“Studies have shown that access to legal assistance is essential for domestic violence survivors and their children seeking to end abuse.“
The Domestic Violence Collaborative, a partnership of the Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County, Community Overcoming Relationship Abuse (CORA) and Bay Area Legal Aid provides free legal services to domestic violence survivors.
The Collaborative helps survivors obtain restraining and other orders to protect themselves, their children, and other vulnerable family members from further abuse, and collaborates with other community agencies to improve services for domestic violence survivors. The Temporary Restraining Orders Clinic helps survivors complete and file the initial paperwork and refers survivors who need further legal help to the Legal Aid Society and/or CORA.
Legal Aid, in collaboration with CORA and Baylegal, recruits, trains, and mentors private attorneys to represent clients at Domestic Violence Protection Act (DVPA) restraining order hearings, to help clients obtain the restraining orders, as well as child custody, visitation, support and other orders available under the DVPA. We also assist pro bono attorneys in identifying and assisting or referring clients with related legal issues including benefits, divorce, and immigration including U VISAs.
Since the DV Collaborative's formation in 2007, it has provided hundreds of clients with legal assistance to obtain orders of protection, child custody visitation orders, child support orders, renewals of restraining orders and appeals.
Domestic Violence Collaborative Partners
Bay Area Legal Aid
(800) 551-5554
www.baylegal.org
Provides free legal representation to low-income domestic violence survivors in divorce, child custody, restraining orders and immigration matters.
Community Overcoming Relationship Abuse (CORA)
(650) 312-8515
www.corasupport.org
Provides free and confidential emergency, intervention and prevention services, including an emergency shelter and transitional housing for victims/survivors.
For more information on the Domestic Violence Collaborative:
please call (650) 558-0915.
Legal Aid would like to thank the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), and individual donors for their funding support of the the Domestic Violence Collaborative.