a community response that works - inMotion Inc.

FALL 2003
a community response that works
LETTER FROM CATHERINE J. DOUGLASS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
I am married to a research scientist who has influenced
me to seek for irrefutable evidence—hard data—to
support what I, and others on my staff, see and believe.
Ever since the first days of inMotion, back in 1993,
I have searched for convincing evidence that what
inMotion does for our clients really makes the
difference we say it does. I, therefore, welcomed the
outcomes reported in two recent studies, rigorously completed by research
academics, which dramatically confirms the value of legal protections for
domestic violence survivors.
In the first, researchers correlated data from the National Directory of
Domestic Violence and the U.S. Department of Justice. They supplemented
this information by contacting domestic violence programs to find out the
specific types of services being provided to survivors of domestic violence
county by county throughout the United States. After reviewing closely
the situations of over 1,800 battered women, two economists stated this
major finding:
“Women who live in counties with legal assistance programs to help
battered women are significantly less likely to suffer abuse.
Because legal services help women with practical matters such as
protective orders, custody and child support, they appear to
actually present women with real, long-term alternatives to their
relationships.” 1
The second research project assessed the relationship between obtaining
an order of protection and the risk of subsequent police-reported intimate
partner violence. Whether orders of protection are effective in preventing
future violence has been unclear. We know that approximately 1.5 million
women experience intimate partner violence annually in our country. And
we also know that, annually, approximately 20% of them obtain civil orders
of protection. It has been suggested by some that orders of protection may,
in fact, aggravate violence under certain conditions.
Periodically, we encounter skeptics who say, “An order of protection is just
a piece of paper. It cannot protect a woman from someone who truly
wishes to do her harm.” But thanks to a second study, we have a strong
positive answer to give to these skeptics.
Researchers followed 2,700 adult female residents of Seattle, Washington
who had reported an incident of male intimate partner violence over a 17-
month period, between August 1998 and December 1999. They compared
women who obtained a permanent order of protection after reporting an
initial incident to the police to women who got either no protection order
or only a temporary order. And they found something dramatic—having a
permanent order of protection in effect was associated with an 80%
reduction in police-reported physical violence in the 12 months following
an incident of intimate partner violence. 2
Dr. Judith Herman, a leading expert on the aftermath of violence, from
domestic abuse to political terror, explains the role of the community in
assisting survivors of domestic violence in her book, Trauma and Recovery:
“Once it is publicly recognized that a person has been harmed, the
community must take action to assign responsibility for the harm
and to repair the injury. These two responses—recognition and
restitution—are necessary to rebuild the survivor’s sense of order
and justice.” 3
Collectively at inMotion we are playing the role that Dr. Herman asserts
the wider community must assume. What better restitution than to have
a court recognize that you should have primary custody of your children,
excluding your batterer from your marital home and requiring that he pay
child and spousal support so that you can gain further education and be
able to live independently, without violence, and see your children thrive.
Most of our volunteer lawyers tell us that they are amazed at the
transformation they see in their clients over the course of their
representation. For the staff at inMotion, this is no longer a surprise.
We know that when a woman walks into a law firm and finds that she is
treated in the same way as other clients of that firm, she immediately
begins to regain her self-respect—something her abuser has tried very
hard to take away from her.
The volunteer lawyers who advocate for our clients are, without a doubt,
making it possible for women to live safer lives. They are giving women
real options, ways that recent research has proven reduce the violence
imposed by male intimate partners. Because we recognize the harm our
clients have suffered and assist them in obtaining restitution, their sense
of order and justice is restored. They have both the inner and external
resources to take charge of their futures.
1 Explaining the Recent Decline in Domestic Violence, Amy Farmer and Jill Tiefenthaler,
Contemporary Economic Policy, April 2003.
2 Civil Protection Orders and Risk of Subsequent Police-Reported Violence, Victoria L. Holt,
Mary A. Kernic, Thomas Lumley, Marsha E. Wolf and Frederick P. Rivara, The Journal
of the American Medical Association, August 2002.
3 Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence—From Domestic Abuse to Political Terror,
Judith Lewis Herman, BasicBooks, HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 1992.

commitment to justice
2003 AWARDS CEREMONY
InMotion celebrated the New York City legal community’s commitment to voluntarism on December 1st, at Fordham University School of Law,
by honoring the hundreds of attorneys, legal assistants and individuals who have provided extraordinary pro bono services to our clients in 2003.
We singled out one firm and 16 individuals to receive Commitment to Justice awards.
William Torres and
Barbara Reeves, from
the Supreme Court
Office for the Self-
Represented, accept
the Deborah E. Smith
award. Left to right:
William Torres, Mini
Lim, Manhattan pro
bono coordinator,
Barbara Reeves and
Ramonita Cordero,
director, legal
program.
