UCLA Title IX Lawyer: University of California, Los Angeles Defense

This page is for UCLA students, and their parents, who have been contacted by the campus Title IX office about an allegation of sexual violence or sexual harassment. If you are looking for a UCLA Title IX lawyer, start with which UCLA offices are involved and what each one does. This page covers what is specific to UCLA. The systemwide University of California process is explained on our UC Title IX lawyer page.

The UCLA Offices Involved in a Sexual Violence or Sexual Harassment Case

The Title IX Civil Rights Office

UCLA’s office calls itself the “Title IX Civil Rights Office”. Other UCLA pages call it the Title IX Office, and this page does too. It is in Murphy Hall. UCLA says the office receives and addresses reports of sexual harassment and sexual violence, and of discrimination based on grounds including gender identity, gender expression and pregnancy status. It also conducts investigations, runs trainings and puts mitigating measures in place.

UCLA describes the office as neutral, with equal rights for both parties once an investigation starts. UCLA’s overview says both parties are permitted one advisor and one support person. The office states that it is a “non-confidential reporting office”, so do not treat conversations with it as private.

The Office of Student Conduct and the Student Conduct Code

The Office of Student Conduct is also in Murphy Hall. It reviews student misconduct under the UCLA Student Conduct Code. The Interim 2026 Code says that “procedures do not apply to student conduct violations involving sexual violence and sexual harassment”. Those matters go to the UC Policy on Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment (SVSH Policy) and any local procedures currently in effect.

The Code also says who looks first. Allegations of sexual violence and sexual harassment are reviewed initially by the Title IX Office. If the Title IX Office decides it does not have jurisdiction, the Office of Student Conduct may review the matter to decide whether other provisions of the Code apply.

Section 102.29 of the Code is titled Violation of the University of California Policy on Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment. Other sections, including 102.09 (Sexual Harassment) and 102.10 (Stalking), send allegations of that kind to the Title IX Office first.

How a Matter Starts at UCLA

Reporting routes

UCLA’s Filing a Report page lists two reporting options: the Title IX Office, and the UC Police Department (UCPD) for a criminal complaint or protective order. Employees designated as responsible employees are required to report sexual harassment and sexual violence to the Title IX Office. UCLA says the Title IX Director considers a person’s request about confidentiality when deciding how to respond.

Time limits and jurisdiction

UCLA states: “There is NO timeline to report incidents.” A report can be made even if a lot of time has passed. The same page says Title IX is an administrative process that “only holds jurisdiction over an affiliated Respondent”. If the respondent is not affiliated with UCLA, the office may look into the matter through what it calls an Other Inquiry.

What UCLA says happens after a report

The Title IX Office makes an initial assessment, including a limited inquiry when appropriate, to decide how to proceed. Its listed responses are Administrative Closure, Alternative Resolution, Formal Investigation and Other Inquiry. UCLA’s overview lists five steps: intake, assessment, formal investigation, fact finding hearing and appeal. Your own notice tells you which of these responses applies to you.

The SVSH Policy also prohibits retaliation against anyone for reporting or taking part in the process, and UCLA says retaliation is treated as a separate violation.

UCLA Documents for Student Respondents and Their Dates

The Policies and Your Rights page has a section headed For Students and Student Respondents. It lists several versions of each document, with these dates:

• PACAOS Appendix E (non-DOE-covered conduct): January 1, 2026 (interim), August 14, 2020, and July 31, 2019.
• PACAOS Appendix F (DOE-covered conduct): January 1, 2026 (interim) and August 14, 2020.
• SVSH Policy: August 24, 2026; January 1, 2026; August 29, 2024; January 1, 2022; August 14, 2020; July 31, 2019; and January 1, 2016.
• UCLA Student Conduct Code: Interim 2026, January 15, 2021, and March 4, 2016.

The older versions are still posted. A page that lists a document does not tell you which version applies to you. That can depend on the incident date or the notice date. Read the documents your notice names, and ask the Title IX Office to confirm the version if it is unclear.

Campus Procedures in the UCLA Student Conduct Code

The points below are what the Interim 2026 Code says. It says its own procedures do not apply to SVSH violations, although relevant Code provisions can be referred to or incorporated by local procedures. Where the Code mentions SVSH matters, it sends them to the SVSH Policy, its appendices and local procedures.

Interim suspension and interim exclusion (Section IV)

• Before a final determination, the Reviewer may impose an interim suspension. It may include exclusion from classes or other activities or areas of campus, and it is meant to restrict a student only to the minimum extent necessary.
• The Chancellor reviews the information within 24 hours. If the Chancellor does not affirm it in that time, the interim suspension is void.
• The Reviewer must tell the student the charges, the length and conditions, and the opportunity for a hearing with the Dean of Students.
• Those hearings have scheduling priority, and the student may bring a support person or advisor. The Dean of Students decides within five days of the hearing’s end whether the suspension is necessary and whether its conditions should change.
• The Code says a voided interim suspension, or the result of the hearing, has no bearing on the disciplinary proceedings. For sexual harassment and sexual violence, those proceedings follow the SVSH Policy.

The Code sets out an interim exclusion in nearly the same terms.

