Georgetown University Title IX Lawyer-Advisor

Any attorney-advisor familiar with Title IX investigations will tell you that cases at Washington DC’s Georgetown University run very real risks of  jeopardizing a student’s academic progress, housing, employment, immigration status, and long-term professional aspirations almost immediately. Allegations involving sexual assault, dating violence, stalking, sexual contact, or disputes over affirmative consent are addressed through a formal administrative process governed by federal law and Georgetown’s internal policies. This process is not informal, discretionary, or easily reversed. Once a report is made, the university may impose interim measures and begin fact-finding steps that affect a student’s daily life well before any final determination is issued. Equally important, your job as either a respondent, aka, the accused, or the complainant, aka, the accuser, begins just as swiftly, identifying, preserving and securing the evidence needed to resolve the investigation in the best possible manner.

Georgetown’s unique position as a global university located in Washington, D.C. adds layers of complexity to Title IX matters. Students often balance academic life with internships, government placements, research opportunities, and employment connected to the nation’s capital. A Title IX case can therefore have implications that extend beyond the campus, affecting security clearances, professional recommendations, graduate school prospects, professional licensing, and future employment in law, public policy, medicine, corporations, or international affairs. Similarly, immigration status, as a student with an F-1 visa, may also be compromised.  For many students and families, the seriousness of the process only becomes clear once it is already underway. If you haven’t taken the steps you need to as soon as possible, you may already be playing a real world game of catch up.

Saland Law represents students and families involved in Georgetown Title IX proceedings with a focus on procedural fairness, strategic decision-making, and protection of long-term interests. The firm is headed and founded by Jeremy Saland, whose background as a Title IX attorney-advisor, criminal defense lawyer, and a former prosecutor brings a disciplined, strategic, and evidence-centered approach to university disciplinary matters. Saland Law advises both respondents and complainants, understanding that effective Title IX advocacy requires insight into how investigations and hearings unfold from all sides. Although headquartered in New York City, because of the nature of virtual Title IX meetings, investigations and hearings, the firm handles Title IX cases nationwide and regularly represents students at elite private universities, including Georgetown.

Georgetown’s Academic and Social Environment Shapes Title IX Cases

Georgetown enrolls thousands of undergraduate, graduate, and professional students across multiple schools, including the College, the Walsh School of Foreign Service, the Law Center, and graduate and medical programs. Students live, study, and work in a dense urban environment where campus life often overlaps with off-campus housing, internships, and social spaces throughout Washington, D.C. This structure affects how Title IX cases arise and how evidence is evaluated.

Many Georgetown Title IX matters involve overlapping roles and relationships. Allegations may stem from residence halls, student organizations, academic programs, or social events tied to internships or professional networks. These contexts can complicate fact-finding, particularly when parties do not share the same classes or residential communities but interact through professional or social connections. Investigators often examine not only what occurred during an alleged incident, but also the broader context in which the parties interacted before and after.

Title IX Reporting Is Part of Georgetown’s Ongoing Compliance Obligations

Like all universities receiving federal funding, Georgetown is required to maintain systems for reporting, responding to, and documenting allegations of sexual misconduct. In other words, students do not get a pass because the matter is “too small” or a party is friends with or close to a professor or administrator. The university publishes annual security and compliance reports that include data related to sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking, as required under the Clery Act and related federal laws. While these reports are not the same as Title IX grievance outcomes, they provide important context about the frequency with which these issues arise within the Georgetown community.

For students and families, this reporting framework highlights a key reality. Title IX cases are not treated as isolated disputes. They are processed within a compliance-driven system designed to document allegations, assess risk, and demonstrate adherence to federal requirements. As a result, statements, evidence submissions, and procedural steps are carefully recorded and preserved. Early decisions can influence not only the outcome of a particular case, but also how the university views its compliance obligations.

The Legal Authority Governing Georgetown Title IX Proceedings

Title IX is a federal civil rights statute prohibiting sex discrimination in education programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance. The statute is codified at 20 U.S.C. § 1681 et seq., and its implementing regulations appear in 34 C.F.R. Part 106. These laws require universities to respond to reports of sex-based harassment and misconduct in defined ways, including offering supportive measures and, in certain circumstances, conducting formal grievance processes.

