Calling a lawyer about abuse at a boarding school can feel like reopening a part of your life you have kept closed for years. It helps to know exactly what happens. Nothing is set in motion by asking a question, and every decision stays yours.
You do not need to have reported the abuse, and nobody needs to have been charged. A civil claim asks what the school knew, what it should have known, and what it did. Attorney Ervin Nevitt, a partner at Coplan + Crane (Illinois bar registration 6319808, admitted 2014), reviews these cases.
Step one: you speak to a person
Not a form and not an intake script. You do not have to describe what happened in order to have the conversation.
Step two: we look into who had a duty
We look at which institution was responsible, what it knew, what records exist, and whether a claim can still be brought. That work costs you nothing.
For a boarding school, this starts with how the school operated. Residential schooling removes the ordinary safeguard of going home at the end of the day. Supervision is continuous, and so is exposure, and a child has nobody outside to tell.
Private boarding schools are not public bodies, so the Tort Immunity Act does not apply. They are often long-established institutions with decades of internal records. These claims are usually brought against the school, not only against the individual, and negligent supervision is the theory that most often carries them, though several usually run together depending on your facts.
Step three: you decide
We tell you plainly what is possible. If you decide not to go ahead, that is the end of it, and what you told us stays confidential.
Step four: if you go ahead, we carry it
We handle the filings, deadlines, records, and the institution's insurers. Steps can be taken to protect your identity in the court record.
Common Questions Around the First Call
It was a long time ago. That is the norm in this work rather than the exception. What governs it is your age at the time, who was responsible, and the particular facts.
What does it cost? Nothing up front. These cases are taken on a contingency fee, so there is no fee if there is no recovery.
What if I only remember part of it? That is ordinary. These cases are built from institutional records rather than from a complete account.
Call (708) 671-6858 for a free, confidential case review or visit https://survivorsofabuseil.com/boarding-school-sexual-abuse-lawyer-il/.
