John F. Emerson

Having the opportunity to be advised about my unique situation within a school district where some unfair practices were happening, Mr. Emerson viciously worked with me to find a suitable solution to the ongoing issues. He was compassionate about my situation, communicated very clearly with me and u...nderstood the business of education and politics having worked previously for Charleston County School District. Being represented by Mr. Emerson was a honor for me during the most difficult time in my professional career and he guided me on making the best decision for myself and my future career. His level of motivation and work ethic for my specific situation far surpassed what I expected. His level of integrity and honesty helped me to look at the situation from all angles to make the best legal decisions. There was never too many questions that I had or any lack of communication as he walked every step of the way with me to a positive conclusion. Since then, he has continued to check in to ensure that I am doing well professionally. I would definitely recommend his services and would utilize him again should his services be necessary.

Without reservation I highly recommend John Emerson. He advised and represented me in a very sensitive, complex discrimination case involving disability accommodation and wrongful termination. I called on Mr. Emerson at a critical juncture and he not only recovered my case in the nick of time to ma...ke a critical deadline, but advanced a clear direction to proceed. Mr. Emerson earned my full confidence early on: he holds the highest ethical standards, an uncommon depth of knowledge, diplomacy and relentless determination. I experienced steadfast dedication to my case, solid reassurance and keen direction when I needed it. Mr. Emerson had confidence in me; he encouraged my strengths while respecting my limitations. He fought tirelessly and prepared me for battle! At the same time, he was realistic with expectations and spent time helping me to understand all angles and aspects affecting my case. I'm thankful we were able to settle before going to court, but I am certain I’d have had my best shot with my lawyer in the lead! Mr. Emerson is Tops!

We were recently in the middle of an isolated, but complicated, legal situation that occurred on school property and unfortunately demanded two areas of focus. Our attorney for the first component felt we would be better represented for the second by a lawyer whose expertise was in education and wor...king with the local school systems and constituency boards. He recommended John Emerson, a former attorney for the Charleston County School Board and an opposing council in a previous case. He told us that he was impressed by John's expertise and his fairness during his client's school constituency board meeting. All I can say is that we were impressed as well. Once we had reviewed the scenario with him and he felt he could assist us, John was thorough and pro-active with his and our preparations for the board meeting. Because of his previous position with the school board, he was extremely knowledgeable in regards to the process and layout of these meetings and what to expect from both the school and the constituency board on the other. He walked through the process with us from the beginning to the end, making extremely stressful situation just a little bit more relaxed. Once the board meeting was over, with a positive result I might add, John went above and beyond by reaching out to the school to smooth over the return to class and by checking in with us from time to time just to see how the semester and 'life' was going for his (ex) client. John Emerson is an excellent attorney and great person, someone I would absolutely refer to family, friends and acquaintances in the future.

I was unfairly denied the right to defend my thesis for a second master's degree. With no idea how to fight a major collegiate institution, an attorney friend of mine recommended John for his excellent knowledge of academic law. (I didn't even know this was a type of law!) Having never been in this s...ituation before, I assumed a couple of phone calls would suffice. But John took the time to meet with me on several occasions to get every detail correct. Going over my situation again and again, I explained a year of events that he became so familiar with it was like he was there. Every written word of my appeal was considered and designed to relay the proper information without wasteful or emotional detail. I was fighting with my heart and all the work I had put into my thesis, but John was fighting with his head the way the Dean would think and decide. I think John and I both teared up a bit when my appeal was granted and I was allowed another year to finish my thesis. What happened to me was unfair and the most frustrating part was that no one would listen to me. I was just another student to them. But John made them listen and react. Thanks to him I'm going to finish that second master's degree. I owe him more than I could ever give.