Picking up the phone can be the hardest part. Many survivors of sexual abuse in Berwyn worry that calling a lawyer means starting a lawsuit, retelling everything, or losing control. None of that happens just because you ask a question.
It is also very often not too late, and you do not need a police report or a conviction. A claim turns on your age when the abuse happened, who was responsible, and the facts. It does not turn on whether anyone believed you then. Attorney Ervin Nevitt, a partner at Coplan + Crane (Illinois bar registration 6319808, admitted 2014), reviews these cases.
Step one: you talk with a person
When you call, you reach a person. There is no online form standing between you and a conversation, and no intake script. You do not have to describe what happened in order to talk. You can ask general questions first and decide later how much to share.
Step two: we look into who had a duty
Next, we look at which institution was responsible, what it knew, and what records exist. We also consider whether a claim can still be brought. This work costs you nothing.
In Berwyn, that often means looking at institutions such as the Archdiocese of Chicago, which covers Cook County, or local public school districts. Those include Berwyn North District 98, Berwyn South District 100, and J. Sterling Morton High School District 201. When a school district, county, or the state is involved, the Illinois Tort Immunity Act and special notice requirements apply. That is the first thing to check and is easy to get wrong.
Step three: you decide
We tell you plainly what is possible. If you decide not to go ahead, that is the end of it. What you told us stays confidential.
Step four: if you go ahead, we carry it
If you choose to proceed, we handle the filings, the deadlines, the records, and the institution's insurers. A Berwyn case would be filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County. Steps can be taken to protect your identity in the court record.
Common Questions Around the Consultation
Will it cost me anything to ask? No. These cases are taken on a contingency fee. The fee is a share of any recovery, and there is no fee if there is no recovery.
It was decades ago. Is a call worth it? Yes. Most people who contact us from Berwyn do so years or decades later. People often assume they are out of time and turn out not to be.
My memory has gaps. That is ordinary. Memory of childhood trauma is often incomplete, and cases are built from institutional records rather than a complete account.
Support you can reach today
You do not need to talk to a lawyer to get help. Pillars Community Health runs a 24-hour hotline at 708-482-9600, serving West Suburban Cook County with offices in Hickory Hills and Berwyn. RAINN is available at 1-800-656-4673, free and confidential, around the clock.
The line is answered at any hour, and the first conversation costs nothing. Call (708) 671-6858 for a free, confidential case review.
