DOMESTIC VIOLENCE LAWYER

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(19) This may in part be due to the fact that family violence clinics provide students with the opportunity to improve their substantive and trial practice skills in one semester.
Incorporating Domestic Violence Legal Issues into Law School Curricula May Encourage Lawyers to Advocate for Social Justice Law schools which offer courses on domestic violence law may improve the practice of law by training future lawyers to serve unrepresented individuals.
One of the most important services law schools can provide in helping to end domestic violence is to ensure that graduating law students understand what domestic violence is and how many areas of law it affects.
To realize this goal, however, law school programs must ensure that law students -- who may become prosecutors, defense attorneys, family law attorneys, general practitioners, business leaders, legislators, lobbyists, policy analysts, or judges -- attain an adequate understanding of domestic violence issues.
Training law students on domestic violence issues can increase public safety, and help remove the burden that recurring domestic violence cases impose on the legal system.
Law School Programs Can Provide Non-Legal Assistance or Refer Victims to Community Organizations Law school clinical programs may be able to provide effective services to victims of domestic violence for additional reasons.
Domestic violence issues provide a means to improve practice skills whether taught in clinical programs or presented as hypothetical cases in general lawyering courses.
While this technique may be useful in some divorce cases, it can lead to dangerous outcomes in domestic violence cases, by allowing perpetrators to continue to harass victims throughout extensive legal proceedings.
Students who learn domestic violence law while in law school will be familiar with these legal issues when they become lawyers, rather than learning at the expense of clients or failing to address critical issues as practicing lawyers.
Immigration lawyers should be aware that abusers often threaten to deport their battered spouses as an additional means of control, and that the Violence Against Women Act provides protection for battered immigrant spouses.
For instance, a tax lawyer who has identified a client's history of domestic violence with an ex-spouse may understand why the client chooses to forgo certain financial benefits in the hopes of maintaining her physical safety.
(10) Law students who represent domestic violence clients, perform legal research for shelters, or participate in community advocacy groups may be more likely to pursue public interest careers or devote time to pro bono cases upon graduation.
(17) A family law attorney who fails to identify a client as a victim of domestic violence or to review domestic violence laws may not comply with statutory provisions protecting victims.
These substantive skills may assist students to obtain employment opportunities in firms practicing family law or criminal defense law, in public defender or prosecutor offices, and in legal services organizations, among others.
The American Bar Association, for instance, recently enacted a policy resolution condemning lawyers or judges who commit or condone domestic violence and urging the profession to take affirmative steps to educate judges and lawyers.
a landlord-tenant case in which a client is being evicted because of noise resulting from the domestic violence.
Recent reports confirm that perpetrators commit further acts of violence even after they are arrested or have protection orders entered against them.
For example, a victim may refrain from reporting the violence if the abuser is a fellow law student, for fear of ruining the abuser's career or being judged by an insular law school community.
Teaching Domestic Violence Law Enhances the Substantive Skills of Law Students The pervasiveness of domestic violence ensures that lawyers will come in contact with domestic violence issues in a variety of ways.
(5) Despite the presence of domestic violence as an overt or underlying factor in criminal and family law, traditional law school courses fail to even mention domestic violence as an issue.
For instance, restrictive regulations or heavy caseloads may prevent legal services organizations from advocating for legal reforms affecting victims in the community or from providing holistic legal services to victims.
Domestic violence also has lethal results -- nearly thirty percent of all female homicide victims were known to have been killed by their current or former husband or boyfriends.
The next time her husband beats her, she calls a domestic violence hotline, but they tell her there is an eight-month waiting list to get a pro bono lawyer.
Therefore, most lawyers are likely to represent clients who are experiencing or perpetrating violence in their homes.
(16) Lawyers who fail to present the courts with information on the effects of violence on children harm children by promoting unsafe custody or visitation arrangements.
Law schools which fail to teach students about domestic violence legal issues may be exposing future lawyers to malpractice suits, disciplinary complaints, or sanctions for ethical violations.
Communities Would Also Benefit From Increased Access to Legal Assistance Significant societal advantages could accrue if law schools included domestic violence issues in their curricula, particularly because these issues arise in so many areas of the law -- from health law to personal injury law.
Domestic violence not only endangers third parties, such as children, or law enforcement officers responding to a crime scene, but also unrelated bystanders.
For instance, lawyers may need to invoke statutory prohibitions against joint custody or mediation when the parties have a history of domestic violence.
A primary reason for this change was the enactment of the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 [VAWA].
Law students may be victims or perpetrators of domestic violence,(12) or they may know friends or family members who are being abused or are perpetrating abuse.
In addition, law students in clinical programs may provide particularly effective representation in domestic violence cases.