Sidley partners María Meléndez, Cathy Kaplan and Thomas Cole,
executive chairman, accept the Law Firm of the Year award.
Catherine Douglass with Eva Moskowitz, New York City
council member and the evening’s guest of honor.
LAW FIRM AWARD
Sidley Austin Brown & Wood LLP, honoring the firm’s outstanding
commitment to pro bono services and ongoing support of inMotion.
Partners and associates from the firm have represented nearly 50 inMotion
clients, 14 in the past year alone.
“We feel privileged to be associated with inMotion, an extraordinary
organization, and grateful for the opportunity to make a real difference in
the lives of low-income, underserved and abused women. The opportunity
to meet and assist inMotion’s clients is a wonderful gift that we treasure.
Our attorneys and legal assistants value the expert training and guidance
they receive from inMotion. With this support, they are able to help the most
vulnerable families in our community.” Thomas A. Cole, Executive Chairman.
PARTNER AWARD
Patricia A. Griffin—King & Spalding LLP, in recognition of her profound
commitment to building meaningful pro bono opportunities for attorneys
and legal assistants at her firm.
MENTOR AWARD
Peter Bienstock—Cohen Hennessey & Bienstock P.C., for mentoring
inMotion’s volunteer attorneys, providing thoughtful insights and advice on
complex litigation matters.
ASSOCIATE AWARD
• Amanda Blanck Newby—Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, for her work on
several inMotion cases, including reuniting a mother who had successfully
battled her drug addiction with her child.
• Stephanie Anne Golden—Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, for her
creative and compassionate representation of a battered woman in a
complicated order of protection case involving child sexual abuse, and
difficult forensic and interstate jurisdictional issues.
• Lisa D. Prichard and Anamika Samanta—Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP,
for their work on a highly contested divorce case, representing a client
who was stabbed multiple times by her husband.
JOHN K. GEIGER AWARD
Francesca Morris—Holland & Knight LLP, for representing nine clients
with complex, litigated issues over the past four years and for actively
encouraging Holland & Knight associates to represent inMotion clients and
supervising their work on inMotion cases.
PRO BONO COORDINATOR AWARD
Amy Rossabi—Davis Polk & Wardwell, for her years of dedication
to inMotion and our clients, serving as an attorney and supervisor on
numerous complex family and matrimonial cases, and tirelessly promoting
and supporting our program at her firm.
SOLO/SMALL FIRM PRACTITIONER AWARD
• Regina Alberty, for her representation of many victims of domestic
violence in challenging divorce, custody and order of protection cases,
demonstrating her commitment to helping those in need.
• Ariane Dimitris, for her work to empower Spanish-speaking clients in
numerous Family and Supreme Court cases, including matters involving
complex immigration issues.
• Seth M. Kaufman, for handling many difficult order of protection and custody
cases. In two instances, Seth secured favorable final orders and then went on
to represent his clients on appeal when their abusers challenged the orders.
• Lourdes Reyes, for her zealous advocacy on behalf of battered women
with compelling cases in Family and Supreme Court. In her most recent
case, Lourdes helped a client maintain her right to receive child support
after the father challenged his acknowledgment of paternity.
• Jeanette M. Westphal, for representing numerous Bronx women in family law
matters, including assisting a terminally ill survivor of domestic violence with
the preparation of her will, stand-by guardianship and health care proxy.
DEBORAH E. SMITH AWARD
• Barbara Reaves and William Torres—Supreme Court Office for the Self-
Represented, for supporting our RITE Workshop (Realizing
Independence Through Empowerment), which teaches women with
uncontested cases how to obtain their own divorces. Barbara and William
attend evening Workshop sessions to review our pro se clients’ documents,
submitting them to a judge on the following day. They also introduce
Workshop participants to the courthouse by leading tours at the Supreme
Court and answering their many questions.
SPECIAL AWARD
• Sierra Maria Hare, for her five-year involvement with the RITE Workshop,
assisting three pro se clients in obtaining their divorces and serving as a longstanding
member of the Workshop’s Advisory Council. Sierra has also played
an instrumental role in organizing inMotion’s annual Day of Empowerment.
2

new places and faces
2432 GRAND CONCOURSE
That’s the address of our new Bronx office. On October 30th, inMotion’s Bronx staff packed up their
desks, bid a farewell to their long-time home on Walton Avenue, Yankee Stadium territory, and headed off
to new digs on the 5th floor in the recently-renovated Poe Building, near the Bronx Zoo and Fordham
University.
