CLINICAL PROGRAMS : BATTERED WOMEN'S ADVOCACY PROGRAM

Duration: One semester clinic
Credits: 4 credits per semester (graded pass/fail)

Students attend class in addition to being placed at a local District Court, Legal Services, shelter-based or hospital-based office one day each week.  Placements are in Suffolk, Middlesex and Norfolk Counties and most are accessible by public transportation.  Students assigned to a District Court work with the victim-witness advocate of the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office. These student attorneys primarily assist and/or represent in court anyone being victimized by a partner or spouse who is deciding whether or not to request civil abuse prevention orders or whether or not to press criminal charges for domestic violence-related crimes, including violation of protective orders.  Students placed at a Legal Services office primarily work with survivors of abuse within the context of family law or abuse prevention cases; they assist in the representation of indigent clients primarily in local Probate and Family Courts all under the supervision of a family law attorney.  The hospital-based programs and shelter-based programs work in a variety of ways with survivors of domestic abuse and sexual assault.  In addition to the above-described responsibilities, students are required to attend at least monthly supervisory meetings once their placement has begun, to keep a journal on their placement and to maintain case files for all cases handled

Questions: Contact Christine Butler, Practioner in Residence at 617/573-8100