The DOVE Project, using a team approach, recruits, trains and supports panels of attorneys who are called upon to provide limited-scope representation to victims of domestic violence at a crucial point in their efforts to separate themselves from their batterers. The Domestic Violence Emergency Project, established in New Hampshire in 1993, has been recognized by the ABA as a "national role model" for collaboration in the delivery of legal services for domestic violence victims.

The Bar recruits and trains the attorneys who serve on DOVE volunteer panels that are affiliated with domestic violence crisis centers in communities. The crisis centers, using specific criteria for income eligibility and type of case, serve as intermediaries in linking the attorneys and clients. In many cases, attorneys are needed on short notice to prepare for the brief but pivotal hearings that are held a short time after temporary restraining orders are granted, often on an ex parte basis. Attorneys are especially needed at these hearings to ensure that victims obtain permanent orders that will address their safety concerns as well as entitle them to child custody and support as well as access to their homes or vehicles to maintain employment and meet basic living needs.

Martin, the Bar's legal services director, said representation provided by a DOVE attorney, under RSA 173-B can help a victim of domestic violence obtain relief such as:

• permanent restraining orders that offer further protection from abuse by an intimate;
• custody and child support orders;
• exclusive use and possession of their homes;
• the use of a vehicle and other essentials vital in a victim's struggle to gain independence.

In addition to offering attorneys the opportunity to make an immediate and real difference in a client's life, the DOVE Project provides valuable trial experience for newer attorneys in a limited-representation setting.

DOVE, a project of the Pro Bono program, receives funding from the federal Violence Against Women Act, the New Hampshire Bar Foundation's Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts, and several United Way agencies.

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