It’s the simple things that the Bronx staff most appreciates about their new home—adequate heat in the
winter and cooling in the summer, lights and computers that can be turned on at the same time without
blowing a fuse, running the microwave without unplugging the photocopier. The new office is located
in a bustling commercial section, offering great accessibility to our clients and improved services for
our staff.
inMotion, Inc.
2432 Grand Concourse, Suite 506
Bronx, New York 10458
Tel 718.562.8181
Fax 718.562.7514
We are extremely grateful to Lorraine Freehand, our pro bono real estate attorney, for her perseverance and determination to see us through the many
convoluted twists and turns of negotiating our new lease. We also thank Seth Howe and his associates at Studio Howe, who volunteered their architectural
expertise to design and supervise the construction of the new office. Working within the limitations of an extremely tight budget, Seth transformed
anonymous raw space into a beautiful new home that functions well for staff, volunteers and clients alike. Lastly, we express our appreciation to Zurich
Financial Services for generously providing workstations, file cabinets and office furniture, and to GE Capital for donating much needed computers.
WELCOMING NEW LEGAL PROGRAM STAFF
InMotion has had the great fortune to welcome many new faces to our legal program over the past year. Each new staff member brings an
incredible wealth of knowledge, expertise and compassion to our work.
Libby Vázquez—Bronx pro bono coordinator, joined our staff in
January of 2003. Libby is a recent graduate of Fordham University School
of Law. While a student, Libby served on the board of directors of the
student-run Family Court Mediation Project and worked as a court
appointed mediator in the Bronx Family Court. She also spent a summer
interning at the Pro Bono Partnership in White Plains. Prior to law
school, Libby worked for several years as a paralegal in The Legal Aid
Society, Harlem Neighborhood Office.
Gabriella F. Richman, Esq.—staff attorney, joined our Bronx
office in July. Gabriella began her legal career as a court attorney to the
Honorable Philip C. Segal in Kings County Family Court. After leaving
the Family Court, Gabriella worked for a Nassau county law firm
practicing matrimonial and family law. Discovering her preference for
public interest law over private practice, Gabriella left the firm for an
appointment to the Second Department Family Court Appeals Panel to
represent indigent individuals. In addition to Gabriella’s appellate work,
she served as a family law coordinator for the Brooklyn Bar Association
Volunteer Lawyers Project.
Mini Lim—Manhattan pro bono coordinator, joined inMotion at
the end of September. Mini came to us from Skadden, Arps, Slate,
Meagher & Flom where she worked as a legal assistant and uniform
commercial code specialist in the firm’s banking and institutional
investing division. Mini had her first taste of public service work when she
became involved with our RITE Workshop (Realizing Independence
Through Empowerment) this last spring. She so loved working with
inMotion clients that she could not believe her luck when a position
opened up on our staff. In addition to her strong legal and administrative
skills, Mini is fluent in Korean and French.
Lisa Kalichman, Esq.—staff attorney, will join our legal staff in
January 2004. For the last year, Lisa has been a solo practitioner in New
York City—handling real estate, landlord tenant, matrimonial,
commercial disputes, estate and guardianship matters. Prior to setting up
her own practice, Lisa was an associate at Nadel & Associates and at
Sgarlato & Sgarlato, both small, general practice firms. Lisa is a graduate
of University of Buffalo, State University of New York.
Juliet R. Koskoff, Esq.—staff attorney, will also begin work in
January 2004. For the past three years, Lisa has been a staff attorney for
the Juvenile Rights Division of The Legal Aid Society. She carried a
caseload of over 300 clients, representing children primarily in abuse and
neglect cases. Prior to Legal Aid, Juliet worked with the Corporation
Counsel in Staten Island, representing out-of-state child support
petitioners. An active member of the Brooklyn Bar Association Volunteer
Lawyers Project in law school, Juliet staffed a helpline for survivors of
domestic violence, advising them of their legal rights. Among other
responsibilities, Juliet will manage the operations of the RITE Workshop.
Marguerite D. Cordice, Esq.—staff attorney, will join our Bronxbased
program staff in January 2004. This accomplished private
practitioner, who is bilingual in Spanish and English, has spent more than
17 years handling criminal defense, family and matrimonial, bankruptcy
and immigration law matters. The first five years of her legal career were
spent at the Queens County District Attorney’s office. She then turned to
private practice, where she increasingly served an under-represented
working Latino community in Queens, handling a demanding caseload in
both state and federal courts. Marguerite will continue this focus with
inMotion, nurturing and building our collaborative relationships with
community-based organizations in Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, and
Corona, Queens, and Northern Manhattan, through our on-going Poder
Latina (Latina Power)project.
