briefly SPEAKING: January 2024
"Sharon" had supported her adult grandson for nearly eleven years and was subjected to verbal and physical abuse at his hands. Each night, Sharon would place a board in front of her door to keep him out of her room, fearing what he would do. One September night, Sharon's grandson managed to break down her door and assault her, threatening to kill her. Sharon was left with two black eyes and multiple bruises on her body. In October, Sharon's case was referred to the Ackerson Law Clinic by Legal Aid Society's Domestic Violence Advocacy Program. At that time, Sharon's grandson was incarcerated for charges related to the incident in September; however, she feared what would happen upon his release. She desired to move forward with the hearing for entry of a Domestic Violence Order. At the hearing, the Court heard our client's compelling testimony and was presented with photographs of our client's injuries at the hands of her grandson. Our client testified that if a Domestic Violence Order were not entered, her grandson would kill her. Sharon was successful, and she received a Domestic Violence Order for three years. It took great courage for Sharon to stand up to her grandson. Now, she feels safe in her home, something no one should take for granted.
Legal Aid Society’s Domestic Violence Advocacy Program relies on volunteers to meet the demand for legal assistance. To volunteer, contact Beth Robinson-Kinney, Managing Attorney of our Safety and Family Stability Department.
about the
ACKERSON LAW CLINIC
The Ackerson Law Clinic is one of Brandeis School of Law’s experiential clinics offered to 3rd year law students who obtain a limited license to practice law. It is dedicated primarily to providing legal representation to low-income individuals who are survivors of intimate partner violence, family violence, stalking, and/or sexual assault in Jefferson County Family and District Courts. These student attorneys are closely supervised by licensed, full-time attorneys working at the Law Clinic, which began its work representing survivors in 2009.
While the Ackerson Law Clinic has many valuable partners in the legal community, its primary partner has been the Legal Aid Society. Each semester, the Law Clinic receives weekly client referrals from Legal Aid’s Domestic Violence Advocacy Program (DVAP). For context, student attorneys represented 135 distinct clients in protective order cases from January 1 – November 30, 2023, performing nearly 3000 hours of work, the large majority coming from Legal Aid referrals. Beyond this relationship, the Law Clinic is building a relationship with Legal Aid’s Volunteer Eviction Defense Program in accepting referrals to defend low-income clients from eviction.
The partnership between the Legal Aid Society and the Brandeis School of Law’s Ackerson Law Clinic represents a creative and important part of a solution to our community problem of low-income survivors seeking protection but lacking the financial resources to hire attorneys. This partnership using student attorneys to serve the legal needs of low-income survivors seeks to, in the short-term, immediately bridge the gap between those in need of pro bono attorneys and available volunteer attorneys. It also serves a long-term aspirational goal of instilling in our community of law students a culture of volunteerism that hopefully will last their entire legal career.
JOIN OUR VOLUNTEER LAWYER PROGRAM TODAY
The Domestic Violence Advocacy Program is one of many pro bono programs operated by Legal Aid Society. Learn more about the opportunities to serve your community and remove barriers to justice by visiting YourLegalAid.org/Volunteer.