Harvard University Title IX Lawyer

A Title IX case at Harvard moves quickly and can reshape a student’s education and future. Whether the allegation involves sexual assault, dating violence, stalking, or other prohibited sexual contact, you need a plan that is legally sound, strategic, and tailored to Harvard’s process. Saland Law is led by criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor Jeremy Saland, and the firm advises both respondents and complainants through the full arc of a campus matter. Although our office is in New York City, we handle Title IX and campus misconduct cases nationwide as attorney-advisors, including matters at Harvard’s undergraduate and graduate schools.

Harvard’s Title IX infrastructure has evolved. The University now centralizes support, prevention, and compliance work through the Office for Community Support, Non-Discrimination, Rights and Responsibilities, often referenced as CSNDR. Within CSNDR, the NDAB and Title IX Compliance team manages policy enforcement and coordinates with local Title IX Resource Coordinators across Harvard’s schools. This reorganization aims to make resources easier to find and streamline reporting and resolution pathways.

What Title IX Says and Why It Matters 

Title IX is a federal civil rights law. The statute provides that no person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or subjected to discrimination under any education program receiving federal funding. The core text sits at 20 U.S.C. § 1681, with enforcement and procedures found in related sections and the Department of Education’s regulations at 34 C.F.R. Part 106. These regulations require schools to adopt and publish prompt and equitable grievance procedures for resolving complaints of sex discrimination.

Harvard’s Policies, Conduct Standards, and Scope

Harvard’s policies prohibit sexual harassment, gender-based harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and related misconduct. The University also highlights access to supportive measures and coordination with school-based Resource Coordinators who understand each campus’s academic and residential context. Because Harvard spans multiple schools, the exact procedures and touchpoints can differ based on where the parties are enrolled or employed, and whether the conduct falls within Title IX jurisdiction or another University policy such as non-discrimination or anti-bullying.

Many matters turn on how policy terms apply to facts. For example, a case that centers on whether there was affirmative consent will require careful analysis of communications, context, and capacity. A case that alleges dating violence will often raise patterns of control, prior incidents, and digital evidence. Even a single disputed sexual contact can generate long investigative records and complex credibility assessments. Your strategy must respond to the definitions and procedures that govern your specific school within Harvard.

How a Harvard Title IX Case Typically Unfolds

The First Notice and Your Immediate Steps

A Title IX or related complaint often begins with notice of allegations or an outreach from a Resource Coordinator. At this moment, protect your rights. Do not provide statements before you understand the allegations, scope, and policy track, and, most critically, you consult with and secure the representation of an attorney-advisor. Ask what process applies. Confirm whether the University is proceeding under Title IX, non-Title IX sexual misconduct policy, or a related nondiscrimination standard, because the required steps can differ. Harvard’s centralized CSNDR site directs community members to report a concern, request supportive measures, and find local coordinators by school.

Supportive measures can include academic adjustments, no contact directives, housing changes, schedule modifications, or campus escort services. These measures can be requested regardless of whether a formal complaint is filed, and they should be tailored to preserve equal access to education without unreasonably burdening the other party. Document what is requested, what is granted, and any impact on coursework, research, athletics, or employment.

Formal Complaints, Jurisdiction, and Consolidation

When a formal complaint is filed, the University assesses jurisdiction. For Title IX coverage, alleged conduct must meet specific criteria relating to an education program or activity, location, and the definition of sex-based harassment. If Title IX does not apply, Harvard can proceed under other policies that still prohibit sexual misconduct. In multi-party or cross-complaint situations, related matters may be consolidated. This can alter the sequence of interviews or the scope of evidence collection.

Evidence Collection and Interviews

Investigations at Harvard typically involve interviews with the parties and witnesses, gathering of documents, messages, social media, card-swipe or access logs where relevant, and any medical or forensic records voluntarily provided. Under federal regulations, schools must provide a prompt and equitable process. The regulations also speak to disclosure of relevant evidence and the opportunity to respond. Your adviser’s role is to help you present a coherent narrative, identify corroboration, challenge unreliable information, and preserve objections for appeal.

Hearing or Determination

Depending on policy track and timing, a matter may be resolved through a hearing model or through a determination based on an investigative record without live testimony. Your strategy should account for how credibility will be assessed. If there is a hearing, you may have the opportunity to suggest questions to be posed to the other party or witnesses. If the model uses a record-based determination, written submissions take on even greater importance. Standards of proof are usually specified in policy and are often preponderance of the evidence, but you should confirm the applicable standard at the outset. Whether successfully pursued or not, you may be able to end your case with an informal or administrative resolution whereby both parties agree, along with the university, to close the investigation with remedial or other measures that do not result in a notation on the respondent’s academic record.