Incorporating Domestic Violence Legal Issues May Attract Law School Applicants and Create a More Diverse Student Body A growing number of law students are choosing to attend law schools that offer clinical programs in order to represent clients, develop lawyering skills, and enhance employment opportunities.
For instance, a criminal stay-away order that forbids a batterer from coming to the victim's workplace, or a custody order that requires the children to be dropped off and picked up at a supervised visitation center, can help prevent future violence -- against the victim, the children, and bystanders.
Additionally, most custody statutes require courts to consider domestic violence as a factor in custody determinations or create a presumption against granting custody to a perpetrator of domestic violence.
With federal funding increasing year by year for domestic violence programs, law schools may find that offering domestic violence courses increases their chances of obtaining outside funding.
(26) Even when abusers do not use the court system as a new battleground, victims may face complex legal problems resulting from the violence.
At present, however, professional competency demands that lawyers comprehend the dynamics of domestic violence, the legal implications (including criminal penalties), and the appropriate responses.
(4) Similarly, a large proportion of criminal cases involve violence against intimate partners or spouses.
Studies show that victims who are represented by counsel obtain civil protection orders that are more effective in curtailing further violence.
Because of this financial deprivation, victims of domestic violence frequently lack the ability to afford legal counsel upon separation from their abusers.
Additionally, the VAWA funded grant programs to train prosecutors to handle domestic violence cases.
Teaching Domestic Violence Legal Issues in the Law Schools Benefits Students and Improves the Practice of Law The legal profession has a unique role to play in developing and implementing coordinated community responses to domestic violence.
Stereotypes about victims and perpetrators may have prevented lawyers from understanding the complexity of domestic violence legal issues.
Perpetrators often use economic coercion as a way to exert power and control over their victims, in conjunction with threats or physical violence.
An investment in domestic violence legal education should increase victim safety and reduce the community costs of recurring cases in the health care, legal and corrections systems.
Competent representation requires the legal knowledge, skill, thoroughness, and preparation reasonably necessary for the representation.
(30) Law school programs can assist victims by conducting workshops in community organizations, such as domestic violence shelters or local high schools, directed at clients, shelter workers, adolescents, or school counselors.
As a result, if a local legal services agency has a lengthy waiting list and pro bono services are unavailable, victims may be forced to represent themselves in court.
This practical knowledge can assist prosecutors to develop alternative ways of prosecuting domestic violence cases.
(6) Family Law Despite the new trend of aggressive criminal prosecution of domestic violence cases, family law responses remain integrally important in assuring victim safety and independence.
The diversity of approaches to the criminal, civil, and federal aspects of domestic violence law allows students to consider a range of perspectives across the political spectrum.
Incorporating domestic violence legal issues into law school curricula prepares students for their professional responsibilities, and provides students with the information they need to assist themselves or others to seek legal remedies to end the violence.
Teaching about domestic violence legal issues, however, can prepare students to handle a legal and sociological problem which will continue to affect them for the rest of their lives, as professionals and as human beings.
(38) For example, domestic violence shelters or victims in rural areas may be cut off from services available in more populated areas.
One of the first lessons law schools can teach students is that domestic violence occurs when one intimate partner uses a pattern of behaviors, including physical violence, coercion, threats, intimidation, rule making, isolation, or emotional, sexual and economic abuse, to maintain power and control over the other intimate partner or spouse.
an insurance case in which a client was denied insurance based on the history of domestic violence.
Domestic Violence Law is an Ideal Topic for Teaching Lawyering Skills Students can develop their practical lawyering skills, as well as their substantive legal skills, by studying domestic violence law.

Student attorneys who represent batterers in criminal defense clinics should therefore be thoroughly trained on domestic violence legal issues.
Student attorneys can teach classes on the dynamics of domestic violence and the legal remedies available for adult and teen victims.
Mary Ann Dutton, a clinical psychologist, co-teaches the domestic violence clinical program with Professor Joan Meier, assisting students with the psychological aspects of domestic violence and representation of abuse victims.
Children who witness domestic violence often endure physical abuse, or suffer developmental, cognitive, or behavioral impairments as a result of living in violent homes.
Since perpetrators often deprive victims of financial resources, victims desperately need free or low-cost legal assistance.
Domestic violence is a primary factor in certain areas of the law, such as family law and criminal law.
Raising domestic violence issues provides students with an opportunity to engage in profound debate about the law's role in shaping social policy.
For instance, one client may require representation in a range of interwoven legal cases including the following: a civil protection order case for immediate protection.
Such training will serve victims well, even if student attorneys ultimately practice law in areas other than domestic violence, since all lawyers will be sensitized to domestic violence issues and prepared to assist victims.
