Founded in 1994, the mission of the ABA Commission on Domestic Violence ("the Commission") is to increase access to justice for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking by mobilizing the legal profession. The Commission addresses the acute need to increase the number of well-trained and supported attorneys providing representation to victims by providing creating training opportunities for lawyers, law students, and other legal advocates. The Commission on Domestic Violence does not provide lawyer referrals nor do we give legal advice to survivors of domestic violence.

Commission Members

Commission Staff

National Continuing Legal Education Programs

With generous support from the U.S. Department of Justice since 2000, the Commission hosts national civil law institutes, teleconferences, and other continuing legal education programming for attorneys representing victims of domestic violence. Topics include: "domestic violence 101," sex trafficking, litigation skills in civil protection order cases, family law, immigration law, elder abuse, sexual assault, tax law and more. For a listing of recent programming and course materials, click here.

Technical Assistance for Attorneys

The Commission provides individualized support to attorneys representing victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking that includes research assistance, sample practice tools, model pleadings, and access to experts in the field. Commission members, Liaisons and Commission staff include national experts in many areas of domestic violence and the law. To request technical assistance, click here.

Publications

The Commission provides dozens of low-cost publications for attorneys representing survivors of domestic violence. For more information on our extensive publications, click here.

Electronic Resources

The Commission also has several web-based resources including our popular eNewsletter and litigators' listserv. We also compile resources related to over 45 different sub-topics of domestic violence practice, including statutory summary charts.

Speaking and Consulting

Commissioners and Commission staff are available for trainings or other educational speaking engagements. To contact the Commission with speaker requests, click here.

ABA Policy

The Commission regularly sponsors and co-sponsors ABA policies in support of vicitms of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking. Status as official ABA policy enables ABA members to lobby on, speak with the media about, and try to further the particular policy. For a listing of domestic violence-related ABA Policies, click here.

Law Student Programs

In addition to regularly hosting law student and undergraduate interns, the Commission sponsors the Annual Law Student Writing Competition, in which law students are invited to submit articles addressing domestic violence and the law from a national or international perspective. Winners receive cash prizes, and the first place essay is published in the American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy and the Law.