Attorneys at Kershaw, Cutter & Ratinoff have successfully litigated lawsuits against unscrupulous trade schools that fail to provide students with the level of education promised. Many times private for-profit trade schools charge students thousands of dollars in tuition with the lure that their investment will result in a lucrative career. Often these promises ring hollow. Students are not provided with a quality education, or the jobs that were promised simply do not exist. In some cases, schools have lied about their accreditation status or, alternatively, have falsely implied that accreditation will be "arriving shortly." In light of the recent downturn in the economy, opportunities for these unscrupulous operators have skyrocketed.

The impact of these business practices on students can be devastating, both economically and emotionally. Many of our clients, who were simply trying to improve their lives, quit good jobs in order to attend trade school and incurred thousands of dollars in debt. Despite their hard work and spending hours away from their families, they are now left with huge student loans, no job, and a worthless "certificate."

KCR attorney, Stuart Talley, has been an active proponent of strict laws regulating trade schools and has testified before the California State Legislature in an effort to strengthen the laws that exist on the books. As a result of his and many others' efforts, California now has several laws that can be used by students to obtain damages from schools that defraud their students.

If you have been defrauded by a trade school, we would like to hear from you. In particular, we are looking into cases where students were misled about:

• Projected job placement rates upon graduation
• The number of opportunities for hands-on experience
• The resources the school would commit to the program
• The accreditation status of the school
• The accreditation status of teachers or staff