3

landmark victory
BRONX INTEGRATED DOMESTIC VIOLENCE COURT
Every day, inMotion’s volunteer attorneys secure significant court victories for our clients. It’s not often though that a precedent-setting decision is
rendered in one of our cases. On November 14, 2003, the Honorable Diane Kiesel of the Bronx Integrated Domestic Violence Court issued a 25-page
opinion that will allow the Court to modify a child custody order granted by a court in the Dominican Republic. This landmark decision gives inMotion’s
client a second chance to prevent her two young children from suffering further abuse at the hands of their father—an option that she didn’t have in
the Dominican Republic.
Alicia * fled the Dominican Republic after suffering from years of
abuse by Patricio, the father of her twin boys. The boys remained behind
with Alicia’s mother and she planned to bring them to New York once she
was able to establish herself. In her absence, in April of 2002, Patricio
obtained full custody of the five-year-old boys by default judgment in the
Dominican Family Court. Alicia first became aware of the judgment when
she returned to the Dominican Republic to visit the children a month after
the judgment was issued. She immediately filed an appeal. The Appellate
Court upheld the custody decision based, in part, on a forensic evaluation
of the father conducted during the lower court proceeding. However, the
mother was never interviewed and her accounts of severe abuse were never
addressed by either court. Fearing for her children’s lives, Alicia took the
boys to New York in September 2002. In November 2002, when Patricio
tracked them down and threatened to kill Alicia, he was arrested.
At Patricio’s arraignment in Bronx Criminal Court, a full order of protection
was granted to Alicia. However, based on false information provided by
Patricio, the court released him on his own recognizance. Three days later,
Patricio, through his New York attorney, filed a writ of habeas corpus in
Bronx Family Court requesting that, based on the Dominican courts’
decisions, the children be immediately returned to him. And four days later,
Patricio appeared at Alicia’s home brandishing a gun.
When Alicia contacted inMotion, her situation was dire. She was terrified by
both the immediate threat of violence and the prospect of having to return
the twins to the Dominican Republic to live with their abusive father under
the Dominican order. Our staff attorneys immediately assigned the case to
Meghan Murphy, our White & Case extern** at the time, who filed custody
and family offense petitions on Alicia’s behalf in Bronx Family Court.
Fortunately for the client, the dueling custody/habeas petitions, the family
offense petition and the criminal charges against the father were assigned
to the Integrated Domestic Violence Court. Because this Court has
concurrent jurisdiction over Criminal and Family Court matters in cases
involving domestic violence, one judge decides all matters involving cases
involving one family.
* All client names have been changed to protect their identities.
In December 2002, the Court asserted temporary jurisdiction and granted
Alicia temporary order of custody of the children with no visitation for the
father, as well as a temporary order of protection for her and the twins,
while the issue of jurisdiction was considered. Paul Godinez, a second White
& Case extern, took over the case in January and successfully argued to have
the temporary jurisdiction extended through the spring of 2003.
During this time, Judge Kiesel consulted with the District Court in the
Dominican Republic and in July 2003 she received its permission to
consider the question of jurisdiction based on the fact that both Alicia and
Patricio now reside in the New York. The Court requested a written
argument on the issue of jurisdiction in August 2003. The Judge also closely
reviewed the recently-enacted Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction
Enforcement Act, known as the UCCJEA, further clarifying its intent to
eliminate jurisdictional competition between courts in child custody cases.
Beyond this basic mandate, the Act seeks to ensure that issuance and
enforcement of child custody and visitation are accomplished “in a manner
that ensures the safety of the children is paramount and that victims of
domestic violence and child abuse are protected.”
Judge Kiesel’s decision was based the submissions of White & Case externs
Averie Hason and Justin Brown. In their written arguments, Averie and
Justin emphasized Patricio’s long history of domestic violence against Alicia
and the children and the Dominican courts’ failure to adequately address
these accounts. They also noted the father’s sworn statements that he was a
resident of New York State (despite his latter claims to the contrary in an
attempt to evade jurisdiction). Finally, they argued most persuasively that
Alicia’s fleeing with the boys could not be considered unjustifiable conduct
under the UCCJEA.
Undoubtedly, this landmark victory will help many more women in the
years to come. But, unfortunately, Alicia’s long struggle is not over. In
January 2004, the trial to consider permanent custody and the criminal
charges against Patricio will begin—but Alicia will know that she will have
the best chance yet of prevailing—the committed, professional White &
Case team will be at her side.
** On a three-month rotation, an associate from White & Case works full-time in our Manhattan office on emergency cases like the one outlined here. We often receive calls from women with pressing,
sometimes life-threatening, situations that require the immediate assistance of an attorney. Prior to establishing the externship program, without time to find a volunteer attorney, we could often only
provide advice to these women on how to proceed on their own. Now, when inMotion receives a desperate call from a woman like Alicia, we can offer immediate legal representation.
