With an increase in the severity of domestic violence legal needs due to COVID-19, learn both about the importance of legal aid for survivors seeking safety as well as better ways to support clients in your private practice.

YWCA Safechoice advocates Scarlett Hernandez and Ana Sifuentes are joined by Northwest Justice Project Staff Attorneys Jeffrey Keddie and Jennifer Hill-Hart to discuss legal services for survivors of domestic violence including family law and Domestic Violence Protection Orders.

Specifically, learn about myths, misconceptions, barriers & solutions to providing effective legal assistance to survivors of domestic violence.

Featured Speakers

Scarlett Hernandez: YWCA SafeChoice Legal Advocate at the Domestic Violence Prosecution Center

Ana Sifuentes: YWCA SafeChoice Bilingual Outreach Advocate and Legal Clinic Coordinator

Jennifer Hill-Hart: Staff Attorney at Northwest Justice Project

Jeffrey Keddie: Staff Attorney at Northwest Justice Project

Agenda

12:00PM-12:30PM | Scarlett Hernandez & Ana Sifuentes

The Community Advocate's Perspective

• Welcome
• Ground rules
• What is the purpose of this presentation?
• What is domestic violence?
• The gap in definitions
• Some tactics abusers use
• Misconceptions about DV/Survivor bias
• Reasons a survivor might not take action
• Are only survivors in crisis in need of legal services?
• The role of a Community Based Advocate
• What are the common requests SafeChoice receives?
• What can a volunteer attorney expect when working with SafeChoice?

12:30PM-1:00PM | Jennifer Hill-Hart & Jeffrey Keddie

The Attorney's Perspective

• Background on RCW 26.50 – Domestic Violence Prevention
• Legal Definition of Domestic Violence
• Domestic Violence Beyond Physical Assault
• Common Issues with Protection Orders
• Working with SafeChoice

Q & A (All Presenters)

Earn 1 CLE

1 Law & Legal (pending)

FREE to attend, donations welcome

This event is hosted by YWCA Clark County, Northwest Justice Project and Clark County Volunteer Lawyers Program

Northwest Justice Project (NJP) is Washington’s largest publicly funded legal aid program. Each year NJP provides critical civil legal assistance and representation to thousands of low-income people in cases affecting basic human needs such as family safety and security, housing preservation, protection of income, access to health care, education and other basic needs.

YWCA Clark  County's SafeChoice Program operates the only domestic violence shelter serving Clark County. By offering a wide array of services to respond to the immediate needs of victim-survivors in our community, SafeChoice advocates for, educates, and supports those affected by domestic violence. The SafeChoice Program empowers survivors by providing information, resources, and support to increase safety and foster healing.

Clark County Volunteer Lawyers Program (CCVLP) facilitates access to free civil legal aid for low income people in Clark County. This is done through the use of volunteer attorneys who provide a combination of guided pro se assistance as well as direct representation. CCVLP believes no one should lose custody of their children, access to housing, or fall further into debt because they do not understand their rights in court. 

All three organizations are 501(c)3 nonprofits and rely on donations to provide their services. Please consider supporting the work they do with a donation of your choosing.