![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Legal-Court-Help-Our-Services.jpg\")
<\/h2>\n<\/h2>\nFiling a civil case against an abuser may be emotionally challenging and potentially re-traumatizing. Finding an attorney or lawyer who has experience with sexual abuse cases can be helpful and even <\/span>provide emotional support or help you work through trauma.<\/span><\/p>\n Our mental health and legal experts created this guide of what questions to ask potential attorneys or lawyers when filing a civil lawsuit under the Child Victims Act or Adult Survivors Act. Here are some questions you can ask to help you find the right lawyer or attorney.<\/span><\/p>\n You can also look at the firm\u2019s website to see if they have experience with sexual abuse cases. If the website has a laundry list of case types, such as motorcycle accidents, car accidents, medical malpractice, etc., the firm might not have expertise in sexual abuse cases.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n You\u2019ll want to feel like your lawyer has both legal expertise and the ability to provide support during triggering or emotionally challenging moments. For example, your lawyer should have a plan for providing emotional support when preparing you for a deposition or trial. <\/span><\/p>\n To identify expertise you can look for their personal experience with sex abuse trials, opinion or legal articles they wrote, or speeches they give to professional organizations about best practices.<\/span><\/p>\n The more specific experience a lawyer has with sex abuse cases, the better. That way they can be better prepared to make good decisions and give good advice.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Although you can consider lawyers located out of state, those in New York will likely have a better understanding of The Child Victims Act or Adult Survivors Act. They also may have a deeper understanding of New York State laws.<\/span><\/p>\n Not necessarily. In many cases, firms that tout large settlements didn\u2019t get that settlement through sexual abuse cases.<\/span><\/p>\n But more importantly, you should consider a lawyer who cares more about you than about a settlement.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n While this depends mostly on your case, a lawyer should be able to give you a ballpark. They should also be clear about their fees, including any fees for an initial consultation, their hourly rate, and\/or how they collect their money.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The lawyer should also be upfront about whether they take on cases against abusers with fewer assets.<\/span><\/p>\n In cases against institutions, lawyers may accept payment after the trial ends.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n These are all discussions you should have before choosing a lawyer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n First, whether a lawyer decides to take a case is not a reflection on your value as a person or the trauma of your abuse. Every victim and survivor deserves access to safety and support.<\/span><\/p>\n If a lawyer decides not to take your case, you can explore more options through the <\/span>NY City Bar Association <\/span><\/a>or the <\/span>National Crime Victim Bar Association<\/span><\/a>. You can also call our helpline Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 855-234-1042 for more information.<\/span><\/p>\n If you don\u2019t want to talk to a lawyer, you don\u2019t have to. Survivors process trauma in many different ways, and a legal case isn\u2019t right for everyone.<\/span><\/p>\n Even if you don\u2019t file a case, you might still want support. If you do, Safe Horizon is here for you.\u00a0Call our free, 24-hour hotline at\u00a01-800-621-HOPE (4673).<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If you’re a sexual assault survivor looking for advice on how to pick a lawyer to file a civil lawsuit, consult this guide.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":{"id":2187,"alt_text":"","caption":"","description":"","media_type":"image","media_details":{"width":849,"height":565,"file":"2016\/06\/Legal-Court-Help-Our-Services.jpg","sizes":{"thumbnail":{"file":"Legal-Court-Help-Our-Services-150x150.jpg","width":150,"height":150,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","ewww_image_optimizer":"jpegtran<\/em> is missing","source_url":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Legal-Court-Help-Our-Services-150x150.jpg"},"medium":{"file":"Legal-Court-Help-Our-Services-300x200.jpg","width":300,"height":200,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","ewww_image_optimizer":"jpegtran<\/em> is missing","source_url":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Legal-Court-Help-Our-Services-300x200.jpg"},"medium_large":{"file":"Legal-Court-Help-Our-Services-768x511.jpg","width":768,"height":511,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","ewww_image_optimizer":"jpegtran<\/em> is missing","source_url":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Legal-Court-Help-Our-Services-768x511.jpg"}},"image_meta":{"aperture":"4","credit":"Christopher S. Reed","camera":"Canon EOS 10D","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1185819682","copyright":"\u00a9 Copyright 2007 by Christopher S. Reed","focal_length":"50","iso":"100","shutter_speed":"0.1","title":"","orientation":"0","keywords":["book","concept","gavel","justice system","law","legal"]},"ewww_image_optimizer":"jpegtran<\/em> is