FVAP believes in reproductive rights and privacy. We believe in all persons’ rights to autonomy over their bodies and to make their own choices in healthcare decisions. Reproductive choice deeply impacts survivors of sexual assault and intimate partner violence, which can result in unwanted pregnancies. We know that domestic violence markedly increases during pregnancy, making pregnancy a particularly dangerous time for abuse survivors. FVAP recently supported a policy that helped clarify California’s Domestic Violence Prevention Act, recognizing that reproductive coercion is a form of domestic abuse.
Reproductive coercion is one type of power and control where one partner strips the other of the ability to control their own reproductive system and timeline. It’s important to understand that reproductive coercion, rape-related pregnancy and domestic violence all intersect. A November 2021 study, the first of its kind in the U.S., found that pregnant women die by homicide more frequently than from pregnancy related health conditions. In fact, homicide is the number one cause of death for pregnant women in this country. The number increases for pregnant Black women and pregnant young women. Sadly, most of these women are killed by their partners. In other words, pregnancy increases a person’s chance of being killed by a partner. This is why FVAP remains committed to supporting policy that protects survivors of gender-based and intimate partner violence. We will continue to stand with our communities in solidarity and seek justice through our legal system.
Fall 2022 Law Clerk Opening – Oakland, California or Seattle, Washington – Hybrid Position
Fall 2022 Law Clerk – Hybrid Work Position
Family Violence Appellate Project (FVAP) is seeking 1-2 part-time law clerks to join each of our dynamic teams in California and Washington for Fall 2022. This is a part-time clerkship for a minimum of 16 hours per week. Our California office is in Oakland, California. Our Washington office is in the Seattle, Washington area. This position will require some of the total number of hours take place in person, in our office. The total number of hours will be determined with the individual on a case-by-case basis. In general staff will be coming into the office a minimum of 1 day a week.
We value diverse experiences and backgrounds. FVAP’s clientele is diverse, and we serve individuals and advocates throughout the state, including rural, suburban, and urban populations. The ideal candidate will bring skills and experiences enabling the candidate to serve these diverse populations adeptly in the context of domestic violence and appellate litigation. To promote social justice and best serve our clients, FVAP is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to supporting a diverse staff and providing culturally competent services. Individuals of all races, ethnicities, national origins, religions, ages, sexes, sexual orientations, and gender identities, as well as differently abled persons, survivors of domestic violence, candidates from traditionally underrepresented communities and historically oppressed groups, bilingual and bicultural candidates, and those who are the first in their family to complete college or graduate school, are encouraged to apply.
Family Violence Appellate Project is the only organization in California and Washington states dedicated to appealing cases on behalf of survivors of domestic and other forms of interpersonal violence. We are committed to social justice and dedicated to shaping California and Washington law to prioritize the safety of survivors and children. We are also committed to supporting the statewide network of domestic violence and legal aid service providers.
FVAP’s work includes:
- Representing clients in the California and Washington Courts of Appeal,
- Submitting amicus curiae briefs in cases of statewide importance,
- Monitoring unpublished cases daily and requesting publication of important domestic violence cases,
- Engaging in legislative and systems change advocacy efforts,
- Providing trainings, technical assistance, and written informational materials, and
- Facilitating information exchange among statewide stakeholders supporting survivors.
If you are interested in being part of this exciting social justice movement and resource for domestic violence survivors and advocates across California and Washington, this is the place for you! You can learn more at www.fvaplaw.org.
Essential Duties:
Duties may include the following (other duties may be assigned):
- Assisting with an active pipeline of case referrals, including completing an initial case analysis, which involves analyzing the trial court record and the legal issues in the case and making a preliminary recommendation on whether FVAP should accept the case for appeal
- Conducting legal research and writing
- Assisting FVAP’s work with pro bono co-counsel to file appellate and amicus curiae briefs
- Analyzing and presenting social science literature in the field of domestic violence
- Assist with updating and improving FVAP’s written materials and trainings
- Contributing overall to FVAP’s work to achieve its organizational mission
Required Qualifications and Experience:
- Completion of at least one year of law school (including Civil Procedure) at an accredited university
- Excellent communication and writing skills
- Strong organizational skills
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team
- Strong understanding of issues specifically facing clients in crisis and low‐income clients
- Ability to adapt to and work in a fast-paced environment and complete time-sensitive assignments thoroughly and on time
- Legal research skills
- Knowledge of the dynamics of domestic violence, domestic violence law and/or family law strongly preferred, either through course work or work experience or other experience. (Work in other areas of interpersonal violence may qualify)
Strongly Preferred but not Required Qualifications and Experience:
- Experience with trial or appellate court documents and procedure
- Experience working directly with clients in crisis
- Litigation or appellate experience
- Completion of a course in Evidence
- Experience with writing legal concepts in plain language for non-lawyers
Law clerks are unpaid but may be eligible for funding or course credit through their law school. We can provide support letters and other documents as needed if you are offered the clerkship.
