Lawyers Manual - Unified Court System

Advocating for Youth in Domestic Violence Proceedings 389
Keep in mind that this may be your client’s first serious intimate relationship,
and her lack of experience may contribute to difficulties separating definitively
from the abuser and seeking or accepting outside assistance. Your client will
inevitably test your patience at times, and you should prepare yourself for that
moment. Her priorities will not be the same as an adult’s. She may not take risk
seriously, and you may find it difficult to convince her that she might be in
danger. You will need to understand and adjust your approach to the reality of her
thought process and her day-to-day experience.
Also remember the practical obstacles a young client in particular might
have in scheduling meetings. Since getting to your office may be difficult for
her, limiting the number of appointments scheduled with your client or meeting
her in her own community will be a great help. When your client comes to
your office, be sure to provide her with detailed directions and explain any
requirements — such as identification, which your client may not have — to
enter your building. If your office can provide reimbursement for travel
expenses, let her know, so she can borrow money from friends or family with
the knowledge that she can repay it.
Interviewing Adolescent Victims
Interviewing young victims of domestic violence requires the careful thought
and nonjudgmental approach you use with any domestic violence victim. In
addition, you should give extra time and special attention to building trust and
ensuring your client feels you are responsive to her needs. Client engagement
with a young person is unique because, added to the existing power differential
between an attorney and a client, there is another, almost more critical, power
dynamic present between adult and youth. Therefore, it is crucial for you to
begin to show your client from the very first contact that you are not attempting
to take power away from her or tell her what to do, but that you are assisting her
in empowering herself.
From your first communication with potential clients, you should provide
specific meeting dates and times that take into account travel time and potential
school conflicts. Your keeping these appointments will be a critical ingredient to
establishing trust with young people who respond better to adults they perceive
as reliable. Young people establishing a relationship with an adult often test
them. They may be very literal in their interpretation of what and when
something is planned or have a different interpretation of language that seems
clear to you in the context of your legal practice. Telling your client that you are
“always available to talk” or that you will return her call “soon” may result in