I’m Kayla. I’m a grad student in New York City. Last year, I hired a campus sexual assault lawyer. I’m not sharing names, because privacy matters. But I’ll share what they did, what they missed, and how it felt on a real day, in a real case.
You know what? I didn’t think I’d ever need a lawyer. Then I did.
Why I looked for help
My school has rules under Title IX (see the NYC DOE’s official Title IX non-discrimination policy). That’s the law that covers sex-based harm in schools. The forms were long. The emails felt cold. I was tired, scared, and confused. I needed someone who knew the steps and could hold the stress with me.
I called a small firm near Midtown. A friend at another NYC school gave me the tip while we sat on a bench near Washington Square Park. The city noise didn’t stop. But I needed a quiet plan.
First call, plain facts
- Free 20-minute call. No pressure.
- They explained campus vs. police. Two tracks. Different rules. I didn’t have to pick right away.
- Fees: I paid a flat $3,500 for the campus case. Extra work was $400/hour. We set a cap so I wouldn’t panic.
They sent a short checklist: emails to save, screenshots, dates and times, names of anyone who saw me that night. Nothing graphic. Just facts.
What they did day to day
It wasn’t magic. It was steady work.
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Timeline: They built a simple timeline on Google Docs. I added notes when I remembered details. Even small ones, like what sweater I wore. Sounds silly, but it made the day clear in my head.
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Safety: They pushed the school for a no-contact order. It came in 48 hours. They also asked for a class switch. I moved labs in three days. I cried in the hallway when that email came. Relief tastes like a deep breath.
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Evidence: They asked the school for door-swipe logs and camera times. They pulled my Uber receipt and campus card history. They flagged time stamps that didn’t match. That part felt like building a puzzle with straight edges first.
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Statement: We wrote my statement together. I typed. They trimmed. Clear, short, steady. No extra fluff. No blame words. Just what happened, where, and when.
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Hearing prep: We did two mock sessions on Zoom. They asked me hard questions in a calm voice. I got shaky. They reminded me to pause and sip water. Sounds simple, but it helped.
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The hearing: They sat as my advisor. Rules at my school let advisors ask some questions. When it was allowed, they did. When not, they passed notes. Their notes said things like “slow down,” “you’re doing fine,” and one smiley face. I kept that note.
Real moments that stood out
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The fast fix: We emailed the Title IX office on a Monday morning. By Wednesday, housing moved me to a new floor. A quiet floor. It felt like someone put a hand on my shoulder and said, “We got you.”
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The miss: One draft had a small typo in a date. I caught it late. It didn’t break the case, but it spiked my heart rate. They apologized. We double-checked everything after that.
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The late meeting: There was a night call about safety escorts on campus. My lawyer sent an associate instead. She was kind, but newer. I wished my main lawyer joined. Small thing, but it mattered to me.
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The counselor: They gave me three names. I found a Brooklyn therapist who took sliding scale. I still see her on Fridays. Therapy wasn’t part of the legal fee, but the referral saved me hours.
Outcome, without the gory details
The school found there was a policy violation. They extended the no-contact order. They changed my class route and lab time. I’m not sharing more than that. I slept better after the email. Not perfect sleep. Just better.
What I wish I knew sooner
- Write down dates right away. Even tiny stuff. What shoes you wore helps jog memory.
- Screenshot messages. Email them to yourself. Keep a clean folder.
- Ask for a fee cap. Money stress makes everything worse.
- Ask if your advisor can speak in the hearing or only sit. Every school’s rules are different.
- Bring water and a snack to every meeting. Nerves eat energy.
- If you’re international, ask how this may touch your visa. My lawyer had a quick guide for that.
- If you feel judged in any call, hang up and call someone else. You deserve calm and care.
The good, the bad, the honest
What I loved:
- Quick action on safety and class changes
- Clear edits on my statement—short and steady
- Fast replies (usually same day)
- Calm coaching before the hearing
What bugged me:
- One date typo (we fixed it)
- Legal talk sometimes got heavy
- An associate covered one late meeting
Would I hire them again? Yes. I’d still ask more questions on day one. I’d set expectations for who attends which meeting.
If money is tight
Ask your campus survivor center first. In NYC, groups like Sanctuary for Families, Safe Horizon, and Legal Aid can help or point you to someone who will. The Domestic Violence Project has a helpful list of campus sexual assault resources that cover many NYC schools if you don’t know where to start. A growing library of guides and survivor stories lives at End Campus Sexual Assault, and reading those gave me words for the emails I eventually sent. Your school may have an advocate who will walk with you to meetings. You can mix support: campus advocate + outside lawyer. I did both. It helped.
Reading how students in other cities navigated the same maze also grounded me: one student in California wrote an honest review of hiring a campus sexual assault lawyer in Los Angeles; another shared what it was like to work with a campus sexual assault law attorney in San Diego. On the East Coast, a survivor described the process of retaining a campus sexual assault attorney in Washington, D.C., and there’s even a detailed look at hiring a campus sexual assault lawyer right here in NYC.
Little things that eased the load
- I kept a “feel-better kit” in my tote: lip balm, mints, tissues, a pen.
- I set email filters so school notices didn’t ambush me at midnight.
- I told one professor, not all. Just one. She gave quiet grace on a deadline.
- On cold days, I walked one stop extra after a meeting. Wind on my face helped me reset.
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Funny thing—I thought a lawyer would feel harsh. Mine felt practical. Like a steady umbrella. Not sunshine, but cover.
Final take
A campus sexual assault lawyer in NYC won’t fix the past. But the right one can steady the path. Mine did paperwork fast, spoke to the school in a clear voice, and kept me from getting lost in the process.
If you’re on the fence, here’s my nudge: call, ask about fees, ask what they’ll do this week, and ask how they’ll keep you informed. If your chest loosens even a bit on that call, that’s a sign.
You’re not a case file. You’re a person. And that matters more than any policy page.