Lives of Consequence
Seth H. Langson ’73
Lawyer, Advocate and Director of Brave Step, Inc.
Bringing 30 years of experience litigating on behalf of sexual abuse survivors, Seth H. Langson ’73 is the owner of and principal at Seth Langson Law, where he focuses on representing survivors, advocacy against child sex abuse and advising non-profits and groups that work with children.
After earning his B.A. in sociology from Hobart and a law degree from Boston College, Langson moved to North Carolina, where he worked for a personal injury firm before establishing his own practice. While it was a chance referral that set him on the path of seeking justice for abuse survivors, Langson “was brought up in a household where social justice was emphasized by my parents,” he says. “I wanted to do something that would help the underprivileged and less powerful make their lives better. The law seemed like the best way to do that.”
The more he’s worked with survivors of sexual abuse, the more passionate he has become about advocacy and prevention. “My clients are incredibly courageous and inspiring,” says Langson, who also considers his work, in part, that of an investigator.
“You need to know your talents, and I realized mine was solving complicated legal puzzles,” he says. “This is especially so since sex abuse usually occurs without witnesses. I would start with just a bit of the frame of a picture and then worked at filling in the places in between to obtain justice for my client. One of my goals of my representation has always been to try and get the perpetrator convicted and jailed. I am most proud of a case where the pastor/perpetrator had fled to Nicaragua for ‘missionary’ work. After the conclusion of the civil case, I contacted numerous authorities in both the United States and Nicaragua to pursue criminal prosecution in the United States. This was achieved.”
More recently, Langson has represented survivors of abuse by Catholic clergy, reaching a $1 million settlement with the diocese of Charlotte, N.C. That case, Price v. Diocese of Charlotte, helped shed light on a culture of secrecy and protection for abusive clergy members, and earned Langson and his client the North Carolina Advocates for Justice Kellie Crabtree Award for representation that helped protect people’s rights.
Though he still represents clients, he has transitioned from the courtroom to advocacy work in recent years. “It became more and more apparent to me that the legal system was failing,” he explains. “Society talks about wanting to do more but the system doesn’t match the rhetoric. Therefore, my efforts toward preventing child abuse include educating the public as to the existing gaps in North Carolina laws and providing information that parents need to know before entrusting their children to schools or youth organizations.”
Today, Langson is a leadership team member of the Children’s Alliance and an officer and director of Brave Step, Inc., a North Carolina-based nonprofit that supports individuals affected by sexual abuse including survivors, parents and spouses. Providing adults with personalized care and trauma counseling free of charge, Brave Step’s vision is to lead survivors, parents and spouses to a life free of guilt, shame and sadness while combatting sexual abuse through community education.
Ultimately, through education and raising public awareness of the laws and their implications on these issues, Langson says, “I hope to bring about systemic change.”