Incorporating domestic violence legal issues into law school curricula can also help respond to the unmet legal needs of the local community.
Professional Responsibility and Case Management Skills Students may confront challenging professional responsibility issues through litigating domestic violence cases.
Incorporating Domestic Violence Issues into Law School Curricula May Create Resources to Assist Victims Victims of domestic violence desperately need legal representation, yet few lawyers have been trained on domestic violence law.
The VAWA raised the profile of domestic violence cases in the law enforcement community by creating new federal crimes of domestic violence.
Because domestic violence is a pattern of actions, legal professionals must be trained to scrutinize even seemingly benign activities -- like making a telephone call or sending flowers to a former victim.
(1) Domestic violence has been defined as a pattern of interaction in which one intimate partner is forced to change his or her behavior in response to the threats or abuse of the other partner.
Victims may require legal representation, for example, in financial matters such as bankruptcy or landlord-tenant cases, as well as in related family, criminal, or civil matters.
Both professors and students may draft law review articles or amicus briefs on emerging legal issues, helping to shape evolving law in the field.
In contrast, law school programs may have the resources to provide representation to clients in a range of legal cases, and students may be able to participate vigorously in advocacy groups within the community.
Teaching Domestic Violence Legal Issues in Law Schools Can Begin to Reduce Domestic Violence in the Law School and Local Community Law schools which incorporate domestic violence legal issues into their curricula may be contributing to the eradication of domestic violence within the law school community.
Victim advocates, who are aware of the dynamics of domestic violence and the capabilities of the legal system, can help victims seek the most effective response to end the violence -- which may include criminal prosecution of domestic violence crimes.
In addition, other systems which are flooded with domestic violence cases, such as the law enforcement, corrections, and health care professions, might experience a decreased caseload if lawyers were well-trained on domestic violence issues.
Representation by well-trained student attorneys can be extremely useful for victims who may have a range of legal needs or require support and understanding simply to pursue legal action.
(32) Law enforcement and courts report that an increasing number of victims are seeking assistance to end the violence.
Continuing legal education or pro bono training programs can train lawyers to handle these cases well, but such programs often come too late in a busy legal professional's career to have a real impact on legal practice.
In the District of Columbia, for example, law school clinical programs at four area law schools provide the bulk of representation for victims of domestic violence.
All lawyers must be prepared to screen for domestic abuse and provide appropriate legal advice when domestic violence has been identified as an issue.
Another major influence encouraging the prosecution of domestic violence cases is the growing use of victim advocates in prosecutors' offices and court intake centers across the country.
Further, since all lawyers may have clients who are victims of domestic violence, they should know how to develop safety plans with their clients.
(35) Victims of domestic violence may suffer a wide range of psychological effects, including post-traumatic stress syndrome, or they may continue to live in terror as a result of being stalked or assaulted by their abusers after separation.
It is startling how many lawyers do not know what the legal definition of domestic violence is or what abusive behaviors are covered by the law.
Besides training future lawyers to accept pro bono cases, offering domestic violence law courses may inspire students to devote their talents to reforming the legal system so that it better serves victims of domestic violence.
Legal Training May Increase Public Safety and Reduce Judicial, Health Care and Law Enforcement Costs Domestic violence takes an enormous toll on public safety.
Domestic violence has been recognized as a criminal justice issue, a public health epidemic, and a drain on workplace productivity.
Most states, for example, view domestic violence as a factor in custody determinations or create a presumption that perpetrators of domestic violence should not be awarded custody of children.
(22) Since employers recognize the value of clinical training programs, law schools which incorporate domestic violence clinical programs enhance their own reputations while expanding employment opportunities for students.
(24) While domestic violence programs provide desperately needed services to the community, they also accrue benefits to law schools.
Students working in domestic violence prosecution units or handling contempt trials have the opportunity to acquire lawyering skills in criminal cases.
(15) Without appropriate legal education, lawyers may unwittingly expose their clients to further violence as a result of legal developments in their cases.
Lawyers who lack knowledge about domestic violence law contribute to incorrect legal outcomes.
In order to offer this help, however, law students must be informed about the impact of domestic violence on family law.
Teaching Domestic Violence Issues in Law Schools Benefits the Community Incorporating domestic violence legal issues into law school curricula provides significant short-term and long-term advantages to the community in which the law school is located.
Lawyers can inform perpetrators of the legal consequences of their behavior and encourage them to seek help to end the violence.
The legal profession will be better equipped to handle domestic violence cases if lawyers are educated about domestic violence issues prior to becoming prosecutors, defense attorneys, and members of the private bar and judiciary.