WELCOME ON BOARD!
We are thrilled that Dale G. Berger has rejoined our board of directors. After
serving two full terms in which she made numerous important contributions to
inMotion, Dale rotated off the board in June 2002. In her first six years as a board
member, Dale helped us conceive and execute our first and subsequent annual
Photography Auction and Benefit evenings. She once again brought her creative
ideas and critical connections to us as we initiated our first annual Summer Party
for young professionals in June 2003.
Two respected partners of major law firms have also joined inMotion’s board.
Helene D. Jaffe, who co-chairs the trade practices and regulatory law department
of Weil, Gotshal & Manges, began her board membership by convincing her firm
to join as a corporate partner of inMotion. And Alan M. Knoll, a partner at
Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe’s structured finance group, has both helped us
build our pro bono program and supported our requests for financial support
from Orrick for a number of years. A warm welcome, Dale, Helene and Alan!
4

who we are
CORPORATE PARTNERS, BOARD AND STAFF
CORPORATE
PARTNERS
Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP
Daniel L. Berger, Esq.
GeneralCologne Re
Richard W. Manz
Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP
Katherine I. Crost, Esq.
Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP
Robert Lewin, Esq.
Bloomberg
Davis Polk & Wardwell
Howard A. Ellins, Esq.
Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson
Janice Mac Avoy, Esq.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Greenberg Traurig LLP
Stephen L. Rabinowitz, Esq.
King & Spalding
Patricia A. Griffin, Esq.
Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP
Elliot Gewirtz, Esq.
Shearman & Sterling
David W. Heleniak, Esq.
Sidley Austin Brown & Wood LLP
Cathy M. Kaplan, Esq.
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett
Joseph F. Wayland, Esq.
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
Sheila L. Birnbaum, Esq.
White & Case LLP
Carol A. Witschel, Esq.
Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP
Willkie Farr & Gallagher
Martin B. Klotz, Esq.
Zurich Financial Services
Christian Halabi, Esq
Virginia A. Arcari, Esq. ( TREASURER)
Terri D. Austin, Esq.
American International Companies
Joseph T. Baio, Esq.
Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP
Dale G. Berger
Frances S. Campbell ( CHAIR)
Kerry D. Chandler
ESPN, Inc.
Shelley C. Chapman, Esq. ( VICE CHAIR)
Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP
STAFF
Harriet N. Cohen, Esq.
Cohen Hennessey & Bienstock P.C.
Catherine J. Douglass, Esq. ( PRESIDENT)
inMotion, Inc.
Steven D. Germain, Esq.
Zurich Financial Services
Denise M. Grant, Esq.
Shearman & Sterling LLP
Carla Hendra
OgilvyOne North America
Helene D. Jaffe, Esq.
Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP
M. Elaine Johnston, Esq.
White & Case LLP
Alan M. Knoll, Esq.
Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP
Lynette P. Koppel, Esq.
Shearman & Sterling LLP
Elizabeth Langwith
American Express Travel Related
Services Company, Inc.
Mary Elizabeth McGarry, Esq.
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP
María D. Meléndez, Esq.
Sidley Austin Brown & Wood LLP
Susan L. Merrill, Esq.
Davis Polk & Wardwell
Jim Millstein
Lazard Frères & Co. LLC
Julie Saul
Julie Saul Gallery
Jolie Schwab, Esq.
Marcia L. Sells, Esq.
Columbia University
Elizabeth Talerman ( SECRETARY)
Talerman + Partners
Nélida Vélez, Esq.
Office of the District Attorney, Bronx County
Ramonita Cordero, Esq.
Director, Legal Program
Lisa Kalichman, Esq.
Staff Attorney
Carol M. Lindley
Director, Development and Marketing
Gabriella F. Richman, Esq.
Staff Attorney
Marguerite D. Cordice, Esq.
Staff Attorney
Juliet R. Koskoff, Esq.
Staff Attorney
Odette McKnight
WEC Coordinator
Iris Rodriguez
Office Administrator—Manhattan
Catherine J. Douglass, Esq.
Executive Director
Laurie Lichtenstein
Manager, Development and Marketing
Mercedes Medina
Program Assistant
Erica Shipstead
Development Assistant
Heidi L. Henderson, Esq.
