I am currently at the Clarion Empire Hotel listening to Attorney Toby Kleinman speak about advocating for a victim of domestic violence in court.
Unfortunately, I was a little late getting in so I have missed some of the talk.
She advised that when approaching the family court system you need to:
1. have a real plan--don't throw yourself around;
2. use analogies in order to illustrate what you are going through in a more impactful way;
3. make sure that the evaluator in your case has experience in understanding domestic violence, appeal if you have to because this is so important;
4. understand that the court doesn't understand the impact of domestic violence, so make sure you include impact statements in your motions;
5. raise the issue of abuse in advance of your case so that you can strategize on how to address it;
6. have a parenting therapist who can provide observations in regard to your parenting ability;
7. do not just trust you attorney. Your attorney needs to earn your trust. If you attorney does not appear to be defending you, don't just put up with that.