Domestic Violence Law Can Have a Profound Effect on the Lives of Law Students Law students, like other members of society, may confront domestic violence issues in their personal as well as professional lives.
For instance, if the police no longer had to return repeatedly to the same homes because of family violence, they could save funds.
Lawyers should be aware that financial control plays a key role in domestic violence relationships.
Students also bridge the gap between theory and practice by preparing and litigating domestic violence cases.
The prestige of domestic violence practice has been greatly enhanced by the federal focus on domestic violence issues, evidenced by the Department of Justice's high profile programs and Congress' continuing legislative initiatives.
(23) If domestic violence legal issues are part of the curricula, however, the law school will be sending a strong message that domestic violence is a criminal matter which will not be tolerated by the legal profession.
Lawyers who comprehend domestic violence issues will be better able to understand their clients' motivations and goals.
Similarly, if lawyers fail to consult their clients about the timing of legal procedures, such as filing for child support, victims may be assaulted by their abusers when they could have taken precautions to protect themselves.
While some individuals might claim that American society is too litigious, few would claim that there is a surplus of lawyers trained to effectively represent victims of domestic violence.
(7) Domestic violence also plays a role in tort law, corporate liability law, poverty law, and trusts and estates law,(8) raising malpractice questions if lawyers fail to appropriately address the issue.
The legal system's failure to respond effectively to domestic violence has a corresponding effect on the health care and law enforcement systems, when victims are forced to call the police or seek medical treatment repeatedly for ongoing violence.
Law school clinical programs can help fill the gaps created by reduced funding for legal services organizations.
Law School Programs Can Fill Other Gaps in Community Services for Victims and Perpetrators Law school programs may also have the resources to address domestic violence issues which other organizations cannot address.
Students have also volunteered at the George Washington University Hospital's emergency room, and compiled referral directories of local domestic violence services.
Law schools which address domestic violence law are likely to enhance their reputations, while law schools which fail to provide adequate education may fall behind national standards.
Law schools can respond to the critical needs of victims, while increasing the public's respect for the legal profession.
Studies show that children are often traumatized by witnessing or experiencing domestic violence.
(33) Recent studies have found that domestic violence costs at least $67 billion dollars a year in medical and mental health care costs, property damage and loss, law enforcement and fire services, victim services, and lost worker productivity.
(11) Informed law students can assist individuals who are victims of family violence, whether or not they are clients.
Judges may be more likely to issue tightly crafted custody and visitation orders if they understand the perpetrator's obsession with exercising control over the victim.
For instance, family lawyers need to know if their state laws prohibit mandatory mediation in domestic violence cases.
Many of the most highly regarded law schools have begun to incorporate domestic violence legal issues into their curricula.
Students then draft petitions requesting relief from the court, which may be accompanied by more detailed motions or legal briefs on matters of first impression.
Teaching Domestic Violence Legal Issues
While law students generally favor clinical programs, domestic violence programs may be particularly popular with students.
As a result, law students who are not exposed to domestic violence legal issues in law school are ill equipped to pursue criminal law careers upon graduation.
Studies have shown that perpetrators tend to escalate the violence when victims attempt to leave,(14) which often coincides with the commencement of legal proceedings.
Law school programs may have the resources to supply rural shelters or clients with representation or, at the minimum, to draft legal research memoranda on issues of critical importance to victims in rural communities.
When one party in a dissolution or custody proceeding has abused the other party, a range of legal and safety issues are raised.
Failure to handle domestic violence cases properly can also endanger those in the legal system, such as judges, lawyers, court personnel, and others, if perpetrators become violent in the courthouse.
Every law school can benefit from an increased applicant pool, which is likely to result if a domestic violence clinical program is offered.
Clinical programs or externships help students develop transferable lawyering skills whether or not they pursue careers in domestic violence law.
Incorporating domestic violence issues into legal education will teach lawyers these skills at an early stage, resulting in a justice system that is safer and more effective for victims.
Victims of domestic violence who proceed pro se may be unaware of their legal rights or the rules of litigation, including evidentiary or statutory standards.
Incorporating domestic violence law into the various curricula used in law schools will provide students with the substantive and lawyering skills necessary to competently represent clients and improve the system's response to domestic violence.
Addressing Domestic Violence Issues May Enhance the Law School's Reputation and Increase the Employment Opportunities for Graduates A law school's reputation is often enhanced by offering programs that address contemporary substantive issues.
Additionally, law school programs that train lawyers to provide ethical representation to perpetrators of domestic violence may ultimately reduce recidivism and improve victim safety.
As a result, public awareness about the extent of domestic violence and the role of the legal profession in reducing domestic violence is growing.
