Nehal endured threats of violence from her husband, including an incident where he cut her with a knife and one where he threatened her with a gun. He told her he would kill her before he would divorce her. Scared, and seeking safety for herself and her children, Nehal reached out to a domestic violence agency Through These Doors, for help. Advocates at Through These Doors worked with Nehal on safety planning and referred her to Pine Tree Legal Assistance for help obtaining a Protection from Abuse (PFA) Order.  
 
A Pine Tree Legal Assistance attorney represented Nehal in the cases and obtained a two-year PFA order. Due to the severity of the abuse and the language barriers to accessing the court system, Pine Tree Legal Assistance also represented Nehal in her divorce case.  
 
Nehal’s wish was to get a divorce and move somewhere far away from her husband where he could not hurt her or their children. It is very rare, even in serious domestic violence cases, that the court will award sole parental rights and the right to relocate to a different state with a confidential address, so we advised Nehal that this would be an uphill battle.  
A protection order is obtained through a civil process, without a court appointed attorney. Although many people seeking PFAs are victims of criminal acts, the difficulties in prosecuting these types of criminal cases mean that civil legal remedies are often the only recourse available to victims. A protection order prohibits contact by the abuser and can be enforced by law enforcement. PFAs also address economic, housing, and social barriers to safety and well-being. Research shows that access to civil legal aid improves the likelihood that victims will be able to obtain protective orders from courts, which is a significant factor in reducing rates of domestic violence.  
Melanie Sandler is a Frank M. Coffin Family Law Fellowship Attorney. The Coffin Fellowship program was created to help the legal aid community respond to one of the greatest needs for civil legal aid: representation in divorce and parental rights cases. Because demand for help with these cases in so high, the Fellowship program prioritizes individuals who face additional barriers to accessing the justice system, including individuals who have language barriers, disabilities, or who have experienced extreme violence. The Fellowship was established by law firms in the Portland area and is named after Frank M. Coffin, Senior Judge on the First Circuit Court of Appeals. Fellowship attorneys are based in the Portland office of Pine Tree Legal Assistance.  
Attorney Melanie Sandler represented Nehal in a two-day divorce trial. The trial required sophisticated litigation skills, including working with several interpreters and international calls to witnesses during the trial. Nehal and Melanie dealt with “death stares” and outbursts from the opposing party during the trial. During a break from the trial, he violated the protection order. Despite the fierce uphill battle, Nehal and Melanie did not give up and the divorce judgement awarded Nehal with sole parental rights, the right to relocate to a different state with a confidential address, and full discretion regarding her ex-husbands contact with the children. Nehal’s wish was granted! After the trial, Melanie and advocates at Through These Doors worked with Nehal to create a new safety plan to ensure the safety of herself and her children, and to help her transition from victim to survivor. 

This would not be possible without your generous donations. You are critical to our mission. Thank you for your support.
 
Note: We’ve changed the name of the client in this story to protect her privacy and safety.  
Through These Doors serves as Cumberland County’s Domestic Violence Resource Center. TTD works together with survivors to offer holistic services, give voice to their experiences, and shape the community’s response to the issue of domestic abuse.  

COVID-19 and social distancing have elevated safety concerns of domestic violence survivors here in Maine. Through These Doors reports: during April - June of 2020, Maine domestic violence resource centers served 3,567 individuals. During this time, in comparison to April-June of 2019, Helpline Calls were up 20%, Other support calls were up 50%, and Electronic contacts were up 145%. 

In 1978, Pine Tree hired Maine’s first domestic violence legal aid attorney. In those early years, our priority was securing protection from abuse orders for victims of domestic violence. As our program has expanded and the laws have evolved, Pine Tree has adopted a more holistic approach to the legal needs of survivors. Today, Pine Tree operates a statewide family law and victim rights unit of 14 legal staff supporting victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, stalking, and trafficking. Over the past 42 years, Pine Tree has been and continues to be the primary provider of legal assistance to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault statewide. 
 
We all have a part to play in ending domestic abuse and violence. The MCEDV shares many ways you can take action, including advocating, changing our culture, intervening, and volunteering.

How will you support Domestic Violence Awareness Month in your community? 
Educate
Help empower others by sharing resources from our website and Facebook
Serve
Join PTLA as a volunteer. Students, Attorneys, Community Members, and Other Professionals: find out how to get involved today.
Give
Your generous gifts make our work possible. Consider making a donation to Pine Tree or to the Campaign for Justice
Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up to receive future newsletters.
Copyright © 2020, Pine Tree Legal Assistance, All rights reserved.


Pine Tree Legal Assistance is a non-profit, is a 501(c)(3) organization incorporated on June 14, 1966. Our tax ID number is 01-02 79387. Pine Tree Legal Assistance is funded in part by the Legal Services Corporation (“LSC”). As a condition of the funding received from LSC, Pine Tree Legal Assistance is restricted in certain activities in all of its legal work, including work supported by other funding sources. Pine Tree Legal Assistance may not expend any funds for any activity prohibited by the Legal Services Corporation Act, 42 U.S.C §2996 et. seq. or by Public Law 104-134. Public Law 104—234 §504(d) required that notice of these restrictions be given to all funders or programs funded by the Legal Services Corporation. For a copy of these laws or any further information, please contact: Executive Director, Pine Tree Legal Assistance, PO Box 547, Portland, Maine 04112; Tel. 207-774-4753.