TITLE IX CONSULTING

Title IX Consulting

Case Results
Testimonials
List of Schools

Case Results

Here are some representative results we’ve achieved for our clients.

Female complainant’s rights, health, and safety protected throughout lengthy proceedings

Our client was sexually assaulted by a male student acquaintance. We became involved to support our client in getting proper medical treatment, preserving and collecting evidence and witness testimony, and securing therapeutic support. We helped her understand and navigate the many complex options available to her, including a criminal complaint, an informal complaint process, a formal complaint process, or doing nothing. We guided her through the informal process and then the formal process, including interviews with various school and law enforcement officials, and worked closely with the school to put in place appropriate accommodations ensuring that all interviews and hearings did not retraumatize her. The male student was found responsible and was expelled.

Large private university

Witness to sexual violence protected from intimidation

We represented a female witness to a dating violence case on campus who was being pressured to speak with the police and the school investigators about a violent matter she had witnessed on her dorm floor. We immediately communicated on her behalf to the local police, school administrators, and the Title IX investigators to protect her right to choose to not testify and ensure her safety on campus. She was very relieved not to be pressured by the school, the title IX office or the police to attend the hearing and testify about fellow students.

Small private college

Investigation of sexual assault complaint concludes with no charges filed

Our client contacted us immediately upon receiving notice by his school that a claim of sexual assault was made against him by a female student. We assisted him in preparing his detailed answer to the complaint, and then prepared him and accompanied him to his interview with the campus safety police officers. We worked with the school Title IX administrators and helped our client find evidence to show inconsistencies with the complaint. The complainant withdrew her complaint when presented with these inconsistencies and then recanted. The investigation ended and our client was not charged with anything.

Midsized private college

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Client Testimonials

"I am writing to let any college student who gets accused of something serious by their school know that they need a lawyer like Felice Duffy to defend them. I was accused of something terrible by a student that I would never do and didn’t do. Even though I knew exactly what actually happened, I was very scared that my university might not find me innocent. It was terrifying to think that I might lose my full basketball scholarship or could have been suspended or expelled and that me and my family’s name could have gotten a horrible reputation.

I can’t even put into words how I excited I was when I got the letter from the school that cleared me completely of the charges against me and I have Felice to thank for that 100%. Since I’m not in Connecticut, Felice and her investigator used video conferencing to interview me and my witnesses, talk with my parents, and get me fully prepared for every meeting I had with my school. They got all my texts and email that proved my innocence and organized them perfectly for the Dean and the discipline committee.

Felice was always very direct and respectful even though the subject matter was very personal, and she was always ahead of the school in terms of getting me and them important information at every step. It was like having the best scouting report ever." Felice obviously knows her stuff but she also deeply cares. You can tell that she loves the work she’s doing to help college kids in really difficult situations."

College Sophomre, Colorado

“I hired Duffy Law in the middle of a Title IX sexual assault proceeding. While I had initially retained another attorney on a recommendation, it turns out they did not have much insight to the inner workings of university policy, which I learned is NOT required to follow the basic laws of due process. Felice was absolutely incredible, and as an athlete, she understood my thought process and feelings the entire way. This is what stood out the most to me. At the beginning of my school’s adjudication process, I was an absolute mess. Not only is Felice extremely knowledgeable in law and how school adjudication processes work, but she also really does care about her clients and their well-being.

It was initially extremely tough for me to speak about what I was facing. Felice was able to assist me not only in compiling the proper evidence and responding to the school, but also put me in the right state of mind to defend myself and move on with my life after it was all completed. Prior to hiring Duffy Law, I was concerned that I would be relegated to working with a legal assistant or secretary being that my case was in a college setting as opposed to a state court. However, Felice always found a way to make time and was there every step of the way.

I feel like an important part of hiring an attorney is being able to trust them to fight for you no matter what the scenario may be and you can rest assured you will be getting that with Duffy Law. I would recommend Felice Duffy of Duffy Law 10 times out of 10 to anyone that may be put in a tough situation like I was”

Female College Freshman, Massachusetts

“The claims leveled against me were terrible, but the wonderful news is that I was fully cleared of all the allegations because of the outstanding work Christine Brown and the team at Duffy Law did on my behalf. The first thing that really impressed me was that from the very first call Christine quickly understood what was going on and was able to read between the lines to understand the complicated dynamics of the situation. Despite my entire career being spent in academia, I didn't know much about Title IX procedures. Her expertise and knowledge of the process was immediately apparent and critically helpful in guiding me and giving me as much peace of mind as possible..

