Pisgah Legal Services supersizes its domestic-violence legal team

Posted on by Michael Muller


Pisgah Legal Services is doubling the size of its full-time domestic-violence legal team. Lynne Davis, Martin Jarrard, Gabriella Volkomer and Lily Peifer are joining the Mountain Violence Prevention Project, an initiative that helps victims of domestic violence and their families. More than 60 volunteer attorneys assist with the program, which helped 2,667 domestic-violence victims, including children, last year alone.

As new staff attorneys, Davis and Jarrard will provide legal advice and representation to domestic-violence victims to help them secure court protective orders to increase their safety from abuse and resolve other legal issues — including child custody and child support, divorce, settlement of marital property, housing and associated consumer-protection issues. Both Davis and Jarrard are members of the North Carolina State Bar and have experience in assisting domestic-violence victims. Jarrard also holds a master’s in social work.

Volkomer is an attorney licensed to practice law in Mexico and holds a master’s degree in justice administration from the University of Louisville. She joins Pisgah Legal Services as a bilingual court advocate, assisting domestic-violence victims in securing court protection from abuse and pursuing the prosecution of their abusers. Peifer will interview new clients and provide safety planning to all domestic-violence victims requesting legal assistance from Pisgah Legal Services.

Pisgah Legal Services is a nonprofit law firm that provides free civil legal aid to low-income people in Buncombe, Henderson, Madison, Polk, Rutherford and Transylvania counties. For more information, visit www.pisgahlegal.org. Low-income victims of domestic violence can call toll free at 800-489-6144.

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One thought on “Pisgah Legal Services supersizes its domestic-violence legal team”

  1. David

    Great, maybe they will extend their services to help male victims of domestic violence. Every time I called them they just referred me to the lawyer’s referral service at the State Bar Association and Helpmate call line. Not sure if it is because I am a man. I lived with a violent woman who is the mother of my child and Pisgah Legal refused me help on several occasions.

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