Legal Aid Reduces Violence: PBN Teams Up to Bring Attorneys Westward
- Sheila Pont & Donna Peel
- Jul 26, 2016
- 3 min read
It is a no-brainer (yet proven anyway) that having a lawyer increases a domestic violence victim's likelihood of being granted a protective order against her or his abuser. But for those supporting PBN and other legal-aid agencies, it gets better - according to a recent study, having access to civil legal aid may be the most important factor in reducing rates of violence according to a recent study by the Institute for Policy Integrity.
Remember what it was like being 20? Imagine being a 20 year old college student and the fun carefree boyfriend with whom you recently broke up starts threatening your family and you. This is what happened to our client, Rosemary, in 2012. Rosemary called the police immediately after receiving her ex-boyfriend’s threatening text messages and followed their instructions to go to court to ask for an order of protection. When she arrived, she was handed 12-15 pages of paperwork to fill out, but, luckily, that courthouse had a legal clinic, the Domestic Violence Legal Clinic, where she was connected to two Pro Bono Network attorney volunteers. These attorneys assisted Rosemary in filing her submissions and they stayed with her as she went through the entire Order of Protection process, giving her peace of mind. “It would have been easy to not do anything, “ Rosemary says, “It was a lot of work and really overwhelming, but this guy cannot think that this type of behavior is okay.” She left that day with an Emergency Order of Protection and proud of herself for stepping up and taking care of herself. Three weeks later, Rosemary returned to court to request a plenary order of protection. This is the next step after an emergency order. A plenary order lasts much longer, but many victims of violence do not pursue it because, at this point, the abuser has notice and has a right to speak his/her side in court. It is not uncommon for the abuser to bring a lawyer or, maybe worse, cross examine the victim himself. Going through this is often unthinkable to a victim after all she or he has experienced.
Although Rosemary was afraid to encounter her ex-boyfriend, she was empowered by having two attorneys on her side. As she remembers, the attorneys were “so supportive, they answered all my questions, and broke down the entire process for me in a way that I could understand.” In the end, Rosemary received a two year order of protection and the peace-of-mind that she had stood up for herself. To this day, she strongly believes that it was the sheriff handing him the court papers that convinced him to finally leave her alone. Four years later, Rosemary has gone on to much success. She is a college graduate, has a fantastic corporate job and is more proud then ever of what she did back in 2012. But mostly, she is incredibly appreciative for all PBN did to help her during this difficult time. "If not for you all (PBN attorneys), I would have had to do this all alone.”
Many victims do have to do it alone. Not every courthouse has legal aid or pro bono attorneys available. In 2014, at the behest of our very own courts, PBN partnered with LAF, a legal-aid agency in Chicago, and Sarah's Inn, a domestic violence service agency, to bring attorneys to the Maywood Courthouse in Cook County. Sarah's Inn has legal advocates (who, because they are not lawyers, cannot represent clients) at the courthouse. These skilled advocates refer potential clients to LAF who provides intake, offers brief advice or refers to PBN. LAF also covers PBN attorneys with its malpractice and offers training and mentorship.
For every client referred to LAF for intake, there are at least 10 more who qualify. Our goal is to eventually leave no one unserved and no one unsafe. A donation of $500 covers most of the expenses associated with mobilizing attorneys and representing a domestic violence victim in an order of protection and will make an impact! DONATE HERE!
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