FEBRUARY 24, 2025

Paula Bliss, Kim Dougherty, Kelly Guagenty and Laura Yaeger traveled to Miami last week to attend the American Association for Justice (AAJ) Winter Convention 2025 – the largest national gathering of top trial lawyers.

Dougherty and Yaeger were tapped as speakers, to educate and share updates on their areas of expertise including sexual assault litigation and law firm marketing, operations, and growth.

At the start of 2025, Justice Law Collaborative and Yaeger Law announced their merger, joining together two, female-founded and led law practices. The leaders of both firms have successfully collaborted on numerous, nationwide cases and have served on professional committees together for more than a decade.

JLC’s newest partner Laura Yaeger also officially announced her interest in becoming the next AAJ parliamentarian. Over the last several weeks, her campaign efforts have intensified – resulting in a bevy of endorsements and vocal support from AAJ members.

As part of her campaign effort, Yaeger hosted a flamingo-fabulous “Cocktails & Conversations” event at AAJ Convention during which she was able to connect with fellow AAJ members and share what she intends to bring to the role of parliamentarian should she earn their vote come July 2025.

FEBRUARY 19, 2025

In 1972, Congress enacted Title IX, a federal law to prevent sex-based discrimination in schools. Over time, court cases have interpreted the law to require schools to protect students from sex-based harassment and sexual violence and ensure that neither impedes a student’s access to education. Frequently, those who experience sexual assault are more likely to earn lower GPAs, struggle with emotional self-regulation, and drop out of school altogether.

In the last few weeks, the newly installed Trump administration initiated a flurry of executive orders causing seismic shifts across various federal, educational, and support service landscapes. Included in the mix is the Trump administration’s decision to roll back expanded protections in Title IX, instituted by the Biden administration, returning them to 2020 regulations.

During Biden’s term in office, his administration expanded Title IX to protect LGBTQ+ students and also updated the type of behavior considered sexual harassment — a reversal of the DeVos policy. The regulations expanded the categories of conduct, thus protecting individuals from discrimination on the basis of sex characteristics, sexual orientation, and gender identity.

The reversal of Title IX to its 2020 iteration, as of January 2025, once again narrows the definition of sexual harassment and the scope of cases academic institutions must address. It also reduces the liability of colleges and universities, holding them accountable only if they acted with “deliberate indifference.” Finally, it effectively eliminates protections for gender identity in schools and governs how misconduct complaints are investigated and how to settle cases where students present differing accounts will be enforced. Among the most controversial changes is a rule requiring colleges to hold ‘live hearings’ where accused students could cross-examine their accusers through an advisor. The Biden rules eliminated this requirement–making live hearings optional.

The retroactive law is being condemned by victims’ rights groups who believe sexual assault survivors will now be in a position to be retraumatized – a circumstance that often deters many from coming forward to report the assaults altogether. As a law firm with deep roots supporting survivors of sexual assault and abuse, Justice Law Collaborative sees the legislative reversal as a tragic setback.

“We are outraged by the recent shift in Title IX enforcement,” shared Kelly Guagenty, sexual assault attorney and partner at Justice Law Collaborative. “Forcing survivors to appear at live hearings and endure cross-examination by the accused is not just cruel – it is a blatant attempt to intimidate and silence victims. This retraumatizing process will only discourage survivors from coming forward and sharing their truth.”

The firm believes that narrowing the definition of sexual harassment and limiting institutional responsibility will deepen the barriers faced by survivors seeking justice and sends the dangerous message that a victim’s trauma is secondary to protecting the accused.

Guagenty continued, “This Title IX policy shift is nothing but a step backward – straight into the dark ages for those who have suffered abuse. As a legal advocate and mother of two college-aged daughters, this backward shift is beyond maddening. The very policies meant to protect survivors are being used to silence them. It is beyond frustrating to see the government prioritize the rights of the accused over the dignity of sexual abuse survivors.”

