No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.
Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972
Who we are
Lim Riley is a boutique law firm that serves educational institutions nationwide by providing legal advice, Title IX investigation and adjudication services, policy writing, and training opportunities to assist with their response to sex discrimination, sex-based harassment, and other forms of protected class misconduct.
Lim Riley is founded by two attorneys, Peter Lim and Devon Riley, each with 20 years of experience investigating and responding to reports of sexual violence and protected class misconduct in both the private and public sectors. Since 2014, Peter and Devon have served educational institutions in all aspects of compliance with Title IX, Title VI, Title VII, the Clery Act, and related state and federal nondiscrimination laws. They bring a unique experience and perspective to their practice, having served as Title IX Coordinators for major universities, as well as external hearing advisors, hearing officers, and investigators in hundreds of individual matters.
Devon Riley
Partner
Devon Riley is a highly experienced Title IX adjudicator and investigator. A former partner with an Am Law 100 firm, Devon has over 10 years of experience conducting investigations on behalf of educational institutions involving sexual assault, intimate partner violence, stalking, and sexual and gender-based harassment in both K-12 and higher education institutions, pursuant to Title IX, the Clery Act and other state and federal regulations. She specializes in conducting Title IX hearings, having served as a hearing officer and legal advisor to the hearing officer and/or panel in hundreds of Title IX related matters. She also drafts policy, trains professionals on how to respond to Title IX related misconduct, and provides guidance on institutional governance and effective responses. She has experienced the evolution of Title IX implementation nationwide, and has worked alongside institutions as they build compliant and effective Title IX programs.
Devon is a former child abuse and sexual assault prosecutor, having worked in the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office for six years, where she prosecuted sexual assault and family violence criminal cases. She directed investigations alongside the Special Victims Unit for cases involving alcohol facilitated sexual assault, historic allegations of abuse, and interpersonal sexual and physical violence. Devon provided training to the city's crime lab, Special Victims Unit, and juvenile court prosecutors on presenting forensic evidence at trial, advanced interviewing techniques, and the complexities of interpersonal violence.
Devon holds an LL.M from Temple University's Beasley School of Law and a J.D. from the Duquesne University School of Law. She is licensed to practice law in Pennsylvania (2004) and South Carolina (2014). She received her undergraduate degree from Goucher College in 2001.
Peter Lim
Partner
Peter is based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and provides a broad range of Title IX and Equity consulting services to colleges and universities nationwide. He specializes in conducting Title IX investigations and hearings, drafting and modifying Title IX policies, and delivering Title IX-related training to internal administrators. He has also facilitated the informal resolution of a wide variety of sexual misconduct matters.
Before Lim Riley, Peter was a partner with an Am Law 100 firm for five years, where he specialized in Title IX. While with his prior firm, Peter served as the interim Title IX Coordinator at San Jose State University for the critical first years of a 4-year monitoring period by the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. After his first year, San Jose State’s Title IX program was publicly recognized by the CA State Auditor's Office as a model for other schools.
Peter also served as a senior Title IX investigator at the University of Pennsylvania and prosecutor in the Special Victims Unit at the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office. During his nine years as a prosecutor in the Homicide & Family Violence and Sexual Assault Units at the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, Peter gained extensive jury trial experience handling criminal matters involving sexual violence and homicide. As a senior sex-crimes litigator, he prosecuted cases involving alcohol-facilitated sexual assault and provided trainings to other prosecutors on medical and forensic evidence. In addition, Peter taught advanced interviewing techniques to forensic interviewers at the Philadelphia Children’s Alliance and trained social workers at the Department of Human Services how to properly respond to allegations of child sexual assault and issues related to teenage recantation. In 2013, Peter received the prestigious Lynne Abraham Prosecutor Award for Exemplary Services and Support to Victims and Witnesses of Crime.
Peter received his undergraduate degree from the University of California at San Diego and earned his J.D. from Temple University Beasley School of Law. He is licensed to practice law in Pennsylvania (2006).
Our Services
Investigative Services
Investigative Services
We are experienced and trained investigators on matters relating to protected class discrimination and harassment. We approach our work by balancing care and fairness of response and process.
Decision Maker,
Hearing Officer, &
Facilitator of Informal Resolution
Decision Maker,
Hearing Officer, &
Facilitator of Informal Resolution
We are experienced and trained decision-makers for live hearings required pursuant to the Title IX regulations, and facilitators for informal resolution.
Policy Writing
Policy Writing
We provide all phases of policy drafting, including a draft policy from inception to a legal review of an already drafted and implemented policy. We seek to provide a policy that is not only compliant with federal law, but capable of implementation by the institution.
Training
Training
We provide training opportunities for Title IX Coordinators, investigators, decision-makers, and campus stakeholders that meet the Title IX regulation requirements.
Legal Advice for Compliance
Legal Advice for Compliance
We provide legal advice related to Title IX implementation, including advice that meets legal requirements and adopts effective practices.
Interim Title IX Coordinator
Interim Title IX Coordinator
At Lim Riley, when we serve in an interim TIX Coordinator role, we do not merely fill a temporary void. Rather, we engage proactively and creatively with the school's community to build an effective Title IX program. A state auditor recently released a public report praising our extensive work at a large university as a model for other schools to follow.
Our Approach to Title IX
Fostering equity and complying with Title IX are top priorities for every school. Meeting this commitment requires thorough, fair, and considerate responses to reports of sex discrimination in a school's education programs and activities. An effective response requires a holistic understanding of the many nuanced issues related to sex discrimination and sex-based harassment, including balancing care to those impacted while ensuring procedural fairness, especially in light of the ever-shifting legal and regulatory landscape. Navigating these complex issues is a familiar space for the attorneys at Lim Riley, who are among the most experienced in the nation in assisting schools with responding to these issues in a way that is not only thorough, fair, balanced, and compassionate, but also legally compliant and true to the school's values and mission.