Suspension, dismissal, holds and transcripts

The Code says suspension ends UCLA student status for a set number of terms. A suspended student may not transfer or register at another UC campus during the suspension, and a Hold may keep the student from registering or getting transcripts. Dismissal ends UC student status for an indefinite period. Readmission after dismissal requires the approval of the Chancellor of the campus applied to. Section III.H says that when a suspension or dismissal results from Code violations, the fact must be posted on the academic transcript for the duration of the sanction.

Support for Respondents at UCLA

Respondent Support Services

Respondent Support Services is the campus service set up for respondents. It helps students, staff and faculty accused of violating the SVSH Policy. It explains a respondent’s rights and the process, answers questions, goes with you to investigation, adjudication and appeal meetings, makes referrals and helps with logistics of an interim suspension. It can also help arrange an interpreter. All consultations are free.

It is not designated confidential. Unless the law or the Responsible Employee Mandate requires disclosure, though, conversations stay private. It gets no information about your matter from the University, and you decide what to tell it. It cannot give legal advice or counseling.

Confidential resources listed for respondents

• Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS): confidential counseling and support, described as available 24 hours a day.
• Student Legal Services: confidential legal counseling and assistance for registered UCLA students.
• Office of Ombuds Services: confidential, independent and neutral help with informal conflict resolution. Speaking with it is not formal notice to the University, and it cannot receive formal complaints.

Complainant-only resources

The CARE Program (Advocacy Office for Sexual and Gender-Based Violence and Misconduct) is labeled a complainant resource, so it is not a respondent service. The Santa Monica Rape Treatment Center and the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Victim Assistance Program are described for survivors and victims.

Related pages: our California Title IX defense attorney guide, the Los Angeles Title IX lawyer page, and the Title IX investigation guide.

The UC process in brief

After an initial assessment, if an investigation goes forward, the Title IX Officer consults Student Conduct and sends both parties a written notice of charges, and the investigation typically takes 60 to 90 business days under a preponderance of the evidence standard. Before the investigator’s report is final, the parties review the evidence, for a period that absent good cause will not exceed 5 business days under Appendix E, or for at least 10 business days under Appendix F. The report includes a preliminary determination, and the parties then have 20 business days: under Appendix E either party may contest it (a respondent facing proposed suspension or dismissal is presumed to contest unless they accept in writing and waive a hearing), and under Appendix F there is a hearing unless both parties accept in writing. A single hearing officer decides any hearing, and Student Conduct sets sanctions, which can include suspension or dismissal from the University of California. An appeal after a hearing is due within 10 business days of the notice of the determination and any sanctions; when there was no hearing, the appeal goes to Student Conduct within 10 business days of its notice that the preliminary determination is final, and the only ground is a disproportionate sanction. The full steps and deadlines are on our UC Title IX lawyer page.

Official UCLA Title IX Resources

• UCLA Title IX Civil Rights Office
• UCLA Title IX: Resources for Respondents
• UCLA Respondent Support Services
• UCLA Title IX: Policies and Your Rights
• Interim 2026 UCLA Student Conduct Code
• UC Policy on Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment (SVSH)

Last verified: October 2026

Frequently Asked Questions About UCLA Title IX Cases

Who at UCLA will contact me?

The Code says allegations of sexual violence and sexual harassment are reviewed first by the Title IX Office. Under the UC process, if an investigation goes forward, the Title IX Officer, after consulting Student Conduct, sends a written notice of charges. If Title IX finds it lacks jurisdiction, the Office of Student Conduct may review the matter instead.

Is the Title IX Office confidential?

No. UCLA calls it a non-confidential reporting office, and it describes itself as neutral. Respondent Support Services is not designated confidential either, but its conversations stay private unless the law or University policy requires disclosure. CAPS, Student Legal Services and the Office of Ombuds Services are listed as confidential.

Where can I get support as a respondent?

Respondent Support Services is the campus service set up for respondents. It explains your rights and the process and can go with you to meetings, and consultations are free. It does not give legal advice or counseling, so UCLA lists CAPS and Student Legal Services as places to look for those.

Can a lawyer be my advisor?

Under the UC process, an advisor can be any person who is not a party, including an attorney, or one the University provides. The Code’s definition of an advisor also includes attorneys. Under Appendix E the advisor may not speak for you. Under Appendix F the advisor speaks only to ask your questions at a hearing.

What happens if I am placed on interim suspension?

The Code says the Chancellor must review it within 24 hours, or it is void. You must be told the charges, the length and conditions, and that you can have a hearing with the Dean of Students, who decides within five days of the hearing’s end whether it stays and whether its conditions change. Respondent Support Services says it helps with logistics of interim suspension.

Will this go on my transcript?

Section III.H of the Code says a suspension or dismissal imposed for Code violations must be posted on the academic transcript for the duration of the sanction. For SVSH cases, Appendix E and Appendix F say the posting of sanctions on academic transcripts follows PACAOS Section 106.00 of the Policy on Student Conduct and Discipline. Your notice and the documents it names are the place to check.

How long do I have to appeal?

Under the UC process, an appeal after a hearing is due within 10 business days following notice of the hearing officer’s determination and any sanctions. If there was no hearing, it is due within 10 business days following Student Conduct’s notice that the preliminary determination is final and the proposed sanction will be imposed, and the only ground is a disproportionate sanction. Check the dates in your own notice.