Allegations involving sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking are also informed by federal definitions incorporated through the Violence Against Women Act and amendments to the Clery Act. These frameworks influence how Georgetown classifies conduct, communicates reporting options, and structures prevention and response efforts. Together, these statutes and regulations create a legally binding structure that governs how Georgetown must act once it receives a report.

Understanding this legal backdrop is critical. Many disputes in Title IX cases arise not only from factual disagreements, but from questions about whether the university followed required procedures, applied the correct definitions, or afforded the parties appropriate rights under federal law.

How Georgetown Determines Which Procedures Apply

When Georgetown receives a report, it conducts an initial assessment to determine how the matter should proceed. Some allegations fall within the federal definition of Title IX Sexual Harassment and trigger specific procedural requirements. Others may be addressed under Georgetown’s broader sexual misconduct or student conduct policies. This determination affects the structure of the investigation, the availability of hearings, and the role of advisors.

Students often assume that all sexual misconduct allegations follow the same path. In reality, procedural tracks can differ significantly. Misunderstanding which framework applies can lead to incorrect assumptions about timelines, evidence review, or appeal rights. A careful legal assessment at the outset helps ensure that strategy and expectations align with the actual process the university will follow.

Investigations at Georgetown Are Evidence-Driven

Georgetown Title IX investigations focus on gathering and evaluating evidence rather than mediating disputes between the parties, though informal or administrative resolutions may be an option to discuss with your attorney-advisor. Investigators routinely conduct interviews, collect electronic communications, review witness statements, and analyze contextual information such as timelines and locations. The resulting investigative record becomes the central reference point for any determination of whether an initial complaint warrants a hearing and whether there will be a finding of responsibility.

Credibility assessments frequently hinge on consistency, corroboration, and plausibility rather than emotion or intent. Text messages, emails, social media communications, and metadata can carry significant weight. Similarly, witness observations, both historical and for particular alleged incidents, are often incredibly valuable for a party. In cases involving alcohol, investigators closely examine descriptions of intoxication, decision-making ability, and behavior before and after the alleged incident. This is the same for impairment and intoxication by controlled or illegal substances. Because the record is centrally influential, immediate identification of evidence and securing that evidence, along with early and thorough preparation, is essential.

Statements made during initial interviews often follow a student throughout the process. Attempts to revise or clarify later may be interpreted as inconsistencies rather than good-faith corrections. Strategic preparation is therefore focused on accuracy, completeness, and alignment with available evidence from the start.

Hearings and the Role of Advisors at Georgetown

When a Georgetown Title IX matter proceeds to a hearing, the process becomes highly structured. Hearings are governed by relevance standards and defined questioning protocols. They are not informal conversations. Instead, they are designed to test disputed facts and evaluate the investigative record. 

Advisors play a central role in these proceedings, conducting questioning of parties and witnesses. For respondents, effective questioning can identify gaps or inconsistencies in the evidence. For complainants, careful preparation helps ensure that their experience is presented clearly and without unnecessary intrusion into irrelevant matters. Hearing outcomes often depend less on dramatic testimony and more on preparation, organization, and strategic focus. All of this is why an attorney-advisor, as opposed to a faculty or student advisor, is critical to success no matter what side of an allegation you find yourself. Simply, experience, knowledge and advocacy matter whether the legal standard is the low preponderance of the evidence routinely used in these hearings, or in a criminal court where the much higher proof beyond a reasonable doubt is required.

Affirmative Consent and Capacity in Georgetown Title IX Cases

Disputes involving affirmative consent are among the most complex aspects of Georgetown Title IX cases. Georgetown evaluates consent through its institutional policies, informed by federal guidance, with an emphasis on whether consent was knowing, voluntary, and ongoing throughout each stage of sexual contact. Though sometimes misunderstood in the moment, this consent may meet the hallmarks of affirmative consent at time one, but that same affirmation can later be withdrawn a split second later. In other words, consent can evolve and change.

Affirmative consent determinations rarely hinge on a single statement. Investigators often examine the broader context, including communications before and after the encounter, witness observations, and how each party describes the progression of events. Alcohol use frequently complicates these assessments. Capacity determinations are fact-specific and focus on behavior, coherence, and decision-making rather than the mere presence of alcohol.