Senior Staff Attorney
Mini Lim
Pro Bono Coordinator—Manhattan
Nancy Nagourney
Director, Finance and Administration
Lisa Smith
Finance and Administrative Assistant
Libby Vázquez
Pro Bono Coordinator—Bronx
SAVE THE DATE
Annual Photography Auction & Benefit
InMotion will celebrate 11 years of providing free legal services to low-income women and children in domestic crisis at Sotheby’s on
March 8th, 2004. At the event, we will honor Kathryn S. Wylde, president and CEO, Partnership for New York City, for her unwavering
commitment to strengthening New York City’s most vulnerable and disenfranchised communities. David W. Heleniak, senior partner,
Shearman & Sterling LLP, and Pamela Zilly, senior managing director, The Blackstone Group, have graciously agreed to serve as the
event’s honorary co-chairs. Rounding out the event leadership team are co-chairs Lynette Koppel, administrative attorney, Shearman & Sterling
LLP, and a member of inMotion’s board, and Richard T. Roberts, managing director, Goldman, Sachs & Co. We are thrilled to welcome back
Denise Bethel, senior vice president and director of photography at Sotheby’s, to lead, for the 8th year in a row, the spirited bidding on 40 works
of art donated by New York City photographers and galleries. We hope you will join us!
For more information, email: inquires@inmotiononline.org or call 212-695-3800.
5

a day at the walk-in clinic
As we have on every second Saturday of the month for the last three years, inMotion staff and volunteers opened the doors of our Bronx office
on November 15th to the women of the community. At our monthly walk-in clinics, we invite any woman with questions about child custody and
visitation, child and spousal support, domestic violence, divorce or immigration issues to walk in and have her concerns addressed or papers
reviewed on the spot by one of our legal staff or clinic volunteers.
Undeterred by the recent change of address, women from the Bronx community found their way to our new door. They arrived with their legal
papers, marriage licenses and dog-eared orders of protection—many with small children in tow—hoping to find a way to end an abusive
relationship, obtain desperately needed child support, or simply to learn about their legal rights. Here are the stories of just a few of the
women who walked through our doors on November 15th.
When Heidi Henderson, inMotion senior staff attorney, arrived at 9:30 am, she
found Alejandra patiently waiting outside the door with her two daughters.
Heidi had arrived early but not nearly as early as Alejandra, who had been
waiting since 8:00 am for the clinic to open— Alejandra wanted to make sure
she would be able to speak with an attorney about her immigration status.
Alejandra is terrified that her abusive husband will follow through with his
repeated threats to have her deported to Ecuador and to take her two daughters
away from her if she tries to leave him. Since she was granted conditional
residence status two years ago, Alejandra has endured escalating physical and
emotional abuse. Earlier this year, she obtained a temporary order of protection
when her husband tried to strangle her in front of her youngest daughter. She
obtained a second order of protection after an incident in September when her
husband viciously beat her after being woken up by the washing machine. Our
staff was especially alarmed to learn that despite having multiple protective
orders, her husband continues to live in the basement of their marital home.
Alejandra mistakenly believed that without her abusive husband’s support, she
would never be able to apply for the final ‘adjustment of status’—the last step
required when petitioning the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services
(BCIS) to become a permanent legal resident. After speaking with clinic staff,
Alejandra learned that she did not need her husband’s help to become a legal
resident. Under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), she is eligible to file
a battered spouse waiver with the BCIS for legal residency on her own,
independent of her husband. Within two days of learning about Alejandra’s
dangerous living situation, inMotion placed her case with a volunteer attorney
who immediately filed a motion to have her batterer excluded from the home
and began to assist Alejandra in drafting a persuasive battered spouse waiver for
legal residency.
Marcela was referred to inMotion by the Bronx Legal Aid Society. When
Marcela arrived at the clinic, she was still in a state of shock after receiving a
divorce judgment in the mail informing her that her husband had obtained a
divorce from the state of Alabama that allowed for no equitable distribution of
their marital assets. Marcela was never personally served with divorce papers—
she received the initial summons in the mail. Unfortunately, she did not
understand that she needed to respond within 20 days and that she needed to
appear in an Alabama court if she wished to contest the divorce. As a result, her
husband obtained the divorce by default, on his terms. Marcela wants to modify
the divorce judgment to allow for equitable distribution of their marital
property, which includes her husband’s Army pension.
To make matters worse, since retiring from the Army in June, her husband has
ceased paying child support. Marcela recently lost her job as a secretary and is
struggling to support her twin 16 year-old daughters on her unemployment
insurance of $158 dollars a week. She desperately needs to enforce a child
support order issued in Virginia.
Marcela received advice and counsel from Heidi Henderson who explained
that she had no choice but to seek a modification of her divorce judgment
in the Alabama Supreme Court and directed her to LawHelp.org for
referrals to legal service agencies in the state. Heidi also advised Marcela on
the varied steps involved in filing an enforcement petition for child support
in the courts of Virginia and discussed how to seek a money judgment for
arrears owed. Marcela has received additional coaching from our Bronx
staff attorney, Gabriella Richmond, who is guiding her through the steps of
filing an interstate child support petition.
