reason, is having difficulty maintaining business, and may end up going out with a scandal?  

Sorry, this may not be what you wanted to hear, but they are the cold hard facts.