Achieving a life free from violence and fear can lead to varied legal obstacles. With help from HAWC’s legal services, abuse survivors can navigate this complex system much more smoothly.
Overseen by our Attorney Director of Legal Services, HAWC’s trained legal advocates provide three main services to abuse survivors seeking support:
- Basic assistance. Abuse survivors applying for abuse and harassment prevention orders in the five local courts in HAWC’s service area can acquire support in the application process and during hearings, discuss individualized safety plans, and receive referrals for other HAWC services.
- Advice. Abuse survivors seeking advice on custody issues, divorce hearings, housing and employment concerns, or other legal matters resulting from abuse, can attend free legal clinics run by HAWC’s team of pro-bono attorneys.
- Representation. In high-risk cases, depending on HAWC’s availability, abuse survivors can acquire direct legal representation.
The legal services offered by HAWC aim to ease the journey towards safety and happiness by helping abuse survivors protect themselves and their loved ones.
Anyone using community-based programs with HAWC may be referred to our legal program, and anyone meeting HAWC legal advocates at court when filing a protection order may be referred into our community-based programs.