missing"},"post":null,"source_url":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Legal-Court-Help-Our-Services.jpg"},"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2015],"tags":[1419,1421,65,1017,103,105],"class_list":["post-7160","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-safe-blog","tag-adult-survivors-act","tag-asa","tag-child-victims-act","tag-cva","tag-rape","tag-sexual-assault","issue-child-abuse","issue-rape-and-sexual-assault"],"acf":{"page_header_title":"","page_header_excerpt":"If you're a sexual assault survivor looking for advice on how to pick a lawyer to file a civil lawsuit, consult this guide.","page_header_image":false,"custom_scripts":false,"show_author_bio":false,"original_url":"","related_initiative_title":"How do we help survivors of rape and sexual assault?","related_initiative_link":"\/get-help\/rape-and-sexual-assault","related_initiative_link_text":"Learn about our services","featured_posts":[{"ID":7611,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2020-02-25 22:04:29","post_date_gmt":"2020-02-25 22:04:29","post_content":"\n At Safe Horizon we know that sexual assault survivors process and heal on their own timeline. Many people need years, or even decades, to come forward, seek help, share their experience, and pursue justice. The reality is that #traumatakestime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Laws have historically been out of step with the science of trauma and the realities survivors face. Over the years, Safe Horizon has led coalitions of advocates, survivors, and lawmakers, urging the New York State legislature to remove barriers to safety for victims of violence and abuse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After working tirelessly for decades, we celebrated a historic victory for survivors when the Adult Survivors Act (ASA) became law in 2022. The ASA made it possible for survivors of sexual violence to seek justice by filing a civil lawsuit against the person who caused them harm, even if the harm occurred many years ago. When the ASA's \u2018lookback window\u2019 closed on November 24, 2023, over 3,000 suits had been filed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is our hope that these lawsuits will finally spur lasting, meaningful change in how our society addresses attitudes towards sexual assault.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Safe Horizon, the Adult Survivors Act Coalition, and bill sponsors Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal and Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal proudly led the statewide, multiyear campaign for the ASA. We could not do this work without this collective support, courage, and determination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While the lookback window is closed, we remain committed to fighting for more pathways to justice for survivors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On May 24, 2022, Governor Kathy Hochul signed the Adult Survivors Act (ASA) into law, granting survivors of sexual assault an opportunity to heal and seek justice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Adult Survivors Act created a special one-year look-back window, allowing survivors whose case or claim had expired outside the statute of limitations, and who were 18 or older when they were sexually assaulted in New York State, to file a lawsuit against the person who harmed them and\/or the negligent institution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The one-year window allowed survivors to sue, even if they were already outside of the civil statute of limitations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The ASA window opened on November 24, 2022, and closed on November 24, 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Over 3,000 lawsuits were filed under the ASA. Many people learned about this critical legislation through our PSA<\/a> and raised awareness using our social media toolkit<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To watch an ASA Q&A session with our panel of lawyers and legal experts, click here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n The ASA window may be closed, but we are proud of how many spoke up and advocated on behalf of survivors. Click here for a snapshot of all the outlets we were mentioned in.<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Adult Survivors Act","post_excerpt":"The Adult Survivors Act would help adult survivors of sexual abuse in New York State seek justice in the courts.","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"safe-horizon-calls-on-lawmakers-to-pass-the-adult-survivors-act","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-06-10 14:49:31","post_modified_gmt":"2025-06-10 18:49:31","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/?p=7611","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":9834,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2022-09-27 09:04:20","post_date_gmt":"2022-09-27 13:04:20","post_content":"How Much Experience the Attorney or Lawyer Has with Sexual Abuse Cases<\/h2>\n
How They Help Their Clients Manage the Emotional Challenges that Come with Filing Cases<\/h2>\n
How Much Expertise the Attorney or Lawyer Has Handling Sexual Abuse Cases<\/h2>\n
How Long Have They Been Representing Victims of Sexual Abuse<\/h2>\n
If the Law Firm or Lawyer’s Primary Office is in New York State<\/h2>\n
Does it Matter How Much Money a Lawyer Has Previously Made Their Clients?<\/h2>\n
How Expensive Will Filing a Case be?<\/h2>\n
What if an Attorney or Lawyer Doesn\u2019t Take my Case?<\/h2>\n
More About the Adult Survivors Act<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Adult Survivors Act News Coverage<\/h2>\n\n\n\n