LEGAL SERVICES

The Legal Advocacy Project provides legal services to survivors of domestic and sexual violence. The following list details our main services. However, this list is not exhaustive; if you are a survivor of domestic and/or sexual violence and you feel that your legal issues do not fit under any of these categories, feel free to contact our office and we still may be able to provide assistance or a referral to an agency who can help meet the your needs.

Types of Services

VAWA Self-Petitions: The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) allows immigrants survivors of domestic abuse who are legally married to their abusive spouse to obtain legal permanent residence or citizenship status, even if their spouse refuses to cooperate. First, a set of legal criteria must be met, including a requirement that the spouse is a legal permanent residence or U.S. citizen already. Peace Over Violence works with immigrant survivors to help them identify whether or not they qualify and to assist them in filing their application. Specific services include legal clinics, paperwork assistance and legal advocacy.

Divorce: The common term for “dissolution of marriage,” a process by which a married couple ends their legal obligations to one another. In the divorce process, the court can determine who has custody of the children (if any), how to divide up the couple’s property, and how much support should be paid to a former spouse. Often in divorce cases where domestic violence exists the issues become compounded. Peace Over Violence helps survivors understand and maneuver the Family Law system.

Protective Orders: These include Domestic Violence Protective Orders and Civil Harassment Orders, which prohibit an abusive and/or harassing individual from having contact with you. Peace Over Violence staff and volunteers help survivors understand their rights and how to request these orders. Specific services include paperwork assistance, legal advocacy/court accompaniment and pro bono representation.

Legal Advocacy for Sexual Assault Survivors: In the court and disciplinary hearings, officials often neglect to provide appropriate protections for the rights of the survivors. For sexual assault survivors, Peace Over Violence provides information about civil legal remedies and about the criminal and civil legal process as well as accompaniment to court and disciplinary hearings.

Paperwork Assistance: A legal volunteer assists the client in filling out paperwork from the court, such as divorce petitions and requests for restraining orders.

Legal Advocacy/Court Accompaniment: A legal volunteer or staff member will accompany the client to court hearings, provide support, help the client draft letters to assert their rights, and offer information about legal remedies and the legal process.

Attorney Consultation: Our legal department staff sets up a meeting with the client and an attorney to discuss the legal issues presented in their situation.

Pro Bono Representation: Our legal department staff will arrange for the pro bono (i.e., free of charge) representation of a client on a particular legal issue. This representation is in the form of limited scope representation (click for definition) where a volunteer attorney will assist clients only on some issues in their case.

Legal Clinics: Volunteers in the Legal Advocacy Project explain the process of handling a particular legal issue. Then, the volunteers meet individually with clients to assist them in filling out paperwork and pursuing their case.