Domestic Violence Clinic
Domestic Violence Clinic
Students in the Domestic Violence Clinic assist in the representation of victims of domestic violence in restraining order cases (209A). Restraining orders in Massachusetts include a broad range of relief (including no abuse, stay away conditions, no contact conditions, home surrenders, child custody and child support), designed to help stop the violence or threats of future violence in a family or substantive dating relationships. The clinic also assists community-based domestic violence organizations in longer-term projects related to policy, programming and outreach.
Clinic students take on a lawyering role with their clients under the supervision of clinic faculty. Every student assists in the representation of 3-4 clients in restraining order hearings throughout the term. Students will assist clients in all stages of the restraining order process; from meeting the clients for the first time at the ex-parte phase, assisting in filling out the application and affidavit, assisting with service of the order, ongoing interviewing of the client and witnesses, hearing preparation and advocating for clients at the ten-day hearing. Students also gain substantive legal and system knowledge through the classroom component of the clinic. Role Plays, simulation exercises, and “case rounds” allow students to perfect their lawyering and litigation skills with thoughtful feedback from faculty and student colleagues.
While the clinic is available to upper-level students only, first-year students may attend the Domestic Violence Institute’s annual fall conference, which introduces incoming students to legal advocacy for victims of domestic violence in Massachusetts. First-year students may also gain academic credit and experience representing survivors through independent study and cooperative education placements at legal services offices, legal projects at domestic violence shelters and other community agencies, and at the offices of private practitioners affiliated with the Institute.
Hayat Bearat heads both the Domestic Violence Clinic and the Domestic Violence Institute, an education, service and research organization dedicated to combating partner abuse and sexual assault.
Hayat Bearat
Interim Director
h.bearat@northeastern.edu
-
June 9, 2020
COVID-19 Briefing: Domestic Violence
Hosted by Public Health Law WatchOctober 28, 2019
Hearing Regarding Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault in the City of Boston
During the final week of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the Domestic Violence Clinic hosted Boston City Councilors for a hearing at the law school on domestic violence and sexual assault in the city of Boston in an effort to reduce the prevalence of this abhorrent behavior. The hearing focused on ways to provide support for victims, solutions for increasing reporting opportunities for all — such as our immigrant and LGBTQ communities — as well as other ways to educate the public about this pervasive problem.December 14, 2018
DVI Conference
Finding the Nexus: Linking Systems for Domestic Violence Survivors
This one-day conference explored the many barriers domestic violence survivors face, as well as potential solutions to bridging the gaps and linking the systems. Speakers and attendees represent multiple disciplines and sectors, including the judiciary, lawyer, academics, advocates, health care providers, social workers, politicians, faith leaders, policymakers and survivors.
-
- June 24, 2021: Margo Lindauer, Northeastern News “Britney Spears’s ‘Abusive Arrangement’ Removes Her Control Over Her Own Body–But She’s Not the Only One.”
- May 27, 2021: Margo Lindauer, The Boston Globe, “Domestic Violence Within the Ranks: How Recent Allegations are Shaking Faith in BPD.”
- March 6, 2021: Margo Lindauer, USA Today, “COVID-19 Fueled a Domestic Violence Crisis. Now, the Stimulus Bill Could Help Women and Children Leave Abusers,” USA Today (March 6, 2021).
- March 2, 2021: Margo Lindauer, Northeastern News, “COVID-19 Made it Harder to Escape Domestic Violence, Technology Offers Some Tools to Help Victims.”
- January 24, 2021:Margo Lindauer, The San Diego Tribune, “Domestic Violence via Technology on the Rise During Pandemic.”
- March 6, 2021: Margo Lindauer, USA Today, “COVID-19 Fueled a Domestic Violence Crisis. Now, the Stimulus Bill Could Help Women and Children Leave Abusers.”
- March 2, 2021: Margo Lindauer, Northeastern News, “COVID-19 Made it Harder to Escape Domestic Violence, Technology Offers Some Tools to Help Victims,”
- January 7, 2021: The Tennessean, “Domestic Violence, Gun Sales Are on the Rise. Does a Louisiana Parish Have a Solution?”
- December 28, 2021: Margo Lindauer, People, “Domestic Abuse Survivor Works to Help Women and Kids as Cases Skyrocket During Pandemic.”
- December 1, 2020: Margo Lindauer, WNYC's The Takeaway, “Domestic Violence Victims in the U.S. Are Lacking Resources During Pandemic,”
- October 13, 2020: Margo Lindauer, Northeastern News, “Closed Schools Could Be Putting Children at Risk During the COVID-19 Pandemic.”
-
September 16, 2020: Margo Lindauer, The New England Journal of Medicine , “A Pandemic within a Pandemic — Intimate Partner Violence During COVID-19,”
- June 30, 2020: News@Northeastern, “COVID-19 is Making Things Harder for Victims of Domestic Abuse. Here's A Way to Help.”
- Fall 2019 Newsletter: “News from the Clinical Programs.”
- September 11, 2019, Margo Lindauer, Northeastern Law News Announcement, “Margo Lindauer Named Director of Clinical Programs."
- September 9, 2019, Margo Lindauer, The Boston Globe, “SJC Orders Clerks in ‘Secret Court’ Cases to Record all Hearings.”
- July 15, 2019, Margo Lindauer, WGBH News, “Has The Boston Globe’s Coverage Of DA Rollins Been Fair?”
- January 1, 2019: Margo Lindauer, Northeastern Law News Announcement “Professor Margo Lindauer ’07 Named a Bellow Scholar.”
- November 29, 2018: Margo Lindauer, The Boston Globe, “Panel is Charged with Reviewing States 'Secret Courts.'
- September 30, 2018: Margo Lindauer, The Boston Globe, “Inside Our Secret Courts.”
- Fall 2017, Northeastern Law News Announcement “DV Clinic: Our Day in Court.”
In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate, yet equally important groups. The police who investigate crimes and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders. And then there are the Domestic Violence Clinic students. These are their stories. (more)