Christine knew how to spot the important subtext throughout the process and made sure I understood the strategic options I had at every stage going forward. I felt very confident in the decisions we made together. I felt vindicated by the decision and that this situation will have no further effects on my career. I am very grateful to Christine and Duffy Law for guiding me through this stressful process and recommend them without reservation to any faculty member facing a similarly challenging situation. ”

Assistant Professor in the School of Medicine at a midwest university

“When your kid is accused of a serious conduct code violation at his college, you quickly learn that there’s a whole different set of rules in place than in the real world. There are no legal standards, no assurances of a “fair trial.” You’re presumed guilty and you have to backtrack and prove why you’re NOT guilty. We pretty quickly realized that we needed strong legal representation and guidance. Our son was completely falsely accused and we were ready to dig in to clear his name.

Duffy Law’s truly unique background and deep experience with navigating the school’s process was amazing. They made it clear that our son was the client, not us (his parents). They worked with him extensively and earned his total trust. He felt empowered that he had the right people in his corner to defend him. They gave our whole family a sense a calm and confidence.

Thanks to incredibly hard work by Felice and her team, our son was found “not responsible” (meaning innocent of any wrongdoing). The outcome was everything we could have hoped for. I have already recommended Duffy Law to a friend who’s son was caught up in a serious, very complicated conduct code charge, and I will continue to recommend them to any student or parent without reservation.”

Parent of a male southwest private college senior

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Schools Where We've Handled Cases

Here are some of the schools where we’ve represented students, faculty, coaches, and staff:

Amherst College
Arkansas State University
Bard College
Bates College
Belmont Abbey College
Black Hills State University
Bowling Green State University
Brandeis University
Brown University
Cal State Polytechnic University
Campbell University
Carnegie Mellon University
Central Connecticut State University
Charter Oak State College
Colgate University
College of the Holy Cross
Colorado State University
Columbia University
Connecticut College
Creighton Law School
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth Medical School
Elim Bible Institute and College
Emmanuel College
Fairfield University
Flagler College
Florida State University
Fordham University
Furman University
George Fox University
Guilford College
Howard University
Illinois Institute of Technology
Indiana University
Johns Hopkins University
LaSalle University
Lesley University
Long Island University
Louisiana State University
Marist College
Marquette University
Miami University
Michigan State University
Mississippi University
Mount St. Mary's University
New College of Florida
Nichols College
Pennsylvania State University
Pittsburgh State University
Plymouth State University
Quinnipiac University
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rice University
Sacred Heart University
South Carolina State University
Southern Connecticut State University
St. John's University
St. Lawrence University
Syracuse University
Swarthmore College
Tallahassee Comm. College
Texas A&M Univiersity
Touro University
Trinity College
Tufts University
University of Buffalo
University of California, Davis
University of California, Santa Barbara
University of California, Riverside
University of Central Florida
University of Connecticut
University of Hartford
University of Kansas
University of Lynchburg
University of Maryland
University of Mass. Med. School
University of Miami
University of Missouri
University of Nebraska
University of New Haven
University of Northern Colorado
University of Pittsburg
University of Redlands California
University of Rhode Island
University of Texas Austin
University of Vermont
University of Virginia
University of Wisconsin, Madison
University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
University of Wisconsin, Whitewater
University of Wyoming
Utah University School of Medicine
Vance-Granville Community College
Vassar College
Virginia Wesleyan University
Washington University, St. Louis
Wesleyan University
Westfield State University
Western Connecticut State University
Western Washington University
Wheaton College
William Smith College
Yale University
Youngstown State University

Experienced Attorneys Advising Students, Faculty, and Schools on Title IX Matters

Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972 is one of the most misunderstood federal laws. However, if you are a student or employee of a federally funded school, you need to fully understand your rights and obligations under Title IX. Title IX applies to public K-12 schools, as well as colleges and universities. Because most higher educational institutions accept federal financial aid and other funding, the large majority of colleges and universities—both public and private—are subject to the rules and obligations of Title IX.

