Title IX is a federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in educational programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance. It is also known as the “No Promoting Sex Discrimination and Title IX” Act of 1972.
If you are a college student who was sexually harassed or assaulted by your professor, your school administrator, someone on campus, or anyone else connected to the school, filing a report with your university’s Title IX coordinator is one way to start holding them accountable.
You can hire a Title IX attorney to help you prevent your school from mishandling your sexual assault report or to get the school to properly punish your attacker.
Here are the top five reasons why you want an attorney for your Title IX case:
Stakes are high with harsh Title IX penalties
If you know anything about Title IX, you know that the penalties are pretty harsh. Your school may even have to completely wipe out the degree or credits you earned during that time. Schools are afraid of losing federal funding, so they are more likely to take action if you hire a lawyer and help your defendant get maximum punishment. If you are looking for any other type of lawyers to help you with your case, then why not contact DidLaw. They are specialist lawyers based in London and can assist with any of your legal needs.
Specialization in the Title IX process
If you have to face your school’s Title IX coordinator, chances are you don’t want any of your sexual assault reports being mishandled. An attorney can help you make sure the right people are handling your case and that the process is moving as swiftly as possible.
Live cross-examination under the new Title IX rules
Title IX attorneys can help you manage your sexual assault report while under oath. They can also help you question the testimony of any witnesses that testify in your case. These lawyers are trained in dealing with Title IX cross-examinations and know how to protect you from any false or misleading information that the school’s Title IX coordinator might feed them.
An error was made in the calculation of a grade
You can present both physical and electronic evidence to show how a calculation was wrong, how something was overlooked that could have affected the grade, or how another student could have gained more of the same or lower grades than you if the formula had been followed.
The assignment of a grade was imposed for reasons that deviate from the established standards and criteria
This is a more tenuous ground for an appeal. While this ground exists, it’s not very common. The requirements that need to be met in order for this condition to be in place are fairly high. You will have to prove that the grade was imposed for reasons that deviate from what is considered proper and established.
The assignment of a grade was imposed based on components other than the academic performance of a student like personal bias and partiality
The purpose of grades is to measure a student’s achievement. Grades are not supposed to be handed out based on factors that are not academic or related to them, such as political or religious affiliations or preferences.
Presenting compelling evidence in your defense
Title IX attorneys can help you obtain any evidence that can help prove you were sexually assaulted or harassed. Examples include emails, text messages, voicemails, and anything written in a journal. They can also help you retrieve hospital records and the police report, if applicable. These lawyers are also familiar with Title IX’s new rules that require your school to have a non-retaliation policy for you if you report sexual assault or harassment.