Download the PDF
To Apply: Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. Students are encouraged to apply early in the process, but at this time we do not have a cutoff date for applications.
To apply please email or mail a cover letter, resume and transcript. Please write down in the subject line which office you are applying to (you may apply to either or both) and that you are applying to be a 2022 Fall Law Clerk.
All applicant emails: jobs@fvaplaw.org
Attn: Arati Vasan, Senior Managing Attorney (California)
Family Violence Appellate Project, 449 15th St. Suite 805, Oakland, CA 94612
Attn: Evangeline Stratton, Senior Managing Attorney (Washington)
Family Violence Appellate Project, 1239 120th Ave. NE, Ste. J, Bellevue, WA 98005
If sending email, please make clear in the subject line that you are applying to be a 2022 Fall Law Clerk. Your cover letter should speak to:
Attn: Evangeline Stratton, Senior Managing Attorney (Washington)
Family Violence Appellate Project, 1239 120th Ave. NE, Ste. J, Bellevue, WA 98005
If sending email, please make clear in the subject line that you are applying to be a 2022 Fall Law Clerk. Your cover letter should speak to:
1) why you are interested specifically in working at FVAP;
2) how your background or experiences, educational or otherwise, have prepared you to contribute to our work and perform the required duties and any preferred qualifications, and;
3) how your background or experiences, educational or otherwise, have prepared you to contribute to our commitment to diversity and cultural humility amongst our team of staff and interns.
Feel free to think broadly about your response to these questions, applying various aspects of your life and personal experience.
Thank you for your interest in FVAP!
Thank you for your interest in FVAP!
Pride 2022
FVAP Celebrates Pride Month
June is Pride month, a time to celebrate and support the LGBTQIA2S+ community.
The origins of Pride date back to June 28, 1969, when police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in Greenwich Village, NY, which resulted in a series of riots. Numerous rights groups were formed, and the community demanded the establishment of safe spaces where LBGTQIA2S+ people could live openly without fear of retribution. Thirty years after the Stonewall Riots, President Bill Clinton officially recognized Pride Month in 1999; this month symbolizes liberation and is publicly honored in many countries worldwide.
FVAP celebrates the progress the LGBTQIA2S+ movement has made over the years, from the resistance of oppression during the Stonewall Riots to the passing of legislation supporting LGBTQIA2S+ civil rights. Still, there is much work to be done. Despite advances in equality since that time, threats to the LGBTQIA2S+ community abound: so far this year, nearly 240 anti-LGBTQIA2S+ bills have been filed, primarily targeting trans people and, in particular, trans youth. While 2021 marked the highest number of anti-trans legislation in the history of the US, 2022 is slated to break that record. Pride Month reminds us that written in history are the many accomplishments made by the LQBTQIA2S+ community, from advocacy to the passing of unprecedented civil rights legislation. FVAP joins those committed to human rights in honoring this month as an opportunity for reflection, celebration and renewed commitment to continue progressing forward in the spirit of advocacy and allyship to combat anti-LGBTQIA2S+ legislation.
FVAP Honors Juneteenth
FVAP Honors Juneteenth
Juneteenth, or Freedom Day, is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in America as it was historically known. This holiday is considered to be the longest running African-American holiday and has been called America’s second Independence Day. While we honor this milestone in history, FVAP recognizes that many systems and institutions still exist that enslave and jeopardize human freedoms.
FVAP recognizes and observes Juneteenth as part of our year-round commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. We celebrate the victories of the past as we recognize the challenges of the present; we commit to a better, more equitable future for all, especially Black Americans.
In 2021, twenty-five years after the first bill to recognize Juneteenth was introduced, President Joe Biden signed into law the “Juneteenth National Independence Day Act”. FVAP staff honored this historic day by reflecting on its meaning and connection to our work, clients, community and staff.
June 19th is recognized as “Juneteenth”, a commemoration signifying the end of enslavement for African descendants of the transatlantic slave trade. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation was the public pronouncement of the end of slavery. It wasn’t until June 19th, 1865 – more than two years later – that the Proclamation was announced to the enslaved people living in Galveston, Texas.
Juneteenth is a day of celebration, a celebration of independence like the Fourth of July. This day of pride signifies liberation and serves as a starting point for honoring the many contributions African Americans have made toward the industrialization of the United States. It is also a time for reflection and to recommit to daily actions to dismantle the institutional racism that still exists in our society.
