Brown University Title IX Lawyer

Any experienced Title IX advisor knows that when a Title IX allegation surfaces at Providence, Rhode Island’s Brown University, the stakes are high and the timeline is fast. Whether you are a Brown student, graduate student, medical student, faculty member, or staff, you need an advisor, and preferably an attorney-advisor, who understands both the federal regulations and Brown’s campus specific procedures, and who can help you respond quickly, clearly, and strategically. Saland Law, led by criminal lawyer and former prosecutor Jeremy Saland, advises both respondents and complainants in university Title IX matters nationwide. From the first outreach from Brown’s Title IX and Gender Equity Office through investigation, hearing, sanctioning, and appeal, should your case go that far, we guide you in protecting your rights and presenting your position with care.

Why Saland Law For A Brown Case

Brown’s disciplinary systems are detail heavy and deadline driven. Federal Title IX rules, Rhode Island law, and Brown’s own policies all interact. Jeremy Saland’s background as a prosecutor and criminal defense attorney informs a disciplined approach to evidence, witness preparation, and credibility. Just as important, our Title IX work is victim centered when we serve complainants and due process centered when we serve respondents. Many Title IX advisors talk in generalities. We focus on the exact policy language, the evidentiary standard Brown applies, and the practical realities of hearings at Brown.

Although based in New York City, we regularly serve as Title IX advisors for students and employees across the country, including Ivy League campuses. We meet by video or in person as needed, coordinate with local counsel when a matter touches criminal exposure or civil litigation, and help families understand how a campus process can affect immigration, scholarships, research opportunities, athletics, or licensure.

Brown University’s Policy Framework

Brown’s policies prohibit sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking, and they bar retaliation for reporting or participating in a process. Brown publishes a Title IX Policy that defines prohibited conduct and applies to covered incidents within the scope of Title IX. 

Brown also operates two distinct procedural tracks. The Title IX Grievance Procedure is used for formal complaints that fall under the Title IX Policy, while the Sexual Misconduct Grievance Procedure addresses prohibited conduct covered by the University’s broader Sexual and Gender Based Misconduct Policy. This split matters. The Title IX track uses a live hearing model with a trained decision maker or panel, and Brown’s site explains hearing logistics, including distribution of the investigation report at least ten business days before the live hearing.

In both tracks, Brown applies the preponderance of the evidence standard. That is the more likely than not standard used in most civil proceedings and campus discipline systems. Brown states this expressly within its Sexual Misconduct Grievance Procedure, and the requirement to choose and apply one consistent standard across cases is reflected in federal Title IX rules. 

Consent, Sexual Contact, And Key Definitions At Brown

Consent language matters because it informs how investigators, hearing officers, and panels evaluate sexual contact. Brown’s health promotion resources describe consent as an affirmative and willing agreement to engage in specific forms of sexual contact, demonstrated through words or actions that clearly communicate a freely chosen yes. Passivity is not consent, coercion or force vitiates consent, and incapacitation negates the ability to consent. Those concepts often make or break credibility assessments and findings in cases alleging sexual assault or dating violence. 

If you are reading this page as a parent or student, reread that definition. Do not assume the other side sees the night the way you do. Do not assume texts speak for themselves. Don’t assume witnesses will remember things the same way. Under Brown’s policies, context and capacity are central, and how you corroborate and frame both can be decisive.

Brown’s Title IX And Gender Equity Office

The Title IX and Gender Equity Office coordinates intake, supportive measures, and both formal and informal resolution processes. It can put in place academic adjustments, no contact directives, housing changes, and safety planning without making a responsibility finding. For a complainant seeking protection or a respondent seeking space to study and work while a matter is pending, interim measures are essential and can usually be arranged quickly. 

The Brown Process, Step By Step

1. Report, Intake, And Initial Assessment

A matter typically begins with a report to Brown’s Title IX and Gender Equity Office. The office assesses jurisdiction, safety concerns, and immediate needs, then offers supportive measures. You will decide whether to pursue an informal process, a formal complaint, or no complaint at that time. We prepare you for that first meeting and help articulate your needs. For complainants, that can mean a no contact directive, course changes, or an emergency housing switch. For respondents, that can mean academic flexibility and guidance on preserving evidence and avoiding retaliation.

2. Formal Complaint And Notice

When a formal complaint is filed, Brown issues a written notice that outlines the allegations, identifies parties, and cites the relevant policies. You will receive a direction not to interfere with witnesses or evidence. Respondents should avoid impulsive outreach. Complainants should consider how to preserve digital evidence, including messages and photos, and how to limit further contact.

3. Investigation And Evidence Review

Brown assigns a trained investigator. Interviews are scheduled. Each party can provide documents, names of witnesses, and other evidence. Because Brown’s procedures require the sharing of relevant evidence, you will have a chance to review a draft investigation report and submit a written response, typically with a detailed point by point analysis. That response is often your best opportunity to shape the record before a hearing, so we treat it like a closing brief supported by exhibits, timelines, and citations to the policy definitions.

