“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” For many generations, children have been taught similar forms of psychological defense against harmful words. 

In the not-too-distant past, threatening words against a student, a faculty member or a school might result in disciplinary action from the principal’s office. It was commonly understood that young people make mistakes and may need to be corrected – but not ruined for life over idle threats.

Today’s world is very different. Schools take threats seriously – including threats made outside of school in social media forums. Even if you or your child is simply rumored to have made threats against a school or a student at school in Illinois, the accused needs an attorney with experience.  Look for a lawyer who knows how to work with the school and government agencies to make sure that a youthful indiscretion doesn’t have lifelong implications.

At Anderson Attorneys & Advisors, lead attorney Audriana Anderson offers a perspective that few juvenile defense lawyers can provide. Before entering private practice, she served as Supervisor of the Juvenile and Family Justice Unit for the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office, making her the only private-practice juvenile defense attorney in DuPage and Kane Counties with that experience. She managed cases involving juvenile crime allegations, family law matters, and child protection issues, giving her firsthand knowledge of how these cases are reviewed and pursued by the state. Today, she uses that background to advocate for young clients, protect their rights, and work toward outcomes that preserve their future opportunities.

Former Prosecutors, Now Defenders In DuPage County

At Anderson Attorneys & Advisors, we understand, as many parents do, that making mistakes is part of growing up. We stand with our clients and their parents in the belief that young people who make threats in the heat of the moment or without thinking shouldn’t have black marks on their records for the rest of their lives. There are many effective pathways to resolution that don’t require sending a student through the juvenile criminal justice system.

Our attorneys have extensive experience and a strong track record in defending students against charges of school threats in Illinois. We begin with a student’s right to a presumption of innocence. Even when evidence of school threats is irrefutable, we fight for our clients’ rights to protect them from having criminal records and losing out on their educations.