The Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) recently awarded funding to the Battered Women’s Justice Project to provide technical assistance to law schools and law faculty who want to develop and expand law school clinics that focus on serving victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Technical assistance will include customized consultation and support for strategic planning, project and curriculum development, peer-to-peer networking, and resource sharing, among other things.

BWJP will host a series of webinars for law school faculty and others interested in developing and/or expanding clinics to serve persons who have experienced domestic violence and/or sexual assault. The webinars will cover such issues as the length and structure of clinics, course curricula, case selection, community involvement and funding.

BWJP’s consultant on this project is Beverly Balos. Professor Balos has over twenty-five years experience in clinical legal education. Professor Balos taught at the University of Minnesota Law School where she developed and taught clinics focusing on protective orders, criminal prosecution of domestic assault and public policy reform in the domestic violence area. She is joined in this project by BWJP Legal and Policy Advisor Gabrielle Davis who, prior to coming to BWJP, directed the Domestic Violence Clinic at the University of Toledo.