In a 2015 study entitled “Supporting Survivors” by the Institute for Policy Integrity, the authors determined that legal advocacy successfully decreases the cycle of domestic abuse. We’ve seen this first hand. The Women’s Center’s legal advocates are available by phone and in-person for clients to discuss their legal rights, the legal process, possible outcomes, and to make sure survivors do not have to go through this often complicated process alone.
The Women’s Center’s two legal advocates are co-located at our campus and the Waukesha County Courthouse District Attorney’s office. Through their work, they help clients “get their life back,” so to speak, through safety planning, emotional support, and advocacy within court, child welfare, and other areas of care.
They help by:
- Providing telephone or in-person support, including help with designing and implementing a safety plan;
- Assisting with the filing of restraining orders and injunctions;
- Providing information and referrals to and for appropriate agencies for services,
Our legal advocates are not attorneys and we do not dispense legal advice, but we have a number of lawyers in the community that volunteer their time to provide free consulting to our clients on-site at The Women’s Center to meet on things like divorce, custody and placement, paternity, and child support. When possible, they will take on full cases pro-bono. We also have active partnerships with Centro Legal and Legal Action of Wisconsin. These partnerships allows us to make sure our clients are fully supported and have access to every resource they may need as they navigate this part of their journey.
To learn more about this service, call our 24-Hour Hotline at 262.542.3828. If you are an attorney who would like to volunteer your time, call us at 262.547.4600 and ask for Krystal.