(3) Domestic violence also underlies many of the nation's estimated 354,000 annual child abductions.
Law Schools Can Benefit from Offering Training on Domestic Violence Legal Issues Across the Curriculum As more law schools around the country incorporate domestic violence legal issues into law school curricula, individual law schools will benefit from offering domestic violence seminars and clinical programs.
The complexity of domestic violence issues also presents an opportunity for students to practice case management while striving to provide holistic legal services.
(2) Teaching law students about domestic violence issues should be an inherent part of legal education, rather than a specialized track taught only by professors who are experts in domestic violence law.
Other defense lawyers may assist batterers to avoid criminal penalties, rather than recommend that clients seek intervention to end the violence, which may be in their long-term best interest.
Most immediately, community members, whether they are victims, perpetrators, or related family members, will benefit from representation by lawyers who understand domestic violence issues.
The following hypothetical may best illustrate the drain on resources caused by unchecked domestic violence: Jane Doe calls the police because her husband beat her with an iron poker.
(13) Failure to Teach Domestic Violence Legal Issues in Law Schools Harms Law Students When They Become Lawyers Lawyers who are unaware of domestic violence dynamics or appropriate legal remedies may endanger their clients.
Therefore, student attorneys who are supervised by domestic violence law attorneys may be able to provide some of the most effective representation available to victims.
Representation by counsel can assist victims to obtain the legal relief to which they are entitled.
The prevalence of family violence in our society ensures that law students who are educated about domestic violence will put their skills to good use -- lawyers who gain a reputation for domestic violence law expertise are frequently approached by persons experiencing domestic violence.
Law School Programs Train Better Lawyers for the Future Incorporating domestic violence legal issues into law school curricula may help produce future lawyers who have a better understanding of domestic violence and its legal implications.
Law school programs can train future leaders to revamp the legal system so that it prioritizes victim safety and offender accountability.
Criminal Law A major shift in the treatment of domestic violence cases has been taking place across the country.
Law School Programs Can Help Fill the Need for Direct Legal Representation of Victims of Domestic Violence Law school programs which provide direct representation to victims can help satisfy battered women's desperate need for legal services, since clinical programs generally accept clients free of charge or on a sliding scale basis.
Some lawyers may believe that domestic violence does not affect their practice because only low-income people perpetrate domestic violence, while their clients are from upper-income families.
Other Areas of Practice Law schools can improve their curricula by teaching students about domestic violence legal issues in all areas of practice -- not merely in family and criminal law courses.
These new laws and practices make the criminal justice system one of the centerpieces of a successful community response to domestic violence.
Providing comprehensive and practical domestic violence programs is likely to increase the diversity of the student body, as well as the number of applicants.
Because law schools are often located in universities which offer other graduate or professional programs, domestic violence clinical programs can be linked easily to other professional services which victims may need, such as social work, medical or mental health services.
By including domestic violence issues in their curricula, law schools will be joining a national effort to reduce the prevalence of domestic violence.
Her husband, enraged by her attempts to seek legal help, assaults her again when he ostensibly comes to see the children.
A domestic violence clinical program, with the advocacy experience it offers, can be a real selling point.
In other fields of law, more experienced attorneys may be able to provide greater assistance to clients; however, few practicing lawyers have received appropriate training on domestic violence issues.
A lawyer's failure to understand the dynamics of domestic violence can harm third parties as well.
(39) Experts in domestic violence law concur that coordinated community responses, including prevention efforts with children and intervention efforts with adults trapped in violent homes, are needed to eliminate domestic violence.
Similarly, untrained prosecutors may be frustrated by the unwillingness of some victims to testify against their spouses in criminal cases; lawyers who have studied domestic violence law, however, may understand that perpetrators exercise power and control over victims, and that victims face increased danger upon separation from their abusers.
Domestic violence also endangers children and extended family members when perpetrators threaten, harass, or attack them to locate victims or to punish victims for leaving.
This popularity suggests that law schools which offer domestic violence clinics are likely to attract students.
At the Domestic Violence Advocacy Project at the George Washington University Law School, for instance, Dr.
The ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct recommend that lawyers render at least (50) fifty hours of pro bono legal services per year.
Since its opening in February, 1996, the National Domestic Violence Hotline has provided services to 87,847 callers.
Legal counsel can improve the outcomes that victims obtain in court,(27) in particular, increasing victim safety.
In addition, if lawyers do not identify domestic violence in their cases, they may utilize practice strategies that are inappropriate in domestic violence cases.
Similarly, lawyers who fail to take seriously a perpetrator's threats to kill his or her victim may be partially responsible for the perpetrator's violence at the victim's workplace, which results in the victim's death or the deaths of bystanders.