RFP Web Designer/Developer
Summary of Request:
Family Violence Appellate Project (“FVAP”) seeks to transform its website into a comprehensive, user-friendly Legal Resource Library (“Project”) for attorneys, advocates, and survivors of domestic violence and gender-based abuse. The database will consist of model briefs, motions and pleading templates, toolkits and tip sheets, legal resources, social science research, and trainings developed by FVAP. FVAP seeks proposals from vendors to build and develop this Legal Resource Library on FVAP’s existing WordPress website platform.
Request for Proposal: Web Designer/Developer for Legal Resource Library
Summary of Request
Family Violence Appellate Project (“FVAP”) seeks to transform its website into a comprehensive, user-friendly Legal Resource Library (“Project”) for attorneys, advocates, and survivors of domestic violence and gender-based abuse. The database will consist of model briefs, motions and pleading templates, toolkits and tip sheets, legal resources, social science research, and trainings developed by FVAP. FVAP seeks proposals from vendors to build and develop this Legal Resource Library on FVAP’s existing WordPress website platform.
Organizational Introduction:
FVAP is a California and Washington state non-profit legal organization whose mission is to ensure the safety and well-being of survivors of domestic violence and other forms of intimate partner, family, and gender-based abuse by helping them obtain effective appellate representation. FVAP provides legal assistance to survivors of abuse at the appellate level through direct representation, collaborating with pro bono attorneys, advocating for survivors on important legal issues, and offering training and legal support for legal services providers and domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking counselors. FVAP is the California State Bar-funded Support Center with expertise in domestic violence law, family law, and appellate procedure.
By centering our work on the most marginalized survivors, including rural, immigrant, Native American, BIPOC, and LGBTQIA+ communities, FVAP works to transform the power of the civil legal system to support all survivors of abuse. A significant part of this work is ensuring survivors, especially those experiencing multiple oppressions, and the people who support them, have access to the legal information, resources and remedies they need to achieve justice.
History of FVAP’s website and Legal Resource Library:
FVAP was founded in 2012, and launched its website (www.fvaplaw.org) that year. The Legal Resource Library was launched in approximately 2016. FVAP’s website and Legal Resource Library is hosted on WordPress.
In 2021, the California Access to Justice Commission (“CA ATJ”) announced an RFP for the Legal Aid Infrastructure & Innovation Grants. FVAP applied to upgrade its Legal Resource Library, and was selected as a grantee in early 2022. This project is being funded by the CA ATJ grant.
Project Overview and Purpose:
The Need:
FVAP relies extensively on thousands of documents (including social science and law review articles, legal briefs, case law, research memos, referral resources and sample motions) both for impact appellate litigation and to provide technical assistance and written resources to attorneys, advocates, and self-represented litigants. Currently, FVAP has numerous independent systems for storing these resources, creating significant barriers to accessing and maintaining the resources. Additionally, only a small portion of these legal resource documents are available to attorneys, advocates, and self-represented litigants on FVAP’s website. FVAP has not had the capacity to further develop and maintain a comprehensive Legal Resource Library for the public. As an example, FVAP has over 7,000 files containing social science and legal research information that is not currently available on its website. Furthermore, survey responses have shown that individuals searching FVAP’s website for resources find it “cumbersome” and difficult to locate materials. Access to these resources is critical for attorneys, advocates, and self-represented litigants.
Goals and Outcomes:
An easy-to-use, highly effective, up-to-date resource library will significantly increase access to self-help materials, advocate resources, sample briefs and other legal resources, and social science and law review articles targeted to the appropriate audience. The external outcomes will be:
- Self-represented DV survivors in California and Washington will have better access to legal information and resources to help them with their cases (estimated 200,000+ people/year)
- DV advocates in California and Washington will have better access to legal information and resources to help their survivor clients
- Legal aid attorneys in California and Washington will have better access to sample briefs, research, and social science to help survivors in trial court
- Legal aid attorneys nationwide will have better access to DV social science research and materials, as well as sample amicus briefs, to help survivors in trial or appellate courts
This technology-based infrastructure project will make a long-term impact on FVAP’s capacity to organize, maintain, and locate its legal resources because it will centralize and store all materials in the Legal Resource Library. This new streamlined system will significantly increase access to these important materials, while simultaneously decreasing FVAP attorney time needed to maintain these materials. This will also increase FVAP attorney effectiveness in responding to technical assistance requests and strengthen responses to legal aid and pro bono attorneys.
Usage of the Legal Resource Library will be tracked, and contemporaneous surveys will demonstrate the effectiveness of the interface tool and the resources provided. By quickly sending automated text- or email-based surveys to those who access materials, FVAP will have timely feedback on how to make materials more helpful and to determine what additional materials are needed.
