
Rachel Schromen and Camry Fielders, attorneys at Schromen Law, LLC, both have extensive experience as volunteers with the Domestic Abuse Legal Advocacy Center. They share their passion for DALAC and urge others to get involved with this important work. For the month of October, Schromen Law is hosting a fundraiser for DALAC. Contact us for more details!
- What first interested you in volunteering with the Domestic Abuse Legal Advocacy Center?
Rachel: Domestic Violence is an issue that I have personal experience with, and I know the incredible value and important of accessible legal resources. When Evon Spangler told me her vision for DALAC — a vision that changes how this legal support and accessibility is offered to victims and survivors — I knew I wanted to support this organization in an way that I could.
Camry: I like the mission of DALAC — providing legal support to victims and helping their voices be heard through qualified attorneys who care. It also gives me an opportunity to help individuals who don’t have resources to hire an attorney to walk them through intimidating legal matters.
- What kind of work do you do with DALAC?
Rachel: I have volunteered at the legal clinics, helped with administrative work, staffed fundraising events, I have served on the Board of Directors…I have worn a lot of hats over the past 8 years! I also focus on supporting fundraising because I know the impact every dollar makes in supporting this important work.
Camry: I primarily volunteer at the legal clinics that are offered in the shelter setting. I enjoy meeting with women in need and answering their legal questions. It can be a variety of questions – order for protection, housing issues, or child custody are common. If we aren’t able to fully help, we connect them with resources and individuals that can. There isn’t one set type of legal issue we handle. No matter what kind of work we’re doing, it’s very rewarding.
- How does your legal background influence your approach to supporting survivors of domestic violence?
Rachel: While my legal background helps me to support clients in navigating complex and overwhelming legal matters, the training and support that DALAC provides to volunteer attorneys has been crucial. Specifically, attorneys receive training around trauma-informed client counseling. It is particularly important that attorneys working with victims and survivors of domestic violence are trained to do so in a way that will not further traumatize them. DALAC works to ensure attorneys have the information and training they need.
Camry: Being in the legal field in general, you must learn to adapt to different situations because not everyone relates or communicates in the same manner. With that being said, I’ve met many people throughout my legal career, and that has allowed me to learn and adapt to talking to clients in a way that’s not judgmental, and in a way that’s loving and caring.
- Can you describe a particularly memorable case?
Rachel: I attended a fundraising luncheon for Women’s Advocates — a shelter DALAC has provided legal clinics to. They had a very impressive keynote speaker who had been a client at the shelter after leaving an abusive relationship. As I was leaving, the keynote speaker ran up and caught me. She explained that she had attended the legal clinic when she was there, and I was one of the attorneys that helped her utilize legal protections available to her. With that support, she was able to begin rebuilding her life and confidence and was THRIVING! I hardly recognized her standing in front me — she had gone from being in a very defeated and vulnerable time in her life to exuding confidence and empowerment. She was planning to go back to school to become a lawyer to help victims and survivors as well!
Camry: It’s hard to name just one, but there have been several times when a client would come in and just start crying. We would just listen, and then it would eventually lead to a legal question. It is hard to see the emotion and helplessness victims and survivors feel, especially when feeling like they have to navigate legal remedies alone.
- How do you manage the emotional aspect of working with clients who have experienced trauma?
Rachel: I utilize the resources that DALAC offers to volunteer attorneys. The training provided not only helps us support clients, but it also helps us learn how to care for ourselves. As a volunteer attorney, I have also had access to free therapy appointments. The fact that DALAC also supports its volunteers also leads to better legal support for victims and survivors.
Camry: I try to show up with empathy and just think to myself, “What can I do to help this person? If I can’t do it, who can help this person?” It helps to realize that any little bit I can give them is helping them in the end.
- What advice would you give to someone considering any kind of legal action after experiencing domestic abuse?
Rachel: You don’t have to do it alone. Hire an attorney that understands domestic violence and can support who fully through the process. I have seen, firsthand, what a difference it makes to have qualified attorneys walking next to women through this process.
Camry: I would tell them that they should speak to an attorney who practices in that area, so that they know all of their options and realize that they do not have to navigate it alone. It can feel like that, and the legal system can be incredibly intimidating. The legal support that DALAC provides helps the women that we serve find empowerment. DALAC provides extensive training to attorneys to make certain that clients are receiving the legal representation that they need and deserve.
- DALAC is a nonprofit law firm that operates because of donations. What would you say to someone who was considering a donation to Schromen Law’s fundraiser?
Rachel: I would say that the impact that access to free legal advice and representation has on victims and survivors of domestic violence cannot be overstated. It is protective, it is empowering, and it is life changing.
Camry: I would say any little bit helps. It has been very exciting to hear that DALAC hired its first staff attorney this year because of generous donations. With more donations, more victims and survivors of domestic violence can receive this life-changing legal support in complex and sensitive legal issues, such as legal separation, divorce, orders for protection, child custody, eviction expungement, and more. Anything you can give can help this mission.
The material contained herein is for informational purposes only, and is not intended to create or constitute an attorney-client relationship between Schromen Law, LLC and the reader. The views expressed in this article are not a statement of support or endorsement by Schromen Law, LLC. The information contained herein is not offered as legal or medical advice and should not be construed as legal or medical advice.
Questions?