Madeline Theophilus

Madeline Theophilus represents individuals in matters involving sexual assault, employment discrimination and workplace harassment. Her practice is grounded in a commitment to advocating for those who have been wronged, holding individuals and institutions accountable, and helping her clients pursue justice on their own terms.

Madeline brings a rare and powerful combination of prosecutorial and plaintiff-side experience to her work. In private practice, she has represented survivors of sexual abuse across a broad range of matters, including claims under the Child Victims Act and the Adult Survivors Act, against the Catholic Church and other religious institutions, schools, government entities, and both the City and State of New York. She has also handled sex trafficking claims under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, and cases involving the online exploitation of children and the non-consensual distribution of intimate images.

Madeline began her career as an Assistant District Attorney in the Westchester County District Attorney's Office’s Special Prosecution Division, protecting victims of domestic violence and sex crimes — running felony investigations from the ground up, coordinating with police, and standing as first chair in trials and hearings, establishing her reputation as a tenacious and meticulous advocate who could be trusted with the most sensitive and demanding cases. That courtroom experience, forged case by case in the pursuit of justice for victims, gives her a rare vantage point few civil attorneys bring to this work: she has seen these cases from every side of the table, and she uses that perspective to anticipate, and outmaneuver, the defense at every turn.

Her commitment to survivors took root early. During law school, Madeline interned with the U.S. Department of Justice's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, where her work focused on child exploitation prosecutions and the evolving law surrounding online abuse, and externed with the DOJ's Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section, addressing international crimes including human trafficking and war crimes. With Protect Our Defenders, a national organization serving survivors of military sexual assault, she wrote an amicus brief to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in a significant case concerning the Feres doctrine — the rule that sharply limits servicemembers' ability to sue the government — and submitted a brief to the Board of Correction of Naval Records that won a survivor full relief.

Education

Madeline earned her J.D. from The George Washington University Law School, where she served as Assistant Director of Student Advocacy for the Student Bar Association

She graduated with a B.A. in English and History from Drake University as a Presidential Scholarship recipient and a member of Donald J. Adams Leadership Academy.

Awards

• President's Volunteer Service Award – a national honor conferred by the President of the U.S.
• George Washington University Pro Bono Service Award

Bar Admissions

• State of New York
• U.S. District Court of the Southern District of New York
• U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of New York