Legal Advocacy Services

SafeHouse’s Legal Advocates provide informational and emotional support to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault as they engage with the criminal or civil legal system. These services include matters involving criminal charges against the batterer, matters involving criminal charges against the survivor, obtaining and enforcing personal protection orders, pursuing divorce and child custody issues, and other matters. Legal Advocates may also be available for court accompaniment to all court hearings within Washtenaw County.

Please note that our Legal Advocates do not act as attorneys for survivors and are not able to provide legal advice or representation. Legal Advocates, however, are available to survivors to discuss their legal rights, the legal process, possible outcomes and to provide information that will help survivors make informed decisions about whether and how to engage in the judicial process.

Services provided by Legal Advocates include but is not limited to:

• Acting as a liaison, as an “interpreter” of legal jargon and proceedings, and a personal advocate for survivors in court proceedings. This means explaining to the survivor as necessary what unfamiliar legal terms mean, letting the survivor know what they can expect to happen next in the legal process, and advocating for certain actions or responses with prosecutors, police, attorneys, probation officers as requested by the survivors
• Accompanying the survivor to court proceedings within Washtenaw County (and occasionally outside of Washtenaw County)
• Providing assistance in filing for crime victims’ compensation and preparing victim impact statements for sentencing hearings
• Providing assistance in filing for Personal Protection Orders
• Providing technical assistance to police, prosecutors, judges, probation officers, and/or attorneys (consistent with our confidentiality policy) regarding dynamics of domestic violence and sexual assault, safety planning, etc.

Legal Advocates are available to meet to discuss how you are feeling and also provide referrals to other community resources.

It is our priority to support you in whatever decisions you make about engaging with the legal system and to assist you in identifying your rights and options as a survivor.

To contact a Legal Advocate, please call our HelpLine at (734) 995-5444.

Here are some additional resources:

• To obtain information about an individual who is in custody and/or to sign up for notifications about that individual, go to VINElink – vinelink.com

 VINELink is the online version of VINE (Victim Information and Notification Everyday), the National Victim Notification Network. This service allows you to obtain information about the custody status of offenders 24 hours a day.

 You may also contact the Washtenaw County Jail directly on 734 585 7247 for information about an inmate located at Washtenaw County Jail.

• To speak to a Victim Advocate at the Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office, contact the Victim Advocate unit on: 734 222 6620
• To obtain information on pending and upcoming court hearings you can search the following databases. Please note, that some jurisdictions have separate databases so make sure you select the appropriate database based on the court jurisdiction:

For cases in the 14A District Court, including Felony cases at the Probable Cause Conference and Preliminary Examination stage:

https://micourt.courts.michigan.gov/case-search/court/D14A

For cases in the 14B District Court:

https://micourt.courts.michigan.gov/case-search/court/D14B

For cases in the 15^th District Court:

https://micourt.courts.michigan.gov/CaseSearch/Terms?ReturnUrl=%2FCaseSearch%2FCourt%2FD15

For Felony cases passed the Probable Cause Conference and Preliminary Examination stage as well as civil cases (such as divorce and custody):

https://tcweb.ewashtenaw.org/PublicAccess/default.aspx

To gain access to the virtual courtroom directory please use this link:

https://micourt.courts.michigan.gov/virtualcourtroomdirectory/

Personal Protection Orders

For Personal Protection Orders (PPOs), an advocate may also be available to meet with you at our office located in the Washtenaw County Circuit Court (downtown Ann Arbor). This office is generally open Monday through Thursday, Please call (734) 222- 3381 to schedule an appointment.