Before You Call a Lawyer

What happened to you was not your fault. Many troubled teen programs were designed to isolate kids, control what they could say, and teach parents not to believe them. This guide helps you take the next step on your terms: what to gather, what to ask, and what to expect.

1 Gather

What to gather

You don't need all of this. Anything helps. If something is painful to look for, skip it. A lawyer can often get records without you.

• The basics: program name, location, and roughly when you were there (approximate is fine)
• Program paperwork: enrollment contracts, brochures, website printouts, invoices, insurance claims
• Communications: letters, emails between your parents and the program, progress reports, handbooks or rule sheets
• Names: staff, therapists, other students, the transport company, any consultant who recommended the program
• Afterward: medical or therapy records, photos, journals, school records showing a gap
• Prior reports: anything you told police, a licensing agency or a doctor, and roughly when

Parents often kept the most documents. If it's safe to ask, ask them what they saved.

Write it down once

Make a short, private timeline: when you went in, when you left, and the few things that matter most. Keep it for you and your lawyer only. Writing it once lets you set the pace instead of reliving it on every call.

Before you post

Survivor communities matter. But anything public, like posts, comments and group threads, can be read by the other side. Think about talking to a lawyer before you share details of your story online.

2 Ask

Don't rule yourself out

• Deadlines vary. They can depend on the state, your age at the time, the type of harm and who is responsible.
• Deadlines have been changing. Many states have extended time limits for childhood abuse claims in recent years. Something you were told years ago may no longer be true.
• Some deadlines start later. In some places, the clock doesn't start until a person understands what happened and how it affected them.
• More than one person or company can be responsible: the program, its owners and parent companies, transport services, placement consultants, and others who knew and didn't act.

Don't do the math yourself. Ask a lawyer, and ask soon.

Questions to ask any lawyer you're considering

1. 01Have you handled cases against youth residential programs before? How did they go?
2. 02Will you personally handle my case, or hand it off? Who will I actually talk to?
3. 03How are you paid? (Most lawyers handle these cases on a contingency fee. That means they are paid a percentage of any recovery. Ask what happens with case costs if there's no recovery.)
4. 04How will you protect my privacy? Can my name be kept out of public filings?
5. 05How do you work with survivors? Can I take breaks, bring a support person, and set limits on what I talk about?
6. 06What do you honestly think about the deadlines in my case, and when will you know?

Trust how you feel on that first call. If a lawyer rushes you, pressures you to sign that day, or makes you feel like a file number, it's okay to keep looking. This decision is yours.

3 Expect

What to expect if you move forward

1. 01First conversation: Confidential. Share as much or as little as you're ready to. You don't owe anyone a decision.
2. 02Investigation: Your lawyer researches the program: ownership, licensing, prior complaints. Most of it happens without you.
3. 03The complaint: The filing that starts the case. Many courts let survivors use a made-up name (a pseudonym), such as "Jane Doe." Ask early.
4. 04Discovery: Both sides gather evidence. You'll likely give a deposition: a recorded interview with your lawyer beside you, not in a courtroom. Many are now remote.
5. 05Resolution: Most civil cases end before trial, often through mediation. Whether to accept any offer is your decision.

Cases usually take years, not months, but most of that time the case moves in the background while you live your life.

More help

Use AI to organize your story

Many survivors find it easier to tell their story to an AI tool first, privately and at their own pace. Used carefully, it can turn your memories into a timeline, a document list and a one-page brief for a lawyer. Then you don't have to start from scratch on the first call.

Before you start

• AI makes mistakes. Read everything it writes and correct it. It can't confirm your memories. It can only check public facts.
• It isn't private like a lawyer. A chat with an AI tool isn't protected the way a conversation with your lawyer is. Check your privacy settings, stick to facts, and share the brief only with the lawyer you choose.
• Take breaks. You can stop at any point and come back later.

Copy and paste this prompt

I'm a survivor of a troubled teen program. I want to organize my experience before I talk to a lawyer. Go at my pace, ask me one question at a time, and let me stop whenever I need to.

1. Interview me. Ask about: the program name(s) and location(s); roughly when I was there; how I got there (transport company, consultant, school counselor, court); staff names and roles; what happened that I want a lawyer to know; any injuries or medical care; who I told and when; and how it has affected me since (health, school, work, relationships, therapy).

2. Check public facts only. Look up public information about the program: its correct and former names, address, years operating, owners or parent companies, whether it closed, and any news, licensing or inspection reports. Give me links. Never change my memories to match what you find. If something conflicts, just note it.

3. Mark what's certain. Label each item "I remember clearly," "I'm not sure," or "publicly confirmed" (with the source). Never fill a gap with a guess.

4. Build a timeline in date order, one line per event.

5. List documents and evidence I may have or could get: contracts, brochures, letters, emails, progress reports, journals, photos, medical or therapy records, school records, prior reports, and witnesses. For each, note who probably has it (me, my parents, the program, an agency).

6. Write a one-page brief for a lawyer in plain facts, no opinions, in this order: the program; dates; what happened (short); effects on my life; witnesses; documents; my questions for the lawyer. Don't add details I didn't give you.

When you're done, remind me to read everything and correct it before I send it.

Send the brief, timeline and document list only to the lawyer you're considering.

For volunteers and supporters

Do

• Listen, believe, and let them set the pace
• Help them find and keep documents, so nothing gets thrown away
• Share this guide and Unsilenced's process for connecting with an attorney
• Gently mention that deadlines exist, so getting advice sooner is better
• Take care of yourself, too

Don't

• Take a detailed written or recorded statement. Even well-meant notes can be requested in a lawsuit
• Tell anyone whether they have a case, or that it's too late
• Post details of someone's story, or encourage them to post, before they've had legal advice
• Push one lawyer as "the one" (share the questions in this guide instead)

For more resources

unsilenced.org and FrankStucki.com