Creating an environment that condemns violence against intimate partners or spouses may be particularly important in law schools because victims or perpetrators within the law school may initially hesitate to seek help.
Lawyers may also be approached by colleagues or acquaintances who are victims or perpetrators of family violence.
Law schools can also provide legal services to communities that would otherwise be deprived of access to legal assistance.
Well-trained legal professionals are critical to the development and implementation of systemic reforms.
Without such programs, many low-income victims in the District of Columbia would have no access to legal representation.
(9) Such pro bono services may include representing persons of limited means, participating in activities for improving the legal system, and providing legal services to community organizations.
(34) Domestic violence not only incurs economic costs on a societal level, but also destroys American families.
Law students who participate in clinical programs representing domestic violence victims can gain valuable experience in family law, criminal law, immigration law, or poverty law.
Low-income clients face increased difficulties in obtaining counsel because of reductions in funding for the Legal Services Corporation.
Law students and law professors are just as likely to be victims or perpetrators of domestic violence as other members of society, so information about the dynamics of domestic violence and the legal remedies available can have an immediate and long-lasting effect on students.
Additionally, training students in core curricula courses about domestic violence legal issues will create a cadre of lawyers comfortable with these issues.
If attorneys were taught to advocate on behalf of victims, and judges were trained to adjudicate domestic violence cases in ways that reduced the violence, related systems should experience a decreased caseload and lower costs.
Tax lawyers who understand that domestic violence perpetrators often exert financial control over their victims can assist innocent spouses to avoid liability for tax fraud committed by their abusers.
Currently, domestic violence issues are in the national spotlight, in part because the Violence Against Women Act has vastly increased the relief available to victims.
Schools that fail to incorporate domestic violence legal issues into the curricula may lose some of their competitive advantage.
(36) Effective responses by the legal profession, in coordination with responses from other service providers, can help reduce the pervasiveness and lethality of domestic violence.
Law school programs on domestic violence can inform students who are perpetrating violence against their spouses or intimate partners that domestic violence is a crime and will not be tolerated by the legal profession.
Students will learn that when they are unable to satisfy the breadth of their clients' legal needs, they can investigate other services for victims in the community and provide clients with appropriate referrals.
Systemic Reforms May Result From Incorporating Domestic Violence Issues into Legal Education The current legal system fails to effectively protect victims of domestic violence or to hold perpetrators accountable for criminal acts.
For instance, the experience of handling domestic violence cases can give life to civil procedure law, as students handle actual service, notice, and jurisdictional issues.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Domestic Violence (FAQ's) Collected Statistics about Domestic Violence More Statistics about Domestic Violence Men and Rape Book Recommendations from FVPF Suggestions on What Men Can Do About Domestic Violence (from FVPF) Making a Safety Plan (from FVPF).
If you are a victim of domestic violence, or think you may be a victim, then counseling, shelter and other help is available.
Domestic Violence Internet Resources Domestic Violence Counseling Agencies and Shelters on the Internet.
If You Need Help: Domestic Violence Counseling Agencies and Shelters on the Net Domestic Violence Hotline Numbers by State Make a Safety Plan (from FVPF).
MA-DV
Networks and Informational Organizations Federal Office of Justice Programs - Violence Against Women Website Family Violence Prevention Fund Minnesota Higher Education Center Against Violence (MINCAVA) PAVNET OnLine Web Page (Partnership Against Violence) Blain Nelson's Resources for Recovering Abusers.

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Musasa Project’s work against domestic violence has attracted the attention of the Provincial Governor for Matebeleland South, who invited the organization to move into the province to start its activities.
Oxfam-supported coalition is promoting a new Domestic Violence Bill.
A coalition of human rights organizations supported by Oxfam America is pushing violence against women into the spotlight on the national stage in Zimbabwe.
Oxfam America: Zimbabwe Women’s Coalition Pushes New Law to Protect Women
One Musasa Project study noted that violence results from the failure of the legal system to treat battery, murder and rape of women by husbands or lovers as crimes in the same manner.
Zimbabwe Women’s Coalition Pushes New Law to Protect Women 21 January 2005 Oxfam-supported coalition is promoting a new Domestic Violence Bill.
Under the initiative, Musasa Project has also carried out extensive training for police officers to make them more sensitive in dealing with cases of domestic violence.
In 1999 the organization received a grant from Oxfam America to lobby for the enactment of a domestic violence law.
On Day 1 Zimbabwe’s Youth, Gender and Employment Creation Minister Ambrose Mutinhiri signed a petition urging the government to enact the Domestic Violence Bill.
