The Legal Services Team at End Abuse works to improve survivor outcomes in the legal system by providing Legal Technical Assistance (“TA”) to advocates and other professionals who serve survivors, conducting trainings on critical and emerging legal issues, and leading and collaborating toward systems change efforts. 

Legal Services & Related Resources

For questions about any of the information found below, contact us.

Legal Technical Assistance
  • If you are an advocate, lawyer, or other professional seeking Legal TA, please contact End Abuse at 608-255-0539 or use our Contact Form to request Legal TA.
  • If you are a survivor, you can contact End Abuse at 608-255-0539 to be connected with a local domestic violence program and other resources. You can also use our Get Help map to locate local programs providing direct services and support.
Member Services: Legal Manual and Listservs
  • Our Legal Manual contains summaries and information about statutes and legal processes that affect survivors such as restraining orders, family law, immigration law, confidentiality, and more.
      • The Legal Manual is for members only and can be access via our For Members page. View our Membership & Renewals Page or contact 608-255-0539 about becoming a member, creating login credentials if your agency is already a member.
  • We manage listservs for Legal Advocates and Bilingual Advocates, where members receive timely legal updates and resources 
Training
  • If you are interested in legal trainings, check out our upcoming events on our Trainings & Events page.
  • Our general trainings for advocates include topics such as 
    • Basic Restraining Orders and Beyond the Basics Restraining Orders 
    • Confidentiality Laws  
    • Family Law Institute 
    • Immigration Basics and Immigration Updates 
    • Legal Services for Trafficking Survivors 
    • Decriminalization for Trafficking Survivors 
  • If you are interested in requesting legal training for your workplace, please contact End Abuse at 608-255-0539 and ask to be connected to Legal TA. Past trainings have included: 
    • Domestic violence trainings for Guardians ad Litem 
    • Identifying human trafficking in family law for Family Court Services 
    • Child Custody, Child Support, and Domestic Violence for Child Support Agencies 
Court Resources
Court Forms: Restraining Orders
Court Forms: Family Law
Introducing Evidence Video

This video has been produced by End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin to provide general information about court proceedings and should not be construed as legal advice regarding any specific case or legal issue.  If, and when possible, parties should seek legal advice from an attorney about their individual case. You can find the video here

 

Systems Change
  • 2018 Domestic Violence in Family Law Study

Domestic Abuse: Little Impact on Child Custody and Placement (via State Bar of Wisconsin)

A recent review of several years’ family court orders in 20 Wisconsin counties confirmed many lawyers’ suspicion. The statutory presumption regarding the effect of domestic abuse findings on child custody and placement orders is not impacting outcomes in many cases.

  • 2021 La Follette GAL study

Addressing Domestic Abuse in Family Court Cases Involving Guardians ad Litem in Wisconsin (via The Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs)

Guardians ad Litem (GALs) are attorneys who play a critical role in the family court system by
representing the best interests of children. Legal Action of Wisconsin, End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin,
and the Director of State Courts Office of Court Operations requested insights into the barriers GALs
faced while addressing domestic abuse in the Wisconsin Family Court system.

GALs addressed the need for more training and education surrounding domestic abuse, access
to additional resources for evidence collection, the expertise of social services personnel, victim
resources, and judicial uniformity in addressing domestic abuse across cases, court officials, and counties.

  • Recorded Webinar: Transnational Marriage Abandonment

Watch the recording here: Transnational Marriage Abandonment (TMA): Systems Solutions

TMA: Systems Solutions was hosted by End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin and the Milwaukee Muslim Women’s Coalition on February 27, 2023. This webinar provides an overview of TMA, including case examples. Then, the webinar dives into the legal and systems issues affecting TMA survivors – including immigration, family law, and the intersection of divorces from foreign countries. Click here to view the transcript for this recording.

Other pages in this section

Education
End Abuse provides a variety of educational opportunities to advocates, law enforcement, legislators, and community members to enable them to better serve survivors throughout WI.
Public Policy Advocacy
End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin mobilizes advocates, survivors, and concerned individuals to make policy changes that will support survivors and help end domestic violence.
Prevention
We envision promising prevention strategies that work with people and systems to challenge gender, race, and class stereotypes and oppressive norms while defining new ways to be a more positive, equitable, and just society.
Outreach to Underserved Communities
End Domestic Abuse WI has a long history of supporting underserved and under-represented communities - including communities of color, those in later life, the LQBTQI+ community, people with disabilities, children and youth, immigrants and refugees, and tribal communities - in...
Human Trafficking Awareness
End Abuse provides resources, training and technical assistance to programs serving domestic violence survivors, including survivors of human trafficking. Sex trafficking survivors face unique challenges to recovery and safety.
Engaging Youth
The children and youth program offers training, information, and resources for those working with youth. Also providing leadership opportunities for teens to develop skills they can use to educate their peers.
Economic Empowerment
Financial independence is key to domestic abuse survivors’ ability to live successful, violence-free lives. In partnership with local programs, we address economic needs and challenges so survivors can break free of violence.
Coordinated Community Response
For CCR and other DV/SA-focused multidisciplinary teams seeking to improve their community's response to domestic violence, sexual violence, and other forms of oppression.

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