Sanctions, Remedies, and Appeals

If responsibility is found, sanctions can range from educational requirements and probation to suspension or expulsion. Remedies for the complainant frequently include long-term supportive measures that address safety and academic access. Appeals commonly permit challenges based on procedural error, new evidence, or proportionality of sanctions. The window to appeal can be short. Plan your appeal grounds while the investigation is unfolding so you are prepared when a decision is issued.

Key Issues You Can See At Harvard

Consent, Capacity, and Context

Affirmative consent cases often turn on what was said before and during the encounter, whether consent was actively expressed, and whether alcohol or other factors impaired capacity. Preserve all relevant communications. Describe the environment with specificity, including who else was present and what they observed. In many files, metadata, time stamps, and the timing of messages relative to reported events become important.

Dating Violence and Relationship Evidence

Dating violence allegations can involve a series of incidents that escalate in severity. Screenshots, call logs, and third-party accounts can contextualize alleged threats or controlling behavior. Your adviser should help you gather materials that show the full relationship, not just isolated moments, and should prepare you to address contradictions or omissions.

Technology, Privacy, and Misinterpretation

Digital evidence can be double edged. Messages taken out of context, edited screenshots, or ambiguous emojis can mislead. Where accuracy is disputed, request native files or downloads that include metadata. If the University collects device information, understand the scope of that request and its privacy implications.

Special Considerations For Harvard Students and Staff

Multiple Schools and Affiliations

Harvard’s federated structure can complicate jurisdiction and remedies. A graduate student who teaches undergraduates, a researcher with joint appointments, or a varsity athlete may have overlapping obligations and potential collateral consequences. Your strategy must anticipate how findings could affect financial aid, visas, residential status, teaching roles, research collaborations, or athletic eligibility.

International and Visa Issues

For students on F-1 or J-1 visas, disciplinary findings can impact status. Coordinate early with immigration counsel if needed, and consider how supportive measures or schedule changes could affect full-time enrollment and on-campus employment.

Faculty, Staff, and Lab Dynamics

Power differentials in labs or research groups present unique evidentiary challenges. Calendars, lab notebooks, key card logs, and third-party supervision records can corroborate or refute key claims. A careful plan for witness outreach is essential to avoid claims of interference or retaliation.

How Saland Law Builds Your Case

We advise both respondents and complainants, and we believe that perspective makes our advocacy stronger. Every matter begins with three parallel tracks. First, we protect your immediate interests through supportive measures that help preserve safety and academic access. Second, we build your evidentiary record through targeted collection, early narrative development, and identification of corroborating sources. Third, we map the governing policy and procedural sequence so there are no surprises, and we adjust if Harvard shifts the track due to jurisdiction or policy updates.

When appropriate, we also engage with University officials to clarify ambiguities, negotiate schedule adjustments around exams or health concerns, and push for procedures that remain fair and compliant with the regulations in effect. Harvard’s own materials emphasize avenues to find local Resource Coordinators, access policies, and file a formal complaint through the University Title IX Coordinator. We ensure those touchpoints work for you rather than against you.

Respondents and Complainants Both Need an Experienced Advisor

If you are accused, your education, reputation, and future employment are on the line. If you reported, you need a lawyer-advisor who has criminal defense and prosecutorial experience to protect your access to education, help you pursue remedies, and will ensure the institution follows its own rules. Saland Law has guided students and faculty through interviews, hearings, informal resolutions, and appeals across many universities. We understand how Harvard’s structures and policies operate in practice, including the role of the NDAB and Title IX Compliance Team and the network of Resource Coordinators.

Why Choose Saland Law For A Harvard Matter

Jeremy Saland’s background as a former prosecutor and criminal attorney informs our approach to investigation, evidence, and advocacy. We are detail oriented and focused on the small decisions that move outcomes. We understand the stakes and the stress of an evolving case that involves allegations of sexual contact without affirmative consent, threats or coercion in a dating relationship, or persistent harassment that disrupts your education. We advise both respondents and complainants, which sharpens our understanding of how each side presents its case and how decisionmakers test credibility.

We also understand Harvard. A global university with many schools demands precision about jurisdiction, policy track, and academic context. We help you navigate CSNDR resources, coordinate with school-based Resource Coordinators, and maintain your academic goals while you assert your rights.

Talk To A Harvard University Title IX Lawyer-Advisor

You do not have to navigate this alone. Saland Law represents students, faculty, and staff nationwide in Title IX and related campus matters, and we regularly handle cases involving sexual assault, dating violence, sexual harassment, and disputed sexual contact or affirmative consent. Contact us to discuss your situation, your rights, and your next move. We will meet the moment with pragmatism and resolve, and we will pursue the outcome that protects your education and your future.