Many different legal conflicts and complaints can arise under Title IX, putting a lot at stake. If you find yourself involved in a Title IX matter, you need advice and guidance from an attorney with a thorough understanding of Title IX law. At Duffy Law, our highly experienced attorneys regularly consult with clients regarding a range of Title IX issues, so please do not hesitate to contact us for a consultation today.

Assisting Students and Employees

Both students and employees of schools have strict protections against sex and gender discrimination under Title IX. Such discrimination can occur in many ways, including:

Sexual assault and harassment
Disparate disciplinary policies based on gender
Inequitable treatment or funding of athletic programs and opportunities
Unequal opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) or career technical education (CTE)
Employment discrimination
Pregnancy discrimination

Furthermore, students and employees have protections against retaliatory treatment when they voice a complaint about a possible Title IX violation. Unfortunately, many parties ignore the law and engage in discriminatory and harmful conduct against students and employees who complain about mistreatment. If you think a college or university violated your Title IX rights, turn to Duffy Law. We regularly listen to the stories of possible victims and help answer important questions.

Did unlawful harassment or discrimination happen to you? Sometimes, it may feel like you were the victim of unlawful sex discrimination, but many people fail to speak up because they simply aren’t certain. Instead of ignoring the matter or living with possible violations of your rights, consult with a knowledgeable Title IX attorney who can evaluate what happened. We regularly advise both students and employees as to whether conduct constituted a Title IX violation or not, and whether the issue involves employment discrimination, sexual assault, retaliation, or any other misconduct under the law.

What are your options? Even if you’re certain a party violated your rights, you may not know where to begin to take action to seek the legal relief you deserve. Forms of relief will vary in different situations involving Title IX depending on the circumstances of the situation and type of violation. Some options may include:

Reporting sexual misconduct to obtain necessary protections and seek disciplinary measures against the offender, including expulsion for students or termination for employees
Seeking equal funding, equipment, or access to facilities for a women’s athletic team or another school program
Seeking back pay or reinstatement after an act of sex-based employment discrimination or retaliation

If a school fails to respond to an initial Title IX complaint or parties engage in retaliatory conduct, you have the right to file a lawsuit against the school for a violation of your Title IX rights.

What are your rights if someone accused you of misconduct? The highly knowledgeable Title IX lawyers at Duffy Law have extensive experience defending students facing accusations of sexual misconduct. If you’re in this position, you have important legal rights under the law. First and foremost, you have the constitutional right to due process before a school can make a finding of misconduct and take disciplinary action against you.

Many schools have investigative and disciplinary processes that fail to uphold an accused student’s due process rights. Duffy Law can examine the matter and advise you as to whether or not the school has violated your constitutional rights. Do not simply accept a finding of guilt or harsh disciplinary measures such as expulsion. Protect your rights by consulting our highly knowledgeable Title IX lawyers today.

Advising Schools About Title IX Matters

Let’s be honest—when it comes to Title IX compliance, the last few years have confused the nation’s schools. The Obama administration issued guidance that imposed a heavy burden on schools, and schools rushed to comply or faced nationally publicized investigations and potentially costly sanctions. The Trump administration aims to relax the standards that schools must meet when it comes to Title IX cases, but it is still entirely possible to face accusations of violations.

Regardless of the changing political tides, schools have many obligations under Title IX. Such obligations include:

Having clear written policies against sex discrimination, including harassment and assault, that detail the reporting, investigation, and disciplinary processes
Hiring and properly training a Title IX coordinator who investigates allegations of assault and discrimination, and who assists alleged victims
Ensuring that someone complaining about sexual misconduct receives reasonable accommodations for protections from contact with the accused party, including counseling or housing and schedule changes
Providing equal opportunities, access, and funding for athletics and other school-sponsored activities for both genders

Consult with Duffy Law about Title IX compliance, please contact our office to learn how we may help you.

Consult an Experienced Title IX Attorney as Soon as Possible

Are you a school with questions about Title IX compliance? Are you a student accused of sexual misconduct on a college campus? Were you the victim of sex discrimination in sports, education, or employment at a school? Were you the victim of sexual misconduct? Do you believe that your school mishandled your Title IX complaint?

In any of the above situation, the highly knowledgeable Title IX lawyers at Duffy Law can help. Our background and extensive experience provides a unique understanding of Title IX claims and allows us to serve as a dedicated advocate for Title IX rights. Call (203) 946-2000 or contact us online for a Title IX consultation today.