Client Testimonials

“Without reservation, I highly recommend John Emerson. He advised and represented me in a very sensitive, complex discrimination case involving a disability accommodation and wrongful termination. I called on Mr. Emerson at a critical juncture when I was about to miss a deadline that would have ended my case.  He not only recovered my case in the nick of time to make the deadline but advanced a clear direction to proceed.  He holds the highest ethical standards, an uncommon depth of knowledge, diplomacy, and relentless determination. Mr. Emerson had confidence in me; he encouraged my strengths while respecting my limitations, and skillfully 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 would have had my best shot with my lawyer in the lead! Mr. Emerson is Tops!”

“My daughter got caught up in the middle of a complicated, legal situation that occurred on the high 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 law.  He recommended John Emerson, a former attorney for the Charleston County School District, who he had opposed in a previous case. He told us that he was impressed by John’s expertise and his fairness in that case. 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 our preparations. He walked us through the process, from the beginning to the end, making an extremely stressful situation much more comfortable. Once the hearing was over, with a positive result, John went above and beyond by reaching out to the school to smooth over my daughter’s return and by checking in with us from time to time, just to see how we were doing.  John Emerson is an excellent school attorney and a great person. He is someone I would absolutely refer to family, friends, and acquaintances in the future.”

“I was fortunate to have Mr. Emerson on my side in fighting the unfair practices of the school district by which I was employed.  Mr. Emerson worked aggressively and tirelessly on my behalf. He was compassionate about my situation, communicated very clearly with me, and understood the business of education and politics, having worked previously for the Charleston County School District. At the most difficult time in my professional career, he guided me on making the best decisions for myself and my future. 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 were never too many questions.  There was never a lack of communication.  He walked me through every step of the way 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 call on him again should his services be necessary.”

– Kristin

“I was unfairly denied the right to defend my thesis for a second master’s degree.  I soon realized that I would lose both master’s degrees if the decision wasn’t reversed.  I had no idea how to fight the school.    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). John took the time to learn all of the facts, which covered a year of events and the details of a highly academic subject.  He became so familiar with the chronology that 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, thinking through the way the Dean would think and decide. I believe John and I both teared up a bit when the decision was reversed, 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 reconsider. Thanks to him I’m going to finish that second master’s degree. I owe him more than I could ever give.” 

– Virginia

Mr. Emerson was instrumental in helping me through an awful situation with the school district by which I was employed. He was wonderful, always there to listen and support me. Mr. Emerson is also affordable and as a teacher, that was very important. Thanks to his counsel, I was able to get through the darkness & ultimately into a higher paying, better, teaching position. If you’re in education and find yourself needing representation against your district, you will not regret hiring Mr. Emerson!

On short notice I was confronted with a school discipline issue regarding my child. The moment was scary, serious and sudden. We did not know what to do, what was best or understand the processes and potential life altering consequences for an adolescent. A very frightening proposition for a parent and child.

I reached out to John Emerson – singularly one of the best things I have ever done as a parent. John listened, was calm and calming. He did not sugarcoat anything and began in short order to guide us through the disciplinary process with the school and district. He developed a strategy recognizing a consequence was likely unavoidable, and helped us minimize that consequence for the long term benefit of my child.

The outcome was one of appropriate consequences that had positive effects of growth, understanding and a huge step forward in the maturation for my child. We were relieved and ever grateful for John’s professionalism, advocacy, manner and calm in the midst of a storm. His knowledge, experience and sincere concern set forth a path.

John checks in from time to time out of genuine concern for our family. I am happy to report that path burns brightly for my child who is a well-adjusted student, appreciative and looking forward to college. We will be forever grateful to John Emerson for his guidance and wisdom!

We came to John with a very complex case involving dozens of witnesses and hundreds of pages of documents. We were very impressed with how quickly he was able to familiarize himself with these events that had occurred prior to us retaining his services. As the case went on, we ultimately decided to file a lawsuit. John presented the defendants with an iron-clad case, and they chose to settle out of court. John was able to win us a cash settlement and other concessions from the defendant. Prior to the mediation, the defendants had also tried to scare us off by filing a frivolous countersuit. John handled this with ease, and the countersuit went nowhere. John was always great to work with and felt like a true friend. We could not have imagined the case turning out better for us than it did.

Anonymous Client, 2018 – 2022