When it comes to clergy abuse, it’s a difficult subject to comprehend and to go through.
Survivors of such dreadful incidents are people who have to deal with long-term effects of abuse while, at the same time, tackling legal issues of their claim, such as evidence, liability, institutional responsibility, and all that within the confines of legal deadlines (statute of limitations). Once you do have the courage to come forward with what happened, you need to find the right lawyer for the case. Because you definitely don’t want all this out in the public, just for the offender to walk away free due to a technicality.
To maximize your chances, you need to go with a law firm that has prior experience of successfully dealing with clergy abuse cases.
Of course, finding a lawyer is just the first step for anyone who’s thinking about legal action.
Luckily, Illinois has a number of attorneys and legal teams that specialize in such cases, whether we’re looking at survivors in clergy abuse cases or any other institutional case that involves abuse.
It’s important to realize that every case is different and every case has its own circumstances. A good lawyer will be able to explain the minute differences and legal options regarding the case while also assessing the circumstances regarding the claim, and finally, they will be able to determine what steps are available to the plaintiff under Illinois law.
So, what are the qualifications a person needs to look for when looking for a lawyer who’ll represent them in such a case?
Prior Experience With Clergy Abuse Cases
Experience is an obvious factor to look for. Ideally, successful cases.
That doesn’t mean that someone who doesn’t have any experience will not do a proper job, but experience is definitely an advantage.
It’s a matter of abuse claims; clergy abuse claims involve more than just actions of a certain individual perpetrator.
Depending on the circumstances of a particular case, the case might be linked to schools, to various religious organizations, or straight up to dioceses, churches, etc. And the bigger the opponent, the more complicated the case becomes. This is why experience is one of the main points to factor in when looking for the right law firm to deal with your case.
| The Illinois AG has found and identified 451 Catholic clerics linked to child sex abuse. The Investigation involved 1,997 survivors all over the state of Illinois. In order to get there, they had to scour through 100,000+ pages of files related to diocesan abuse. – Office of the Illinois Attorney General |
Familiarity with Illinois Abuse Laws
Legality is also another factor.
It should come as no surprise that legal rules surrounding such cases are complicated, even more so the older the case is (if it happened years or decades ago). A good lawyer can see and review those circumstances, the circumstances of any individual case, and explain what laws apply when concerning deadlines.
This is important because as time goes on, different rules can apply, not to mention a lot of other factors such as the survivor’s age at the time, when the abuse was discovered, and how it was remembered.
| According to Illinois law, just knowing childhood sexual abuse happened isn’t by itself sufficient evidence to trigger the statutory discovery period. – Illinois General Assembly – 735 ILCS 5/13-202.2 |
It’s a lot of things all intertwined in one big mess.
Institutional Responsibility
Abuse cases could be tied to an individual or a group of individuals, while some are linked to institutions.
In those cases, survivors may tackle questions such as looking to see whether an institution failed to protect them or if itdidn’t act according to the law when it came to reports of misconduct.
These cases are usually investigated by attorneys; factors such as investigating records, correspondence, personnel files, previous complaints, and anything else related to the case.
The Right (Illinois) Legal Team
The one thing everyone will have to contend with is the fact that there is no single attorney who will be the right choice for every situation and every survivor.
Some have courtroom experience; others – communication, accessibility, and/or experience handling certain types of abuse claims.
It’s about asking them what experience they have and how they conducted their investigations in those cases and making the best-informed decision possible. Survivors looking for an experienced legal team, injurylawyerteam.com Illinois clergy attorneys can look up their options and see which attorney handles which cases and, through meetings and interviews, decide who will handle their claims.
Unfortunately, there is no single right answer, and the survivor’s discretion is advised.
Conclusion
Because clergy abuse cases require a lot of thought, time, and expertise, which includes both legal and personal circumstances, survivors should take as much time as they can in choosing how to proceed and take steps forward.
Looking for factors such as experience, familiarity with Illinois law, investigative resources and methods, and even successes, and a survivor-focused approach can all be valuable factors in making a choice of legal representation.
Don’t be afraid to vet lawyers and trust your judgment.
Disclaimer: This article provides general information and is not a substitute for legal advice. Laws and filing deadlines vary depending on the circumstances of each case.
