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About the WBF
Volunteer - Be Part of the Solution
Family Law Project for Battered Women
Training
October 1 and 2, 2008
4:00 PM - 8:00 PM (both days)
Ropes & Gray
One International Place, Boston
RSVP at rbiscardi@womensbar.org
Contact Rachel Biscardi for more information 617-973-6666.
Dinner and a legal advocacy manual will be provided.
The Family Law Project for Battered Women (FLP) serves domestic violence victims in family law cases throughout the Commonwealth. Started by a small group of committed WBA members in 1995, the FLP continues to be the largest pro bono program at the WBF, drawing 70-80 new attorneys each year. The FLP recruits, trains, and mentors attorneys and collaborates with legal and social services agencies to provide high quality representation and assistance to domestic abuse survivors. The legal matters referred include divorce, paternity, custody, child support, and post-divorce modifications, as well as c.209A restraining orders.
The FLP is designed to meet the legal needs of those who have already been denied representation by a Legal Services agency (e.g., GBLS) and who might otherwise fall through the cracks. About half the women served by the FLP are indigent, per federal poverty guidelines; the other half are lowincome. The FLP fields more than 1,500 phone calls each year and completes an in-depth evaluation in about 100 cases. It refers more than half of the individuals who seek services to a pro bono lawyer, and it is always in need of more attorneys to take or mentor cases. The FLP conducts in-depth trainings for pro bono attorneys. No prior family law experience is required. Every volunteer who accepts a case is assigned a mentor, an experienced family law practitioner who provides an additional level of service and support. Volunteers also receive a comprehensive training manual and have access to the legal resources at the WBF. Taking a case gives volunteer attorneys valuable opportunities to hone courtroom skills, to develop case strategies, and to work directly with clients.
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WBF News
Christine Wichers leads Women’s Bar Foundation as 2008-2009 President
Christine Wichers receives Adams Pro Bono Publico Award
The Women's Bar Foundation of Massachusetts is a 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1993 to be the charitable and educational affiliate of our sister organization, the Women's Bar Association (WBA). The WBF works to establish an equitable legal system, to promote social and economic equity for women, and to meet the legal needs of women and their children through an array of pro bono services.
The WBF has an Executive Director and is governed by a 21-member Board of Trustees. In addition, the WBF employs two full-time staff members: a Family Law Project Supervising Attorney, a Staff Attorney, and an office administrator. Our principal mission is to provide free legal services to low-income individuals, primarily women. Toward that end, the WBF directs five pro bono programs including the Family Law Project for Battered Women, the Elder Law Project, the Women's Lunch Place Project, the Framingham Project for Incarcerated Women, the Hampden County Housing Court Project, and collaborates on two additional pro bono projects, the Judicial Consent for Minors Lawyer Referral Panel and the Rape Survivors' Law Project. To administer our programs, the Women's Bar Foundation recruits volunteer lawyers, conducts intensive training led by experts throughout the Commonwealth, and provides mentors to ensure that volunteer attorneys receive the guidance necessary to provide the highest quality legal services available. The WBF is funded through the generosity of grants, foundations, educational institutions, corporate donors, and private contributions.
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