Help Us Fight Back Against Efforts to Roll Back Gender Justice

Extremist judges will not stop endangering the lives of pregnant people or people who may become pregnant—overturning Roe v. Wade, attacking medication abortion, threatening the future of IVF, and this week at SCOTUS, emergency abortion care.

Our lawyers are waging strategic fights that make clear what is at stake for people who can become pregnant and seek to bolster our fundamental rights to control our lives, futures, and destinies.

Make a donation to the National Women’s Law Center to power the fight for accessible health care and a better future for all. Every donation is 100% tax-deductible.

All Topics

FAQs About the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund and the Legal Network for Gender Equity

FAQs

Need legal help?

Here’s our process:

Are you an attorney interested in the Legal Network and TIME'S UP Legal Defense Fund?

Here’s our process:

I have experienced sex discrimination or sexual harassment at work, at school, or when trying to get medical care. I need an attorney. What should I do?

Fill out the form at this link to receive legal information and a listing of attorneys participating in the Legal Network for Gender Equity. If situation involves sex discrimination or harassment at work, school or while trying to get medical care, we will send you the name of three attorneys in your area who will can talk to you about your situation. We cannot guarantee that an attorney will take your case.

The Legal Network for Gender Equity provides the names of lawyers for informational purposes only. By providing this listing, the Legal Network for Gender Equity is not endorsing, approving or recommending the lawyers or groups listed or guaranteeing any result or outcome.

Do I have to pay the lawyer?

Attorneys in the Legal Network for Gender Equity offer a free initial consultation. This is your chance to talk to a lawyer and figure out what steps make sense for you.

Some attorneys in the Network can take cases for a reduced fee or for free, some will not.  If you contact an attorney from the Network, you may ask questions about the fees and costs of the representation and other matters. If the case involves workplace sexual harassment or retaliation and meets other requirements, the attorney may also apply for funding from the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund.

What is the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund?

The TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund was started by women in Hollywood who were moved by the outpouring of support from the Alianza Nacional de Campesinas, a national farmworker women’s organization. These actresses and activists wanted to show solidarity with survivors of sexual harassment, assault, abuse and related retaliation in all industries — especially low-income women and people of color. They worked together in a historic first to design a structure that would be both inclusive and effective.

The actresses and advocates collaborated with super lawyers Tina Tchen and Robbie Kaplan, Fatima Goss Graves of the National Women’s Law Center, and communications specialist Hilary Rosen. The Fund has gained broad support and donations from many leaders in the film and television industry as well as from thousands of small donors from across the country. The more money that is raised, the more people we can help.

What is the Legal Network for Gender Equity?

The Legal Network for Gender Equity was launched in October 2017. The Network connects individuals experiencing sex discrimination – including sexual harassment — at work, at school, or in accessing health care with attorneys willing to take on these types of cases.

The lawyers who participate in the Network agree to provide a free initial consultation to individuals who contact them through the Network and in some instances can take on sexual harassment or other sex discrimination cases free or for a reduced fee.

How are TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund and the Legal Network for Gender Equity related?

TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund and the Legal Network for Gender Equity work together to address sexual harassment and related retaliation in the workplace. The Network connects individuals experiencing sex discrimination – including sexual harassment — at work, at school, or in accessing health care with attorneys willing to take on these types of cases.

For select cases involving sexual harassment and related retaliation at work, the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund can:

  • Help pay legal fees and costs
  • Connect people to help pay for media and storytelling process
  • TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund support is determined through an application process, and funding determinations are made based on priority criteria and availability of funds.

The Legal Network for Gender Equity and TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund are housed at and administered by the National Women’s Law Center Fund, LLC.

How do I apply for funding for my case?

Only attorneys may apply for TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund financial support for legal fees and costs. If you have experienced sexual harassment associated with work or related retaliation you can ask your attorney to complete the application. If you do not have an attorney, contact The Legal Network for Gender Equity  for help in finding one.

If you are an attorney seeking financial support for costs or fees in a workplace sexual harassment or related retaliation case, please read in full and complete the application and return it to [email protected]. The application sets out eligibility requirement and priority criteria for funding. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Not all applications for funding will be granted.

How do I apply for media and storytelling assistance?

You can find the steps for completing the process here.

Which cases will be financially supported by the Fund?

The TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund is intended to increase the availability of legal representation to individuals experiencing sexual harassment associated with work or related retaliation by helping to defray the costs of such representation in select cases where representation is not realistically otherwise available.

The Fund only supports cases involving workplace sexual harassment or related retaliation. We do not provide funding for cases occurring at school, or in health care. However, the broader Legal Network for Gender Equity does connect individuals experiencing sex discrimination to attorneys in cases occurring in all three settings – at work, in education, and in healthcare settings.

A priority will be given to matters involving individuals in low-wage jobs who could not otherwise obtain legal help to challenge sexual harassment or defend against related retaliation. To learn more about the criteria that will guide funding decisions, please review the application in full here. We cannot guarantee that a specific case will be funded, and we cannot fund all the cases that apply.

Decisions regarding funding are made by the staff of the National Women’s Law Center. These determinations are made free from the influence of donors and without the regard to the source of funds.

 

What will the monies from the Fund be used for?

The primary purpose of these monies is to help defray the costs of legal representation for individuals challenging sexual harassment associated with work and related retaliation. The Fund will also provide financial support for public relations services for these cases of workplace sexual harassment and related retaliation. Finally, the Fund will support the costs of staffing and administering the program.

Does TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund endorse candidates for public office?

No. TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund is housed and administered by a 501(c)(3) organization and does not endorse candidates for public office or otherwise engage in partisan political activity. The Fund’s sole purpose is to support survivors of workplace sexual assault, harassment, retaliation and other misconduct.

Is NWLC currently hiring for work in relation to the Fund?

Please keep an eye on NWLC’s jobs page for openings.

Why do lawyers sometimes need financial support to take on sexual harassment or related retaliation cases?

Bringing a legal case, or even hiring a lawyer to help address a problem with an employer without resorting to litigation, is expensive. This often requires paying an attorney an hourly fee as well as any of the out-of-pocket costs. Lawyers who agree to represent clients without any upfront payments are taking a financial risk on the case. If a case is successful in court, then there’s a chance that it could lead to a financial resolution for both the client and the lawyer. However, this is not guaranteed in any way. As a result, it can be difficult to find a lawyer to take on these types of cases, particularly for those working in low-wage jobs. This Fund will help encourage more lawyers to take on these cases.

What is the relationship between the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund and the TIME’S UP organization?

The TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund is housed and administered by the National Women’s Law Center Fund, LLC.  It connects worker facing sex harassment with attorneys and provides funding and for legal and media relations support for select case of workplace sex harassment and related retaliation.

TIME’S UP administers the TIME’S UP Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charity which helps to support the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund and other charitable programmatic and advocacy initiatives.

TIME’S UP and NWLC have different leadership and boards. All decisions made by TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund about connecting individuals with attorneys and funding cases or media assistance are made solely by staff at the National Women’s Law Center. Though a frequent ally and movement partner, TIME’S UP is a separate and distinct organization which has no decision-making authority for TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund or NWLC.

Decisions made by the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund regarding connecting individuals with attorneys and supporting cases are made independent of considerations of donations or funding for the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund and are made based on set criteria. Unfortunately, TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund is not able to fund every case that applies and cannot always find attorneys to take a case.