4. Live Hearing And Questioning

Under Brown’s Title IX Grievance Procedure, qualifying cases proceed to a live hearing. The decision maker or panel will control relevance rulings, sequence of questioning, and time limits, and the parties’ advisors conduct questioning of the other party and witnesses. Because the 2020 regulations remain the federal baseline, live questioning remains central to Title IX cases that fall within the federal Title IX scope. We prepare you for the cadence of questioning and the effect of relevance rulings, practice objection language, and rehearse concise answers that focus on policy elements rather than emotion alone. 

5. Findings, Sanctions, And Remedies

After the hearing, the decision maker issues a written determination that applies the preponderance of the evidence standard. If there is a finding of responsibility, sanctions can include education, probation, suspension, or dismissal for students, and corrective measures up to termination for employees. Remedies for complainants may include continued supportive measures, academic accommodations, and campus safety planning. When we represent respondents, we argue for proportional sanctions and restorative outcomes. When we represent complainants, we focus on remedies that restore equal educational access.

6. Appeal

Brown allows appeals on specified grounds. Typical grounds include procedural error that affected the outcome, new evidence that could not reasonably have been presented earlier, and conflict of interest or bias that affected the process. Written appeals require a focused narrative that links the ground for appeal to concrete prejudice. Our appellate approach is concise, evidence based, and aligned to the policy language.

What Makes Brown Cases Distinct

Brown is an Ivy League institution with a collaborative academic culture and a close knit campus in Providence. That combination often means allegations arise within small academic programs, labs, athletic teams, or social circles. Privacy, rumor control, and community dynamics can affect witness participation. It is not unusual to see parallel concerns involving Title IX, Student Conduct, Athletics, or a lab PI. That interplay requires an advisor who understands how a Title IX process can ripple into research assignments, teaching opportunities, clinical rotations, or leadership roles.

Brown’s policies also include a broader Sexual and Gender Based Misconduct framework, which can capture conduct outside the technical scope of Title IX. The University’s split track system requires careful analysis to determine which procedure applies and how that choice affects hearing format and evidentiary rules. We evaluate both tracks early and calibrate strategy accordingly.

For Respondents At Brown

If you have been accused of sexual contact without consent or related policy violations, do not try to explain yourself informally or off the record. Assume that screenshots exist, that friends and other witnesses will be contacted, and that credibility will be assessed against the written policy. We help you avoid retaliation pitfalls, preserve messages and location data, and map out a timeline that includes context like alcohol use, prior communications, and witness presence. If consent is contested, we examine whether your communications demonstrate affirmative consent or a reasonable belief in consent, and whether incapacitation was apparent.

At the hearing, we pursue relevance rulings that narrow improper questions or make the appropriate record to preserve rights for an appeal, ask targeted questions to address inconsistencies, and argue that preponderance has not been met when the evidence is in equipoise. If there is a finding against you, we advocate for proportionate sanctions and explore appealable issues. 

For Complainants At Brown

If you experienced sexual assault, dating violence, stalking, or other prohibited conduct, you deserve a process that centers your safety and educational access. We explain reporting options, including anonymous or third party reports, and how supportive measures can be arranged even without filing a formal complaint. We prepare you for interviews, help organize corroborating texts and screenshots, and anticipate common credibility attacks. Where a no contact directive is in place, we advise you on how to document violations without unnecessary engagement.

If you pursue informal resolution, we structure proposals that include education, apology, agreed boundaries, and academic protections. If you pursue a formal complaint, we prepare a thematically coherent narrative supported by precise references to Brown’s policy definitions of consent, incapacitation, and force, along with corroboration from witnesses and digital records. We will be at your side during the hearing to conduct questioning through the advisor role.

What You Should Do Now

Immediately consult with your attorney-advisor about documenting everything. Preserve texts, DMs, photos, videos, location data, and names of witnesses. Write a private timeline while memories are fresh. Do not contact the other party, but identify potential witnesses to alleged incidents and those who can provide context and insight into the relationship or interactions. Do not delete anything. If you are a complainant, consider campus or community health resources and talk to someone you trust. If you are a respondent, stop discussing the matter with peers and get advice before you reply to a Title IX email.

How Saland Law Works With Brown Students And Employees

When we advise a Brown community member, we move fast. We review notices, identify immediate risks, request supportive measures, and map a plan to the next procedural milestone. We prepare you for interviews, draft your written statements, and coordinate witness outreach. As a case approaches a hearing, we conduct mock questioning, refine themes, and prepare exhibits.

Our role is advisory and advocacy focused. We do not replace campus officials or investigators. We operate within Brown’s rules and federal Title IX requirements, and we keep the process humane, organized, and as low stress as possible under difficult circumstances.

Your Next Step

If a Brown University Title IX issue is on your doorstep, you do not have to navigate it alone. Contact Saland Law to speak with an advisor who knows Title IX, understands Brown’s procedures, and will stand with you from first report to final decision. We advise both complainants and respondents, students and employees, at Brown and at universities nationwide. While our office is in New York City, we serve as Title IX advisors across the United States and, where needed, collaborate with local counsel for court related matters.

Call Saland Law to protect your education, your career, and your future.