Princeton University Title IX Lawyer

When a Title IX issue arises at Princeton University, the stakes are immediate and personal. Your education, reputation, and future opportunities can be drastically and irreversibly affected by what happens over the next few weeks and months. Saland Law brings calm, experience, and a precise understanding of campus procedures to a process that often feels terrifying and fast moving. Headed by former prosecutor Jeremy Saland, who now serves as both a Title IX advisor and a criminal defense attorney, our firm advises both respondents and complainants in Title IX matters. Located in New York City, Saland Law handles Title IX cases nationwide and is prepared to guide Princeton students, graduate students, student athletes, staff, and faculty through every phase of the campus process in New Jersey.

Why Saland Law for Princeton Title IX Matters

The Princeton community expects fairness, dignity, and a process grounded in facts. That is exactly what we work to secure. Jeremy Saland’s prosecutorial background informs a rigorous approach to evidence, interviews, and strategy. He understands the dynamics of investigations involving allegations of sexual assault, dating violence, sexual contact without permission, and questions around affirmative consent. At the same time, our team appreciates that Title IX is not a criminal courtroom and that the goals often include educational remedies, supportive measures, and a safe learning environment. We listen closely, build a plan tailored to your situation, and advocate with clarity and care.

We offer focused preparation for interviews, written statements, and hearings or adjudication meetings. We review digital evidence and communications with an eye for context and credibility. We identify and communicate with witnesses wherever they may reside. We coordinate with families and, when appropriate, collaborate with outside experts such as forensic examiners or mental health professionals. Our role is to be a steady advocate who helps you avoid common pitfalls and who knows when to press and when to preserve issues for appeal.

Title IX Basics and the Law That Governs Your Case

Title IX is a federal civil rights law that prohibits sex discrimination in education programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance. The statute appears at 20 U.S.C. § 1681 and related sections. Federal regulations that guide the campus process are located at 34 C.F.R. Part 106. These authorities require schools to respond promptly and equitably to reports of sex discrimination, including sexual harassment and related misconduct, and to provide supportive measures to the parties. They also require institutions to conduct a fair grievance process before disciplining a respondent for covered conduct.

For Princeton students and employees, the practical meaning of Title IX is straightforward. If you report a violation, the University must assess safety and provide access to supportive measures that are designed to restore or preserve equal access to education. If you are accused, the University must afford you a fair process before any finding of responsibility. Both parties are entitled to notice of the allegations, an opportunity to review and respond to relevant evidence, and access to an advisor of choice. 

What Conduct Is Typically Covered

Title IX and related campus policies generally address a spectrum of behavior that interferes with equal educational access. While each school’s definitions and procedures can vary, the following categories are commonly included:

Sexual Harassment and Hostile Environment

Unwelcome conduct on the basis of sex that is severe or pervasive enough to limit a student’s ability to participate in or benefit from the educational program. This may include verbal or written harassment, persistent unwanted communications, or conduct that creates an intimidating environment.

Sexual Assault

Nonconsensual sexual contact or sexual penetration. The focus is on the presence of consent, not the absence of resistance. Many campus policies reference affirmative consent, which means a clear, voluntary, and mutual agreement to engage in sexual activity. Intoxication can impair the ability to give or perceive consent. We help parties articulate facts that show whether consent was given, understood, and maintained.

Dating Violence and Domestic Violence

Violence or threats of violence by a current or former intimate partner or spouse, which can include physical harm, coercion, or patterns of control. These allegations often involve overlapping evidence from text messages, social media, and witnesses who observed the relationship over time.

Stalking

A course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to fear for safety or suffer substantial emotional distress. Digital stalking and location tracking issues arise frequently, and metadata analysis can be important.

Retaliation

Any adverse action taken against someone for reporting or participating in a Title IX process is prohibited. We advise clients proactively on communications and boundaries to avoid retaliation concerns.

Evidence, Strategy, and Credibility

Successful advocacy in a Princeton Title IX case begins with a careful plan. Facts are strongest when they are organized and corroborated, and when they are presented in a manner that respects the educational setting.

We start with a factual timeline that captures the relationship history and the events around the allegation. We sync texts, direct messages, call logs, photos, and location data to the timeline. We identify witnesses who can speak to context, demeanor, and prior interactions. We analyze sobriety and capacity issues with specificity, including who supplied alcohol, who observed consumption, and when consent was discussed or signaled. Because affirmative consent turns on communication and mutual understanding, we look for moments that demonstrate how the parties expressed interest, paused, checked in, or withdrew from activity.

