In 2010, I began volunteering through Legal Services of Northern Virginia to represent indigent women seeking to obtain permanent protective orders in the Fairfax County Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court. In the last half of 2010, almost 500 people in Fairfax sought to obtain protective orders against a family member based on allegations of family abuse. For many victims of domestic violence lacking the financial means for retaining counsel, the procedural and evidentiary obstacles appear significant, particularly when the other side retains counsel. During this same time period, the Fairfax County Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court granted permanent protective orders in 46 percent of those cases.

The Domestic Violence Pro Bono Attorney for the Day Program, coordinated by Legal Services of Northern Virginia, asks local attorneys to volunteer on a set day each month to represent petitioners seeking permanent protective orders. The attorneys from my firm, Odin, Feldman & Pittleman, PC., rotate so that the Firm provides an attorney for one full day each month.

Typically, an attorney will have between one to three cases assigned to them, although usually not all three cases will go to trial. To ensure that practitioners who want to volunteer have the necessary understanding of the protective order process, Legal Services of Northern Virginia offers a continuing legal education program on domestic violence and protective order hearings, and it has personnel available to address case-specific issues.

There are many benefits associated with attorneys participating in this program. For some attorneys, it presents an opportunity to gain trial experience and become familiar with the Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court. For others, it provides an opportunity to keep trial skills fresh. Most importantly, the program reflects a collective commitment to the public good by assisting people of limited financial means who believe that their personal safety is at risk.