Assumptions about implied consent or silence often carry little weight in a Title IX process. A careful legal approach helps ensure that consent and capacity issues are evaluated based on the full factual context rather than hindsight or incomplete narratives.

Defending Against Allegations at Georgetown University

Students accused of Title IX violations at Georgetown often feel intense pressure to respond immediately. While understandable, unstructured responses can create long-term problems. Title IX cases are decided based on documentation and consistency, not intent alone.

An effective defense begins with identifying the precise allegations and the policy provisions at issue. It involves evaluating the evidence supporting and contradicting the claim, preparing for interviews strategically, and responding to investigative summaries with care. In cases involving alcohol, memory gaps, or disputed consent, attention must be paid to how Georgetown evaluates capacity and voluntariness.

Saland Law works with respondents to manage communication risks, organize evidence, and participate in the process in a way that protects both procedural rights and long-term interests.

Supporting Complainants Through the Georgetown Process

For complainants, reporting sexual assault, dating violence, stalking, or unwanted sexual contact can be both empowering and emotionally challenging. Many students worry about not being believed, being blamed, or losing control of the process once it begins.

Effective representation helps complainants present their account clearly, preserve relevant evidence, and navigate interviews and hearings with confidence. It also assists with requesting supportive measures and ensuring that the record accurately reflects the harm and context involved. A well-supported complainant is better positioned to engage with the process without being overwhelmed by procedural complexity.

Supportive Measures and Interim Protections

Georgetown may implement supportive measures regardless of whether a formal complaint is filed. These measures are intended to preserve educational access and safety and may include academic accommodations, housing adjustments, schedule changes, or no-contact directives.

Because Georgetown students often balance academics with internships and employment, supportive measures may need to address off-campus impacts as well. Strategic planning helps ensure that these measures are effective without creating unnecessary disruption or unintended consequences.

Title IX and Criminal Law Considerations in Washington, D.C.

Title IX proceedings are administrative, not criminal, but they can intersect with criminal investigations. In Washington, D.C., allegations involving sexual assault or violence may implicate local criminal statutes. Georgetown may continue its internal process regardless of whether law enforcement is involved, and timelines may not align.

Statements made in one setting can affect the other. More specifically, what you say in a Title IX proceeding should be tailored to that case and with the awareness that whatever is memorialized in an email, report or recording can be used against you in a parallel criminal action. Decisions about whether to speak, what to submit, and how to describe events should be made with an understanding of potential legal exposure. Coordinated planning is often essential in these situations.

How Advisors Can Influence a Georgetown Title IX Outcome

Title IX cases are shaped by preparation, evidence, and procedural awareness. A Title IX advisor can help students and families understand what is happening, anticipate next steps, and avoid common pitfalls. An attorney-advisor with experience as a litigator, trial attorney, criminal lawyer and prosecutor can do far more. This includes preparing for interviews, developing timelines supported by documentation, identifying relevance issues for hearings, responding to investigative reports, and evaluating appeal options when appropriate while also preserving your opportunity to appeal should the need arise.

Saland Law brings a structured, evidence-driven approach to Georgetown Title IX matters informed by Jeremy Saland’s prosecutorial, criminal defense and trial lawyer background and experience with high-stakes adjudicative processes. The goal is to ensure that each case is evaluated fairly and that a student’s education and future are not defined by avoidable mistakes.

Speak With a Georgetown University Title IX Advisor-Lawyer

Whether you are a respondent facing allegations involving sexual assault, dating violence, sexual contact, stalking, or disputes about affirmative consent, or you are a complainant seeking support and accountability after sexual misconduct, early legal guidance can make a meaningful difference. Title IX matters at Georgetown move quickly, and early decisions often shape the final outcome.

Saland Law represents students nationwide and can assist with Georgetown University Title IX matters at every stage, from initial assessment and supportive measures through investigation, hearing preparation, and appeals. Contact Saland Law to schedule a confidential consultation and learn how experienced Title IX advisor-attorney can help protect your education, reputation, and future. 

When times are at their worst there is no substitute for experience, knowledge and advocacy.