How to Be the Lawyer a Domestic Violence Victim Requires Perhaps the moment to have had enough was much sooner, as you may conclude. Violence, harassment, verbal abuse, and excessive control of their movements, finances, and even fundamental behaviors and expressions become accepted in the minds of many domestic violence victims. Assistance for victims of Domestic abuse requires knowledge, respect, advocacy, and lawyers who are capable of standing by them with genuine empathy. Lawyers can aid their clients who are victims of domestic abuse by doing the following seven measures. 1. Listen without making any snap decisions. Don't pass judgment on a client who refuses to go. "No one knows the abuser like their victim," I frequently tell clients and potential clients. So, if a customer tells you it's a risky time to travel, believe them. If a client says they can't bear the emotional or financial costs of leaving yet, or the impact on their children, trust them and encourage them to seek treatment from trained domestic abuse counselors. 2. Provide information about your support services. It might be a split-second choice when they are ready. They will require emergency assistance, such as shelters, information on how to obtain a restraining order in your jurisdiction, financial and emotional support, and what to do with children and pets. You should arm each customer or potential client with as much information as possible. If you offer them materials, advise them to hide them somewhere secure, such as with a friend, where their abuser is unlikely to discover them. 3. If they return, don't despair. The majority of individuals do not leave for good the first time. According to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, on average, a woman will leave an abusive environment seven times before finally leaving. There are several causes for this, many of which have to do with victims' lack of access to longer-term housing, financial help, and emotional support. Individuals with children are also in a particularly vulnerable situation since leaving the abuser may result in a custody fight, with the concern that their kid would be left alone with a violent person seeking vengeance. 4. Don't be a bully. Many of my clients came to me after speaking with previous attorneys who made them feel extremely uneasy, particularly male attorneys who unintentionally intimidated them by prescribing what "should be done" while ignoring the emotional concerns at hand. It is critical that we empower all clients, but especially those with a history of abuse, by making them feel in charge of the process and that if they need to alter course, the lawyer will listen to them and realize that there are more concerns than just the plain law here.