Domestic Abuse Victims in Mass. Get Proskauer Rose Lawyers
Domestic abuse victims who initially seek a court protective order not infrequently back away from the effort later on.
But one major reason why is the lack of a level legal playing field, a district attorney in Massachusetts says. Already intimidated, the frequently female victim must appear in court, on her own, against her abuser, if she can’t afford to hire a private lawyer, to seek an extension of the order beyond 10 days, reports Gatehouse News Service.
So, working with Proskauer Rose and other lawyers, DA Gerry Leone of Middlesex County has set up a program in which domestic abuse victims can get pro bono legal representation.
Associate Amy Crafts is one of 20 Proskauer attorney volunteers. One of the first attorneys there to step up, she has represented five victims since 2008. A series of training sessions prepares lawyers to handle not only a restraining order hearing but help with related legal issues, she explains, which often include divorce and child custody matters as well as retaliatory restraining orders and criminal complaints.
“It’s incredibly intimidating to go to court to file for a temporary restraining order,” she says, noting that an abusive spouse often controls household finances and thus may have the resources to afford a private attorney. “We know from advocates and from studying domestic violence cases that typically, when a victim is ready to go to the court to seek help, they’re at the end of the rope.”
