Domestic Violence Legal Advocacy

Consejo's Domestic Violence program provides legal advocacy in Spanish, in which the advocate provides cultural mediation, explanation, translation/interpretation as needed and to ensure the survivor’s access to the legal processes.

Civil legal advocacy services help break down the many barriers encountered by survivors who may be trying to obtain a civil protection order, file for dissolution, establish paternity, set up a parenting plan or custody order, obtain child support, or obtain assistance related to their immigration status. Criminal legal advocacy helps survivors to navigate the unfamiliar, complex, often bewildering and even frightening judicial system, in those cases where law enforcement has become involved due to a reported domestic violence incident. Legal advocacy services may include, but are not limited to:

• Providing clients with an explanation and overview of the U.S. legal system, as compared with the legal system in their home country;

• Explaining unknown or misunderstood legal concepts to immigrant, non-English proficient domestic violence survivors, as well as unfamiliar legal concepts and terms;

• Performing sight translation of legal documents as needed;

• Transcribing clients' verbal domestic violence declarations into English for use in Protection Order, family law and VAWA immigration cases;

• Court accompaniment for survivors, to include explanation and preparation for hearings, explanation of processes, informal interpretation and emotional/moral support;

• Referral to low-cost or pro-bono legal services, as available and appropriate.