In a trauma-informed legal consultation after sexual assault, look for a lawyer with real experience in these cases who explains your options clearly, protects your privacy and leaves every decision to you. One question many survivors don’t think to ask is whether the lawyer has been through sexual assault too.
Please note: Greer Law handles sexual abuse claims against institutions and organizations that allowed the abuse to happen, such as schools, churches, youth programs, hotels, and employers. We do not take cases against an individual acting alone, such as a family member, spouse, partner, or acquaintance. If that describes your situation, the Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault and the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-4673 can connect you with support.
As Marlo Greer points out in her video on this topic, many attorneys who choose to work in this challenging area of the law have been in their clients’ shoes, either as children or as adults.
Questions to Ask in a Trauma-Informed Legal Consultation
- Have you handled civil sexual assault cases like mine?
- How will you communicate with me, and how often will I hear from you?
- How will you protect my privacy, such as asking the court to let me file under a pseudonym?
- Will I make the final decisions about my case?
- Do you have personal experience with sexual assault?
For more on vetting a lawyer, read How to Choose a Civil Sexual Assault Lawyer.
Why a Lawyer’s Own Experience Can Matter
A lawyer’s personal experience can matter a great deal while you’re still deciding whether to sue. An attorney who has experienced sexual assault can give you the clear advice you need to make an informed decision. They understand from their own life how hard it can be to file and move forward with a lawsuit against your attacker or others responsible.
Having survived sexual assault themselves, they won’t want to put you through the process unless they believe, based on the facts of your case, that you are likely to recover fair compensation for what was done to you.
When you talk with attorneys who represent survivors in civil cases, you can ask whether they have personal experience with sexual assault. Lawyers who work in this area are often willing to share some of their background, especially if it helps you trust the advice they’re giving you.
Privacy and Support During a Civil Sexual Assault Case
There are steps a lawyer can take to protect you during what can be a very difficult process. In some cases, with the court’s permission, the lawsuit can be filed anonymously. Read Can You File a Sexual Assault Lawsuit Anonymously in Colorado? A lawyer can also push back when a defendant tries to abuse the legal process with unnecessarily broad, invasive or retaliatory discovery requests. See Colorado Rape Shield Law in Civil Sexual Assault Cases.
Talking to a Lawyer About Your Case
If you survived sexual assault, recently or many years ago, and are considering a lawsuit against those responsible, we help survivors make that often-difficult decision. If you decide to go forward, we pursue the case until it’s resolved.
We will never push you into deciding whether to sue. That decision is always yours. Our role while you’re considering a lawsuit is to make sure you have all the information you need and to answer your questions along the way.
Call Greer Law at 303-331-6460 or fill out our contact form to schedule a free case evaluation.