Zimbabwe’s Justice and Legal Affairs Minister Patrick Chinamasa said the proposed bill was crucial and positive step towards the eradication of domestic violence.
Oxfam America’s partners provide legal services, counseling, and shelter for domestic violence victims, but they are also seeking long-term preventive measures in a new Domestic Violence Bill submitted to the legislature in 2004.
Musasa Project carried out wide consultations with women on the Domestic Violence Bill, and comments from the consultations have been incorporated into the draft bill.
At least one in four women in Zimbabwe have been beaten up by their partners, while one in five have been threatened with physical violence, according to studies by the Musasa Project, one of Oxfam America’s partners in the Zimbabwe Women’s Coalition.
Home News and Publications News Updates Archive 2005 Domestic Violence Bill.
In December 2004, the coalition staged a special Days of Activism Against Gender Violence” event.
The Musasa Project, a leading organization in the protection of women, has been at the forefront of the campaign to end violence against women.
The Women’s Coalition is trying to get the new vice president to sign the petition on the Domestic Violence Bill.

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In a domestic violence case, prosecutors and the courts may be more likely to seek a jail term or impose a restraining order or other penalty if you are convicted.
At our criminal defense law firm in central Philadelphia, clients who are accused of domestic violence rely on lawyer Randolph Goldman to protect their freedom.
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If you were arrested for domestic violence, Philadelphia lawyer Randolph Goldman will explain possible defenses against charges of assault or date rape. Call 215-731-1200 to arrange a free consultation at our office before speaking with police or prosecutors. We represent client from Philadelphia, PA and the surrounding counties.
Domestic violence charges involve the nature of the relationship between the accused and the victim.
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The domestic relationship may be that of husband and wife, same-sex partners, girlfriend and boyfriend, parent and child, or a child and the parent’s partner.
Domestic Violence Philadelphia Domestic Violence Lawyer If you have been charged with domestic abuse or domestic violence, contact a lawyer for advice before making any statement to the police.

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when a domestic violence order or emergency protective order is issued pursuant to the provision of KRS Chapter 403 against a person holding a license issued under [the law], the holder of the permit shall surrender the license to the court or to the officer serving the order.
Model Domestic Violence Law Enforcement Policy
Officers and supervisors should fully document the report of threatened violence, all attempts by officers to contact the intended victim or victims, actions taken on behalf of the intended victim or victims, and all further recommended investigations or actions.
who, in the course of or as a result of such travel, intentionally commits a crime of violence and thereby causes bodily injury to such spouse or intimate partner.
Officers should complete a full report and investigation where a domestic violence victim alleges that he or she has been stalked;.
These facts may be used as background information to complete a domestic violence investigation for prosecution.
Violence Call" means a call where an adult, child, or a family member or member of an unmarried couple is alleged to be the victim of:.
(5) All peace officers shall make arrests for a violation of a foreign protective order in the same manner as a violation of an emergency protective order or domestic violence order as if it had been entered by a Kentucky Court.
Violence and Abuse" means not only causing physical injury, serious physical injury, sexual abuse, or assault between family members or members of an unmarried couple, but also causing fear of such imminent physical injury, serious physical injury, sexual abuse, or assault.
Officers shall handle juvenile perpetrators of domestic violence in the same manner as when the alleged perpetrator is an adult perpetrator;.
If the officer believes the domestic violence perpetrator has a mental health condition which indicates that the person is an imminent danger to self or others, the officer needs to follow the provisions set forth in KRS 202A;.
785(2) to use all reasonable means necessary to prevent further domestic violence, including but not limited to:.
report all actual and suspected incidents of abuse to the Cabinet for Families and Children, Department for Social Services, using the Abuse, Adult Abuse, and Domestic Abuse Standard Report" form (JC-3);.
a person who travels across a state line or enters or leaves Indian country with the intent to engage in conduct that violates the portion of a protection order that involves protection against credible threats of violence, repeated harassment or bodily injury to the person or persons for whom the protection order was issued; or.
Some domestic violence victims have special needs because of their relationship to the perpetrator, limited physical or mental abilities, or some other factor.
respond with the same protection and sanctions for every domestic violence incident, regardless of race, religion, creed, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, disability, and socio-economic status, including cases where any of the alleged parties may be a law enforcement officer, public official or prominent citizen; and.
If probable cause exists that an alleged perpetrator has committed an assault on a family member or member of an unmarried couple, or has violated a protective order, a domestic violence order, or a foreign protective order, but the perpetrator has left the scene, the responding officer shall interview all available witnesses, record or document these interviews, and collect all available physical evidence.
(b) the law enforcement officer should check through the LINK-Domestic Violence File to verify service of the Emergency Protective Order;.