Makeda, an undocumented, battered immigrant from Zambia, learned
about our clinic from her case manager at a domestic violence shelter.
Makeda desperately wants a divorce. Promised in marriage at the age of four,
she is the survivor of a lifetime of nearly unspeakable violence at the hands
of her husband and his family. In the last three and a half years, Makeda has
suffered five miscarriages as the result of beatings from her husband. She
recently fled with her two daughters, ages four and six, when her husband
began to plan a trip to Zambia in order to have the girls circumcised.
Attorneys at the domestic violence shelter helped Makeda secure an order
of protection and supervised visitation for her daughters’ father. With the
help of a court appointed attorney, Makeda has filed for custody. Since
receiving the summons on the custody petition, Makeda’s husband has
threatened to kill her and his daughters if he sees them on the street. He
has had several people, including the Imam of the mosque and her family
in Zambia, try to pressure her to withdraw her order of protection and
custody petitions. Despite all of this, Makeda refuses to be intimidated. The
moment Makeda’s pending custody issues are resolved, inMotion is ready to
place Makeda’s case in the hands of a caring attorney who will help her
obtain the divorce she so desperately wants and needs.
Rosa does not speak or understand English. A psychologist at the
Fordham-Tremont Community Mental Health Center convinced Rosa to
come to the bilingual clinic to have her many questions about getting a
divorce answered. Rosa has not seen her abusive husband for over a year
and a half. She knows that he is in the Army, stationed somewhere on Long
Island, but she does not know how to contact him. Although they have a
seven-year-old son and a 12-year-old daughter, Rosa receives no child
support. InMotion does not normally accept divorce cases if the husband’s
address is unknown—but in this instance, we are confident that we will be
able to locate him through the Army. Because Rosa cannot communicate in
English, it would be almost impossible for her to track him down on her
6
*All client names and countries of origin have been changed to protect their identities. continued on page 7

our thanks
2003 INSTITUTIONAL SOURCES OF INCOME
We gratefully acknowledge the following corporations, foundations and law firms for their financial and in-kind support over the past year. Their generosity has made it
possible for inMotion to help women and children throughout New York City find hope and freedom.
$50,000 & OVER
Anonymous
Booth Ferris Foundation
Cravath, Swaine & Moore
Highway 61*
IOLA Fund of the State of New York
Lazard Frères & Co., LLC
The New York Community Trust
OgilvyOne Worldwide**
Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP
Zurich Financial Services**
$25,000 – $49,999
Altria Employee Fund
American Express Travel Related
Services Company, Inc.
Bankruptcy Services LLC
Conway, DelGenio, Gries & Co., LLC
89 Editorial*
Equal Justice Works
Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson
The Rhodebeck Charitable Trust
Sidley Austin Brown & Wood LLP
Valentine Perry Snyder Fund
Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP
* in kind support
** in kind and financial support
$15,000 – $24,999
Davis Polk & Wardwell
The Ford Foundation, Good Neighbor
Committee
GeneralCologne Re
Greenberg Traurig LLP
Hedge Funds Care
Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP
Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP
The Scherman Foundation, Inc.
Shearman & Sterling LLP
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
White & Case LLP
$10,000 – $14,999
AlixPartners
Avon Products, Inc.
Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP
Bloomberg
Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield
Fleet Specialist
The Hyde and Watson Foundation
Jeffries & Company, Inc.
Jenner & Block, LLC
The J.M. Kaplan Fund
The J.P. Morgan Chase Foundation
Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman LLP
Kelley Drye & Warren
King & Spalding
Marsh & McLennan Companies
Miller, Buckfire, Lewis & Co. LLC
The New York Observer*
New York Stock Exchange, Inc.
The New York Women’s Foundation
The Else Sackler Foundation
Ernst C. Stiefel Foundation
Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP
Sullivan & Cromwell LLP
United Way of New York City
Whiteford, Taylor & Preston L.L.P.
The Williams Capital Group, L.P.
Young, Conaway, Stargatt & Taylor LLP
$5,000 – $9,999
Angelo, Gordon & Co.
Bank of America, N.A.
Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP
Chadbourne & Park LLP
Harry Chapin Foundation
Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton
CourtAlert*
Jean and Louis Dreyfus Foundation, Inc.
ESPN The Magazine
GMAC
Greene-Levin-Snyder Legal Search Group
Latham & Watkins
Dorothea Leonhardt Fund, Communities
Foundation of Texas
Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg
Oaktree Capital Management, LLC
Edward & Ellen Roche Relief Foundation
Seward & Kissel LLP
Michael Tuch Foundation, Inc.
