Lawrence Stanley Mertes

If you want to know what to do about a title IX allegation and how to defend yourself, the answer is hire Larry Mertes to be your advocate. Larry and his team are the answer to your prayers. Our Son had a title IX allegation brought against him in his second year of college by his high school girlfr...iend of 4 years after a mutual breakup. She ran into our son on campus with his new girlfriend soon after the breakup and not only took to social media with her anger but then filed the title IX allegation. Unfortunately, our son did not tell us until the night before all his evidence was due. We had no idea what title IX meant or possible consequences but the title of his allegation sounded like it could have had a legal impact. We immediately searched for a lawyer with title IX experience. After several frustrating calls with lawyers we were blessed with calling Mertes Law. Larry Mertes immediately took our impromptu call and spent 2 hours of his time, unpaid, explaining title IX and his extensive experience in defending title IX cases. He did this knowing the deadline for evidence submission would not give him enough time to prepare and take our son's case. His explanation made it all too clear that our son did not have the support of his college administration and without legal counsel would, almost undoubtedly, be found guilty. His explanation helped us understand that all colleges and universities are caught in a difficult position and must accept, investigate, and have a hearing for all title IX allegations. In addition, they are under incredible pressure to resolve these cases quickly and in every possible case, find in favor of the accuser for fear of losing funding or being cited by the Board of Education (BOE). In our conversation with Larry, we learned that our son was at extreme risk for being found guilty because title IX allegations fall under the BOE and not the legal system. With the BOE, evidence is not needed to find someone guilty of a title IX allegation and if it comes down to "he said, she said" they could rule based on who they believed. Given the earlier information presented, we knew our son was in extreme danger of being found guilty of this false allegation by a jealous, vindictive ex-girlfriend. We quickly followed Larry’s advice and emailed the college title IX Director and requested an extension for submission of evidence based on our son choosing a new advocate, Larry. They only gave us an additional 1 1/2 days. The tone of the email communicated clearly that our son was not their priority or concern. Larry took the measly 1 1/2 days and accepted our son's case. His interventions and guidance gave our son a voice. Our son's voice, with the support and guidance of Larry, was strong enough that the truth prevailed. Our son's voice, backed by the truth, caused the College to stop the proceedings and flounder for over 4 months as they could not find in the favor of the accuser as they were pressured to do and wanted to do. The truth pushed the College to change it from a title IX allegation to several violations of Policy and Procedure. Our son was acquitted on all but 1 P&P violation. We are extremely happy with this outcome as it will not be on his record and it was enough to satisfy his ex-girlfriend so she did not appeal and drag out this nightmare. Yes, Larry’s time is hourly and he talks a lot. However, Larry gives you his undivided attention and most importantly, the information and emotional support you need to weather through the ordeal and come out successful. Larry gave our son strength and confidence. Larry is straight forward and genuine which prepared us for the events. This also made it truly touching and meaningful when he said to us that our son is a wonderful, bright, caring and emotionally mature young man. Because of Larry and his team, Lisa and Karen, our son is returning to college this week.

We hired this guy and he didn’t do anything we paid him to do . He failed us on every level. Pretty much stole our money. He didn’t even take the time to look at evidence or take the time to pay the fees that needed to be paid. Or did he advice us of our rights for a Mediation. Had he done that he ...woulda saved us thousands. Guess it’s a good way to rack up the bill in his eyes. You’re better off doing it yourself. He doesn’t even care. They sure sound like they care when they asking for money but once they got it you’re a nobody who doesn’t know anything about your own case.

Larry Mertes handled my DUI case in a very professional manner. I got positive feedback from the start, as he had a lot of questions I never would have thought of when we had our initial consultation. I understood that due to the large number of cases the firm handles, I had to be patient to hear... a response back. But it was always a very thorough response, and he made good suggestions. TJ Willard also assisted in my case, and helped me to win my administrative hearing by simply stating the facts and explaining that I was only sitting in the vehicle, and not actually driving it. He had helped Larry a great deal with my case and I would also recommend his services. Larry had recommended a good course of action for me to take to help my case to include gathering as much information and evidence as I could and attending alcohol classes ahead of time for my DUI charge. All of this preparation had helped put me in a good situation. He had presented an excellent argument toward the District Attorney stating that I had not intended to drive, and was merely sitting in the car staying warm to try to figure out what to do next. He also mentioned the arresting officer had no reasonable suspicion for approaching my vehicle because I had tinted windows and he could not see inside. I was also parked legally in a parking garage. The DA had later reached a plea bargaining agreement, and I plead guilty to a reckless driving offense with community service, and my DUI charge had been dismissed. Well worth the cost and peace of mind of maintaining a clean criminal record. I would strongly recommend Larry Mertes for his legal services! Thank you!