Even so, the team at Justice Law Collaborative remains steadfast in its efforts to seek justice for the survivors and the dignity and respect they deserve. The firm’s mission is to provide unwavering advocacy through survivor-centered legal practices, compassion, zero judgement, and a trauma-informed approach regardless of regressive policies.

— Attorney Kelly Guagenty is a partner at Justice Law Collaborative, a law firm devoted to supporting and advocating for survivors of abuse.

Last week, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly hosted its inaugural Women’s Leadership Summit to provide the tools, resources and experience to further cultivate greater female leadership across the Bay State’s legal industry. The half-day networking and educational seminar included tracks on finding the elusive work-life balance, launching your own law firm, and building personal brand to grow a client base.

Justice Law Collaborative (JLC) co-founder and partner Paula Bliss was tapped for a panel focused on legal entrepreneurship. Her selection was based on JLC’s consistent success throughout the firm’s three short years of operation. In that brief time, JLC has achieved exceptional results litigating the rights of individuals harmed by corporate negligence or greed as well as those that have suffered at the hands of abusers. Further, in the creation of their law practice, the co-founders of Justice Law Collaborative further built upon a foundation of superior legal prowess with the addition of a trauma-informed framework.

“It is not unusual for women in law to earn a seat at the table however it is challenging for them to own the first chair,” said Paula Bliss. “As attorneys and legal industry entrepreneurs, our goal is to grow the success rate of women achieving greatness in law not only as lawyers, but as firm leaders, mentors, and executors of their own destinies.”

Today, Justice Law Collaborative further differentiates itself by focusing on networking, mentorship, collaborative versus competition, and a dedication to support women in law. The firm earned position on the 2025 Best Law Firms® list and was highlighted by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly as a top Women Led Law Firm (2024). Justice Law Collaborative also received a 2024 Empowering Women Award by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly in the Fall of 2024.

(November 25, 2024)

Best Law Firms®, the gold standard in legal industry recognition, recently published its 2025 Best Law Firms rankings, recognizing an elite group of firms achieving superior results at regional and national levels and those dedicated to legal excellence. Included in the rankings was Justice Law Collaborative, (JLC) which was ranked as a Tier 1 in both Personal Injury Litigation and Product Liability Litigation.

Three years ago, JLC co-founders Paula Bliss and Kim Dougherty had a big idea. The talented attorneys with deep legal experience dreamed of building a different type of law firm. They prioritized collaboration over competition. They pursued meaningful casework. They leveraged the successes of their legal victories to reframe and modernize state and national legislation. And, they became vocal champions for a woman’s voice–professionally and personally.

In a few short years, JLC’s colleagues, clients, and peers have noted the firm’s steadfast resolve and the tireless dedication of its team members. The firm has represented athletes abused by Olympic coach Larry Nassar, teenagers tormented by hostile, uncertified schools parading as therapy-based programs for “troubled teens,” (TTI) and has represented consumers or patients are harmed by corporate greed and negligence. Additionally, JLC is at the forefront of legislative reform, spearheading efforts to modify statutes of limitations and enact new laws to protect the innocent and to provide proper financial and judicial remedies to victims.

Most recently, the JLC team announced aggressive national class action lawsuits against CooperGenomics, Inc., CooperSurgical, Inc., The Cooper Companies, Inc., Reproductive Genetic Innovations, LLC., Progenesis, Inc., and Natera, Inc., alleging consumer fraud, breach of warranty, and related claims arising out of the defendants’ advertising and sale of a genetic test called preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A), which is used during the IVF process.

“We are deeply grateful for the showering of accolades, recognition and support,” said JLC co-founder Paula Bliss. “Words cannot express how much it means to us although our focus remains on the work at hand–finding justice for our clients and the resolve to leave an indelible mark on the legal industry as a whole.”

Media contact: Wendy Agudelo (for Justice Law Collaborative, LLC); wendy@imageprofessors.com.

(November 21, 2024)

Last week, CNN’s The Lead Host Jake Tapper interviewed Gina and Stephen Meyer, co-founders of the family’s nonprofit Katie’s Save for which JLC’s Kim Dougherty has been an avid supporter and vocal advocate. Read More