Legal Intern Helps Victims of Domestic Violence, Gains Experience

This summer Webster Groves resident Andrew Bleyer is getting an up-close look at Missouri's legal system through a unique internship that has him helping victims of domestic violence navigate the courts.

Bleyer, a Washington University Law School student, is an intern with Legal Services of Eastern Missouri. The organization provides legal assistance to low-income residents of 21 eastern Missouri counties.

He said the work Legal Services does is critical, helping people such as victims of domestic violence and students whose special needs aren't being met.

He is working with The Lasting Solutions Program, one of a dozen programs under the Legal Services umbrella. It focuses on serving people who have experienced domestic violence.

"It's so hard for somebody to just go in and navigate that" legal system, Bleyer said.

The internship program exposes law students such as himself to the entire process right away, something students working at a large firm might not experience, he said. Bleyer's had the opportunity to sit in on meetings with judges and go to court.

Bleyer, who recently finished his first year of law school, said it's too early to say what type of work he would like to do as an attorney.

Daniel Underwood once served as a Legal Services intern. Now he is managing attorney of the The Children's Legal Alliance. 

He assigns cases to students and meets with them regularly to discuss the status of projects.

"It brings in a lot of fresh ideas about how to handle cases," Underwood said. Organizers also try to make the internships fun, offering free food and mixers in which students working in various programs within Legal Services can interact.

Legal Services has worked with interns for decades, said Jeanne Philips-Roth, associate director of client services. During the summer, it hosts about 70 of them.

The organization serves roughly 20 percent of the people eligible for its services. The internship program extends its reach to more people who need legal representation.

"We have an 80 percent justice gap," Philips-Roth said. In 2010, the organization helped 21,000 people, providing a cumulative $7.5 million in affirmative dollars, benefits and debt write-offs, she said.

Bleyer has been struck by the time it can take for families to reach resolution in cases of domestic violence.

He recalls writing up a report about a mother with a 3-year-old son. The family had filed for an order of protection against another family member and was in the process of resolving divorce and custody issues.

Bleyer, who also has a 3-year-old, remembers the mother describing her son's day—how he got up in the morning, decided what to have for breakfast, brushed his teeth. 

"It was very hopeful for this 3-year-old," Bleyer said.

Kirkwood-Webster Groves Patch Local Editor Owen Skoler contributed to this report.