United States Trust Company of New York
$1,000 – $4,999
Amerada Hess Corporation
Covington & Burling
Ernst & Young Corporate Finance
Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP
Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP
The Low Wood Fund, Inc.
Mendes & Mount LLP
Metzger-Price Fund, Inc.
Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and
Popeo PC
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
The Morrision & Foerster Foundation
Nice Shoes*
Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal
Vector Enterprises, Inc.
Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz
ARTALE
GRAPHICS
We would like to say a long over due thank you to Michael, Jeanne, Jerry and everyone at Artale Graphics. This wonderful family-owned printing firm has provided
an incredible service to inMotion for over ten years. The Artale family routinely performs miracles. Whether meeting incredibly tight deadlines or finding ways for
us to print stunning press pieces on shoestring budgets, they always manage to make the impossible possible. As far as we’re concerned, they are the ONLY
printers in town!
A D A Y A T T H E W A L K- IN CLINIC
continued from page 6
own. An intern in our Bronx office is contacting the Armed Forces. Once his
address is known, we will be able to help Rosa petition for child support and
file for divorce.
Samantha came to the clinic to learn how to divorce her husband who
abandoned her seven years ago. Samantha recently attempted to initiate a pro
se (on her own) divorce action in Bronx Supreme Court, but has become
frustrated and overwhelmed by the seemingly endless paperwork. She has twice
tried to file her divorce papers with the Court, but they were rejected each
time because they were not properly drafted. A kind-hearted court clerk in the
Office for the Self Represented suggested that she ask inMotion for help and
told her about our walk-in clinic. An inMotion volunteer reviewed Samantha’s
legal documents and offered to redraft her papers so she could file them with
the Court. But weary of trying to navigate the legal system on her own,
Samantha decided that she would like to have an attorney help her. We have
already placed Samantha’s case with a volunteer attorney.
Since 1999, when we first opened a satellite office in the Bronx—the City’s
poorest and most under-served borough—inMotion has made a focused and
concentrated effort to reach women in their communities and through
connections that are both safe and familiar. The 15 women who found their way
to our new Bronx office on November 15th came to us through diverse referrals
that are the result of our aggressive community outreach to legal and social
services agencies, local health care centers and hospitals, shelters and
community organizations. Our staff and clinic volunteers work hard to ensure
that all women who visit the clinic obtain the essential legal information and
protections they need to take charge of their lives and focus their energies on
creating nurturing homes and positive futures for themselves and their children.
We say a special thank you to Dave Tomlin, a long-time volunteer staff attorney
from the Associated Press, Elizabeth Silverman, a volunteer from the
Manhattan district attorney’s office, and Bronx interns Lauren Zimmer and
Kristin Johnson for their tremendous help at our November clinic. We
especially appreciated the dozens of homemade muffins that Lauren made to
welcome our first clients to the new office!
New clinic volunteers are always welcome. If you are interested in
doing some pro bono work, we invite you donate a Saturday morning and join us
at our next clinic. For more information contact Libby Vázquez at 718-562-8181.
7

inMotion, Inc.
70 West 36th Street, Suite 903
New York, New York 10018
Tel 212.695.3800
Fax 212.695.9519
Email inquiries@inmotiononline.org
www.inmotiononline.org
Since 1993, inMotion has helped thousands of women free
themselves from abusive relationships, stay in their homes
and win the financial support to which they—and their
children—are legally entitled. Our mission is to make a
real and lasting difference in the lives of women—lowincome,
under-served, abused—by offering them legal
and related services designed to foster equal access to
justice and an empowered approach to life. We fulfill our
mission by providing free legal services, primarily in the
areas of matrimonial, family and immigration law, in a way
that acknowledges mutual respect, encourages personal
growth, and nurtures individual and collective strength.
Informed by this work, inMotion promotes policies that
make our society more responsive to the legal issues
confronting the women we serve.
we need your support
HELP US PROTECT NEW YORK CITY’ S MOST VULNERABLE FAMILIES FROM ABUSE
Justice for All Women. In any language, a basic principal that most of us take for granted—but for the women
and children served by inMotion, it is anything but basic.
For 11 years, inMotion has provided free legal representation to battered women. We understand the critical needs of abused
families and we know how to reach women within their communities, especially immigrant women who are uniquely isolated by
language and cultural barriers. InMotion is one of the very few places in New York City that a woman without legal residency
can turn to for help.
InMotion needs your financial support.
By making a donation to inMotion, you are helping
to provide real and lasting legal remedies that can
effectively end the cycles of abuse that have shaped
so many of our clients’ lives. Help keep our doors
open to the many thousands of women and children
who will need crucial legal protections in the
coming year.