“ I have found an incredible need for
paralegals in the nonprofit world ... to
bridge the gap between the needs for
legal services and a lack of funding.”
CONTINUED ON PAGE 21
www.ParalegalToday.com Q4 - 2017 9
What are your responsibilities as the
legal advocate? What does a typical
work day look like?
My role at Harbor House is very unique.
It is part paralegal work, part advocate.
I help victims of domestic violence with
their specific legal needs. Hardly a day
goes by when someone doesn’t come
in seeking divorce or restraining order
forms and assistance. Sometimes the
assistance I provide is simply explaining
a legal form; other times it can be much
more complex and involve collaborating
with our local victim witness and district
attorney’s offices on a felony case, or
helping a client through a jury trial. Some
days my time is spent drafting restraining
order paperwork, while on other days I am
assisting with victim impact statements
and victim compensation forms. I also
spend a great deal of time attending
motion hearings and trials with the
clients we serve.
Additionally, it is very common for
victims of domestic violence to experience
polyvictimization, which is when a victim
experiences multiple victimizations of
different kinds, such as sexual abuse,
physical abuse, bullying, and exposure to
family violence, not just multiple episodes
of the same kind of victimization. So,
I am often helping a client with many
cases at one time. This could mean I am
working with them in civil court to obtain
a restraining order while also assisting
them with divorce proceedings in family
court. Many times, the client is also
simultaneously the subject victim in a
criminal case that’s being prosecuted.
All of this can be very overwhelming
for any individual to go through. My role
is to guide and help lessen the burden
in any way that I can for the domestic
violence survivor. It is common for me
to help pro se clients fill out custody and
placement modifications, or explain divorce
procedures and to help crime victims better
understand their rights. I cannot give
legal advice, of course, but I can provide
emotional support, crisis intervention, and
safety planning for our clients.
How did you get into this specialty?
Did you receive any special training
or receive any special certifications to
work in this practice area?
My first window into the work of
assisting victims of crime happened when
I worked as a paralegal intern in the local
district attorney’s office. That position
was an eye-opener for me. I really enjoyed the one-on-one work with
clients, and it was something I missed later when my paralegal days were
filled with more paperwork than client contact. I went on to work in a
criminal defense firm, and then I spent years working as a social security
disability paralegal. My role as a social security disability paralegal
required me to have broad legal knowledge while also understanding the
intricate world of disability law. The larger impact of working in disability
law was that it led me to realize I wanted to do more with my paralegal
career to help effectuate positive change in the lives of the clients I serve.
What is the most memorable case on which you have worked in your
career? What made it so memorable?
When I was working as a social security disability paralegal, there was a
client who was ill with cancer, and he had been denied disability benefits.
He called pleading with me to take his disability
Donna Meiselwitz
/www.ParalegalToday.com