Credibility is assessed against the whole record. Consistency, detail, plausibility, and responsiveness matter. We work with clients to avoid overstatements and to acknowledge uncertainty honestly where it exists. Doing so strengthens the overall presentation.

Representation for Respondents

If you have been accused, the first rule is simple. Breathe, and do not rush to speak without advice. Just like a criminal court, what you say can and will be used against you. The second is to preserve everything. Do not delete messages or attempt to rewrite history. Early missteps can create needless complications.

We help respondents understand the allegations precisely, assess exposure under campus policy, and choose the best path. In some cases, informal resolution may be appropriate. In others, full investigation and adjudication is the only route to a fair outcome. We prepare you for interviews, help you write measured and accurate responses, and ensure exculpatory or mitigating facts are not lost in the noise. Where there is parallel criminal risk, we protect your Fifth Amendment interests while still engaging constructively with the University.

Advocacy for Complainants

If you experienced sexual assault, unwanted sexual contact, dating violence, or stalking, you deserve to be heard and supported. We help complainants make a clear report, obtain supportive measures, and navigate the process without being retraumatized by it. We prepare you for interviews and any adjudicative proceeding, aim to limit irrelevant or harassing questioning, and keep the focus on the evidence that proves what happened. We can also consult on safety planning and referrals to counseling or medical services. Our goal is to seek remedies and outcomes that restore your access to your education and your peace of mind.

Supportive Measures and No Contact Orders

Supportive measures are the safety net of Title IX. They are designed to help you continue your education regardless of whether you file a formal complaint. We help clients secure class schedule adjustments, deadline extensions, housing or workplace relocations, and access to counseling. Mutual no contact orders are common. We also work with students to draft practical communication protocols that reduce risk of accidental contact through group projects, lab teams, or extracurricular activities. If measures are not working or are being misused, we intervene to recalibrate them.

Your Rights in the Process

While every school’s policy is distinct, certain rights are widely recognized by federal regulations and institutional practice:

• The right to a fair and impartial process with trained administrators.
  
• The right to notice of allegations and an opportunity to respond.
  
• The right to inspect and review relevant evidence gathered by the institution.
  
• The right to an advisor of choice, including an attorney, during key meetings and any hearing.
  
• The right to appeal on defined grounds.

We ensure those rights are meaningful, even if far too often they are merely lip service at colleges and universities. That might include requesting clarifying notices, pushing for the inclusion of wrongly excluded evidence, or objecting to biased questioning. It also includes advising clients on communications outside the process. Well meaning messages to friends or teammates can create avoidable complications.

Special Considerations for Princeton Students, Athletes, and Faculty

Graduate and professional students often face layered impacts. A Title IX finding can affect research placements, clinical assignments, or teaching roles. International students must consider visa implications. Student athletes face team rules and media attention that can amplify pressure. Faculty and staff navigate employment policies, union provisions where applicable, and research or supervisory duties. We tailor our approach to these realities, address confidentiality to the extent permitted, and coordinate with advisors, coaches, or department leadership as appropriate.

Building a Record for Appeal

Good cases are built with the end in mind. From the first interview, we track procedural issues, preserve objections, and document requests that are granted or denied. If there is a negative determination, an appeal must be precise and grounded in recognized bases such as procedural irregularity, new evidence that could affect the outcome, or concerns about the reasonableness of the sanction. Because appeals are usually on the written record, early attention to detail pays dividends.

How We Work and What to Expect

From the first call, you will get a plan. We map the facts, identify what evidence matters, and anticipate the other side’s themes. We prepare thoroughly but keep the approach humane. Title IX cases are about people. They are also about policy interpretation, evidentiary nuance, and measured advocacy. Our job is to bring all of that together in a way that serves your goals. Although headquartered in New York City, our practice is national. We regularly advise students and employees at institutions across the United States and coordinate time zones, schedules, and campus calendars with efficiency.

Take Action Today

If you are a Princeton student, athlete, staff member, or faculty member facing a Title IX concern, do not try to navigate it alone. Whether you are reporting sexual assault, dealing with unwanted sexual contact, seeking supportive measures after dating violence, or responding to an allegation that challenges your character and future, you deserve experienced guidance. Saland Law offers clear advice, precise preparation, and steady advocacy from start to finish. Reach out to speak with our team and begin building a plan that protects your education, your rights, and your next chapter.