Our Story

2012: In the spring of 2012, two law students at U.C. Berkeley approached their professor with an idea. Family Violence Appellate Project opened its doors that summer, becoming the first nonprofit in California dedicated to helping domestic violence survivors with civil legal appeals. At the time, FVAP was housed in a one-room office in Berkeley. Though our staff, space, and operating budget were small, our determination was not.

2014: FVAP hired its third? full-time attorney. Our staff was now 5 people strong.

2017: Five years later, FVAP’s staff of 9 is filling a crucial gap in legal aid coverage for California survivors, as the only statewide legal domestic violence organization operating in every part of California. In the summer of 2017, on our 5th anniversary, we reached a milestone: 1,000 legal matters. Between direct representation, real-time legal assistance, and amicus (friend-of-the-court) briefs, our legal staff has worked on over 1,000 legal matters on behalf of California domestic violence survivors and their children.