What does a Sexual Harassment Attorney do?

A sexual harassment attorney is a lawyer who focuses his or her practice on sexual harassment cases, legislation, or activism. Sexual harassment lawyers may be male or female, and may represent both plaintiffs and defendants in court. In addition to managing court cases, a sexual harassment attorney may help work with businesses and organizations to create and improve harassment policies or try to improve regional, national, and global protections against harassment.

Sexual harassment can be a deeply traumatic experience, damaging the lives of victims as well as the permanent level of trust and openness in a workplace, organization, or school. A sexual harassment attorney is often a lawyer that cares passionately about preventing harassment, or about stopping unwarranted accusations from ruining an innocent person's reputation or career. In addition to law school and undergraduate education, a sexual harassment lawyer may have additional training in related areas, such as psychology, diversity training, and the management of sexual abuse or rape victims.

Some sexual harassment lawyers prefer to focus their career around legal cases. In their daily jobs, this type of attorney may meet with clients, do case history and legal precedent research, hold depositions, speak to expert witnesses, and manage court administrative issues. Some lawyers prefer to work at a private practice or as part of a legal firm, while others may volunteer or expend most of their efforts working with legal aid clinics that provide lawyers or legal assistance to clients that cannot afford a private attorney. When on a case, a sexual harassment attorney will try to gather as much evidence as possible to build a case for his or her client, as well as providing the client with advice and information about the road ahead.

A sexual harassment attorney may also serve as a consultant to a company struggling with harassment issues, or wanting to improve an outdated harassment policy. Using legal acumen, a lawyer can be of great help to an organization by crafting a policy that is clear, efficient, sensible, and that meets all legal guidelines. In some cases, attorneys may also consult on employee material about harassment, by providing information on the applicable laws and explaining their meaning.

Though many regions have clear sexual harassment laws, they are neither universal, nor universally effective. A sexual harassment attorney with an interest in public policy may attempt to enter the political field by lobbying for changes to current legislation that would make it more efficient and more fair. In regions where sexual harassment protections are minimal or nonexistent, lawyers may be in a good position to influence change through legal activism, as well as by working to structure and word new legislation.