Young Lawyers Division 2000-2001

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 1999

Thank You, YLD!
Honoring Highlighting Award-Winning Programs of YLD Affiliates

By A. Matt Pesnell
Virginia Domestic Violence Project

In 1998, when the ABA launched its awareness campaign, "Domestic Violence: It's Everybody's Business," the Virginia Young Lawyers took up the cause. The Virginia Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, in conjunction with the Virginia State Bar Young Lawyers Council (hereinafter collectively referred to as the Virginia Young Lawyers), developed the Virginia Domestic Violence Project. This ground-breaking program was established with two primary goals in mind: to educate victims and survivors of domestic violence about how to physically and legally protect themselves from further abuse, and to train lawyers to provide free assistance to these victims.

To accomplish these goals, the Virginia Young Lawyers created a diverse coalition of bar associations, public interest groups, businesses, law enforcement agencies, and religious organizations. Led by the Virginia Young Lawyers, this coalition transformed the ABA's domestic violence awareness initiative into a concrete plan of action. They carried out their plan masterfully. So much so, that in developing and implementing the Virginia Domestic Violence Safety Project, the Virginia State Bar Young Lawyers Conference received a second place Award of Achievement from the American Bar Association.

How They Did It
The Virginia Domestic Violence Safety Project has three main components:

• Safety Brochure. The Virginia Young Lawyers tailored an existing ABA brochure to include statistics and information specific to Virginia. Various corporations and public service organizations distributed the safety brochures, which provided tips on how potential domestic violence victims should respond in emergency situations and how victims can protect themselves at home and in the workplace. The safety brochure also contained domestic violence hotline information.



• Legal Pamphlet. The Virginia Young Lawyers created and distributed a legal pamphlet that contained information about criminal and civil remedies available to domestic violence victims; a how-to guide to obtaining a protective order; and basic information on divorce, child support, and child custody issues. The legal pamphlet also provided numbers for domestic violence centers as well as lawyer referral services. They secured funding for printing both of the brochures through grants.



• Attorney Education and Training. The Virginia Young Lawyers also developed and implemented a training program for lawyers across the state on how to provide free legal services to victims of domestic violence and how to recognize the signs of domestic abuse in their clients and communities. The legal training was funded primarily through the Virginia Bar Association Young Lawyers Division budget. Law firms and corporations were asked to volunteer conference space, free of charge, to conduct the training seminars held across the state.

The President of the Virginia Young Lawyers Conference, Julie D. McClellan, credits the success of the Virginia Domestic Violence Project to Maya Eckstein, the chair of the Young Lawyers Conference Pro Bono Committee. For her tireless efforts in organizing and implementing this program, Maya, an associate in the Richmond, Virginia, office of Hunton & Williams, was recognized as Virginia's 1999 Young Lawyer of the Year.

The Virginia Domestic Violence Safety Project has been nationally recognized as a model for teaching victims of domestic violence how to protect themselves physically and legally and for educating lawyers on how to empower domestic violence victims through the legal process. This well-deserved national recognition has increased awareness about domestic violence and has helped give domestic violence victims the information and resources necessary to protect themselves and their families.

Hats off to you, Virginia Young Lawyers. Thank you!

A. Matt Pesnell is an assistant editor of The Affiliate and practices law with Phelps Dunbar, L.L.P., in Jackson, Mississippi.