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V asks if she needs a lawyer

Here is some information about how having a lawyer can help in court cases, and specifically in domestic violence cases.

Generally, people have better outcomes with a lawyer than they would have without one. Here is one report on how legal services improve outcomes for victims of domestic violence: http://policyintegrity.org/documents/SupportingSurvivors.pdf. It mentions some statistics, including: “According to one study, 83 percent of victims represented by an attorney successfully obtained a protective order, as compared to just 32 percent of victims without an attorney. Another study in Wisconsin found that the likelihood of receiving a protective order against an abuser jumped from 55 percent to 69 percent when the victim was represented by counsel.”

Studies about other kinds of cases also show that in general, having a lawyer improves outcomes for people in court. For instance, in immigration courts, 74% of people with a lawyer had a favorable outcome while only 13% of people without a lawyer had favorable outcomes as seen here: http://immigrationimpact.com/2011/05/12/another-study-highlights-need-fo…. In housing law cases in New York City alone, tenants who represent themselves lose in nearly 50% of cases. Tenants with a lawyer win in 90% of cases, as seen here: https://theconversation.com/every-year-millions-try-to-navigate-us-courts-without-a-lawyer-84159

Please know that WomensLaw is not affiliated with these websites and articles and cannot vouch for the information contained in those sites. We provide them for your information only – you may want to verify the information with a lawyer in your state.

In general, if someone can afford an attorney or find free/low-cost representation, the outcomes are better with the attorney than without. Attorneys learn specialized information and have familiarity with the courts that is hard to learn without regular court exposure.

If you are interested in finding a free or low-cost attorney in STATE, we have referrals here: LINK. We also have a short guide to choosing and working with a lawyer here: https://www.womenslaw.org/laws/preparing-court/choosing-and-working-lawyer. If you do not qualify for free or low-cost representation, or you choose for another reason to go without a lawyer, we have information on preparing for court here: https://www.womenslaw.org/preparing-for-court/hearing.

You may also want to contact a local domestic violence advocate. An advocate may be able to give you further information on outcomes in protection order cases, and have information on court advocate programs. For example, some states allow victims of domestic violence to go to court with a non-lawyer advocate from local organizations. You can find a local advocate here: LINK

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