Upon service of the order on the respondent, the officer shall immediately notify the communications center of this agency and in turn the law enforcement agency in the issuing jurisdiction responsible for entry of domestic violence protective orders on the LINK-Domestic Violence File.
Violation of a Protection Order" means: crossing a state line in order to commit domestic violence in violation of a protection order and subsequently violating the protection order.
Violation of a Protection Order" means: causing another to cross state lines fleeing because of domestic violence committed in violation of a protection order.
Whether or not an arrest has been made, the officer shall report any known or suspected adult or child abuse, neglect or exploitation immediately, or any known or suspected domestic violence or abuse within 48 hours, to the Cabinet for Families and Children, Department for Social Services using the JC-3 form.
means impending danger, and, in the context of domestic violence and abuse as defined by KRS 403.
Every response to a domestic call shall include a substantive investigation of the incident which shall involve the gathering of background information, the gathering of physical evidence including pictures, clothing, and statements from direct and indirect witnesses including children and neighbors.
or Complainant" means any person who has been subjected to threats of or actual domestic violence and abuse.
afford maximum protection and support to adult and child victims of domestic violence through coordinated services of law enforcement and victim assistance; and.
This domestic violence policy is designed to provide officers and support personnel with clear definitions, direction, and guidelines for providing and promoting a consistent, effective response to domestic violence crime in order to accomplish the following goals: make an arrest for any violation of an Emergency Protective Order ("EPO"), any violation of a Domestic Violence Order ("DVO"), any violation of a Foreign Protective Order ("FPO") or any violation of a condition of release or bond when authorized by state law;.
Whether or not an arrest has been made, if the officer has reason to suspect that a family member, member of an unmarried couple, or household member has been the victim of domestic violence, the officer is required by KRS 403.

The officer should promptly arrange for a copy of the order with the verified service to be delivered to the entering agency for modification to the LINK-Domestic Violence File record.
immediately report all known or suspected cases of domestic violence and abuse, adult abuse, or child abuse as required by state law;.
Every response to a domestic call, no matter how frequent, requires that every step possible be taken to insure the safety of the victim including providing a safety plan to the victim and, if necessary, transporting the victim and children, if appropriate, to another site for safekeeping.
750 following a hearing against a family member or a member of an unmarried couple where the court has found violence has occurred and is likely to occur again.
(2) The officer shall use the JC-3 form (Child Abuse, Adult Abuse and Domestic Abuse Standard Report) to document the evidence giving the officer probable cause to make the arrest, and/or report suspected abuse.
Because domestic violence can and does result in the death of individuals, every response to a domestic call, no matter how often, shall be treated the same as any other crime against a person.
Domestic Violence" means: causing another to cross a state line due to domestic violence.
promptly relay all important information to the law enforcement officer including any information available through the LINK-Domestic Violence File;.
400 of threatened violence against an identifiable victim or victims should attempt to contact the intended victim or victims;.
A responding officer shall notify his supervisor when he responds to a domestic violence call involving a public official, or a prominent citizen.
Even where a spouse or partner is the primary victim, officers shall take appropriate action on behalf of children, dependent adults, and elderly adults at the scene who may be the direct or indirect victims of violence.
dob/soc, previous history of domestic violence including previous law enforcement responses outstanding warrants;.
Violence Order" ("DVO") means a court order issued under the provisions of KRS 403.
Domestic Violence" means: crossing a state line in order to commit domestic violence and subsequently committing the act.
784 requires that each officer receive initial training, followed at least every two years by continuing education courses, developed by the Justice Cabinet concerning the dynamics of domestic violence, effects of domestic violence on adult and child victims, legal remedies for protection, lethality and risk issues, model protocols for addressing domestic violence, available community resources, victims services, and reporting requirements.
Officers should inform the victim of the threatened violence, advise him or her of all available legal remedies and assist the victim in accessing those legal remedies;.
When a domestic violence crime has allegedly been committed, and the officer is unable to arrest the alleged perpetrator under the provisions discussed above, the officer shall assist the victim in obtaining an arrest warrant and/or protective order;.
in the course or as a result of that conduct, intentionally commits a crime of violence and thereby causes bodily injury to the person's spouse or intimate partner.
The failure of any law enforcement officer to properly respond and handle a domestic call, no matter how frequent, will expose individuals and the community to danger up to and including death.
If the officer is unable to arrest the alleged perpetrator within a reasonable time, the officer should assist the victim in seeking an arrest warrant and/or emergency protective order to deter future domestic violence;.
A responding officer shall notify his supervisor when he responds to a domestic violence call involving law enforcement personnel.
(3) The officer shall assume that the respondent was given notice of domestic violence order and its contents;.

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