University law students are doing more than just earning their degrees; they’re helping victims of domestic violence.
For the last two years, the law school has worked in concert with Lane County Legal Aid, Womenspace and Sexual Assault Support Services to protect women from their abusers by offering victims complete legal and support services through the Lane County Domestic Violence Clinic.
Margo Schaefer, the community outreach director of Womenspace, said many women find themselves in violent situations, and one out of every three women is in an abusive relationship during her lifetime.
“It can happen to any of us,” she said. “If we are not a battered woman ourselves, someone we know is.”
The program offers court hearings to clients whose abusers are contesting restraining orders previously filed against them, and for the past two years, third-year University law students have represented them in court, said Marlene Drescher, supervising attorney and director of the Lane County Domestic Violence Clinic.
To further assist clients, Womenspace and SASS provide volunteer lay advocates who offer moral support to the women by attending their court cases.
“Confronting your abuser is terrifying, so it’s pretty easy to melt down in the face of domestic violence,” Schaefer said.
Matthew Hoff, a third-year University law student, worked in the clinic last fall and participated in three cases.
“It’s a lesson in responsibility and a lesson in maturity that you experience as you benefit those women,” he said.
Hoff said he was trained not to become emotionally involved with his cases, but said keeping their situations in mind made him work harder to help them.
“Had I lost, God only knows what kind of situation I would have put them in,” he said.
Like all participating students, Hoff’s training began at the University.
Before entering the clinic, students must take two courses at the law school. Merle Weiner, an associate professor at the law school, teaches a family law class and a domestic violence abuse seminar, both of which help prepare the students for real courtroom work.
“We’re trying to provide a beneficial relationship for the clients and the students,” she said.
Weiner said 10 students are eligible to participate each semester and receive credit for their work in the clinic.

“These students are being allowed the opportunity to put classroom learning to practical use,” she said.
Hoff agrees and said he earned a great deal of work experience in the law field.
He said preparation for a case consisted of meeting with the advocates for advice on what to expect in court, meeting and interviewing the clients and then working with the supervising attorneys to determine the best way to prepare for the case, but he also tried to extend his duties beyond courtroom strategy.
“You don’t want to be just a mouthpiece for them,” he said. “You want to let them know you’re here to listen.”
Drescher worked with Hoff and all the participating students, and said 100 clients have benefited from the students’ work.
“We’re providing a service that has never been provided before for both the clients and the students,” she said.
Drescher, who works directly with the students in planning the hearings, said students are expected to work 12 hours a week. However, Hoff said he sometimes spent 30 hours a week at work, depending on the complexity of the case.
“I reminded myself I was more than just a lawyer; I was a human, too,” he said.
He said it all paid off when he won cases and his clients would hug him.
“If that doesn’t make you feel good, I don’t know what will,” he said.