Family Protection and Legal Assistance Clinic Marks 10th Anniversary

The UC Davis School of Law Family Protection and Legal Assistance Clinic marked its 10th anniversary and recognized generous support from the Verizon Foundation at a special event on February 17.

Held in downtown Sacramento, the event featured keynote speaker State Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg '84 and Dean Kevin R. Johnson.  Faculty in attendance included Associate Dean Vikram Amar, Professor Martha West, Professor Lisa Ikemoto, Professor Carter White, Professor Courtney Joslin, Immigration Law Clinic Director Amagda Perez, and Family Protection Clinic Attorney Krystal Callaway Jaime. 

King Hall alumni in attendance included Alumni Board members Jeffrey Leacox '88 and John O'Malley '98, former clinic staff attorneys Janet Stroman '00 and Sarah Orr '92, Mary Martinelli '86, Raquel Silva '05, and Yolo County Supervisor Jim Provenza ‘80.  In addition, Davis Mayor Don Saylor and numerous other alumni, donors, and friends of King Hall were present to honor the clinic.  

"The UC Davis Family Protection and Legal Assistance Clinic is the only resource providing free family law representation to low-income victims of domestic violence in Yolo County, where more than 18 percent of the population lives below the federal poverty level," said Dean Johnson.  "Attorneys and students work on an average of 79 cases per year - most are difficult and heartbreaking; all are life-changing."

Senator Steinberg, a member of the Law School's Class of 1984, praised the Law School's legal clinical programs, saying, "Public service is one of the hallmarks of King Hall.  Your work changes lives."

Assembly Member Mariko Yamada, representing Yolo County, presented a special Assembly resolution to the clinic.

Theresa G., a client at the Family Protection and Legal Assistance Clinic, became emotional as she described how the students and attorneys helped to keep her children safe, securing a restraining order and protecting them from their abuser.  "They helped me so much, when nobody else would," she said.

For the second time, the Verizon Foundation presented the Family Protection and Legal Assistance Clinic with a grant.  In 2008, the clinic received a $35,000 grant from the Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic branch of Verizon Communications.  The new grant for $60,000 will go toward operating expenses and allow the clinic to investigate uses of technology to aid more victims of domestic violence.  Verizon is now one of the biggest financial supporters of the Family Protection Clinic. 

Dean Johnson extended special thanks to King Hall graduate and Verizon vice president for legal and external affairs Steve Zipperstein '83 and Verizon vice president for strategic programs, Elva Lima.  At the conclusion of the program, Lima was presented with thank-you gifts: a plaque from Dean Johnson and apparel bearing the Family Protection Clinic logo from staff attorney Krystal Callaway Jaime.

The Family Protection and Legal Assistance Clinic was established by Professor Martha West in 1999 with "seed money" grants from the U.S. Department of Justice under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).

For pictures of the event, visit the UC Davis School of Law Flickr page.