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The Domestic Violence Clinic focuses on family violence as it manifests in abuse prevention and other family law cases. This widespread problem destroys the mental and physical health, well-being and financial stability of many women and children in our society. Some domestic violence victims seek assistance with safety and stability issues such as obtaining and extending restraining orders. Others seek assistance with post-separation issues arising in the context of divorce, paternity, modification, contempt and other domestic relations actions.
The Center’s Domestic Violence Clinic accepts cases from a variety of community-based agencies, but has established a special partnership, the Passageway Health-Law Collaborative (PHLC), with the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and its affiliated community health centers. The PHLC aims to provide victims of domestic violence with comprehensive and coordinated legal and social services. Experienced social workers at the hospital provide safety planning, support and case management to victims of domestic violence, while students at the Center provide legal representation to these clients. The PHLC focuses on providing assistance in the areas of family law and estate and permanency planning, with referrals to any of the Center’s clinics in order to assure that clients get help on legal problems that often compound the domestic violence issues.
Student working in the Domestic Violence Clinic interview and counsel clients, conduct factual investigation and legal research, develop case strategies, collect and analyze documents, conduct written discovery and draft pleadings. In the course of a semester, students may have multiple court appearances in motion practice, restraining orders, pre trial conferences, status conferences and hearings. Students negotiate directly with opposing attorneys, pro se opponents and in court-mandated "mediations." In cases scheduled for full trial, students conduct depositions, develop witness and exhibit lists, trial strategies, and a trial notebook, prepare and conduct the direct and cross-examination, make opening statements and closing arguments of witnesses at trial and draft post-trial briefs.
Students wishing to work in this clinic must enroll in the Family, Domestic Violence and LGBT Law: Litigating in the Family Courts A (fall) or B (spring).
We also encourage interested students to concurrently enroll in: Legal Profession: Delivery of Legal Services (A or B) which satisfies the Law School's Professional Responsibility Requirement.
The Domestic Violence Clinic is part of the Center’s Family and Children’s Law Practice Group. For more information on the Clinic, contact Clinical Instructor Nnena Odim, at nodim@law.harvard.edu or (617) 390-2548. |
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