If you're a student at a college or university in Ohio and you find yourself facing a Title IX hearing, it's critical to take necessary steps well in advance of the hearing itself. During the course of the Title IX case, the school will prepare an investigation report prior to it being finalized, necessary steps have to be taken. The report has to be responded to as strongly and as comprehensively as possible, prior to it being finalized. All relevant and necessary documentation, information and evidence would have to be incorporated into the final report.
And an absolute minimum relevant text messages, social media posts, witness statements, pictures, videos, forensic evaluation, a toxicology report, if consent is an issue, a polygraph examination. All of these steps need to be taken so that the report is as strong as possible, because once finalized it's presented to the hearing panel, the panel reviews it in advance of the hearing itself, and has a strong sense of the case before the hearing even takes place. At the hearing itself, questions would have to be prepared for all parties.
Attacking the accuser's credibility is often key. So, questions for the accuser and the accused witnesses would have to be prepared with that in mind. Opening and closing statement would have to be drafted. The potential pitfalls and missteps that could take place would need to be considered, and a party would need to be prepared with that in mind. The hearing panel would have to be considered for a potential bias and conflict of interest. All these steps need to take place both in advance, and would have to be addressed accordingly at the hearing, and an experienced attorney advisor can help maximize the prospect of success.
