Wendy's Family Defense Fund

2018 has been a wonderful and yet difficult year for our dear friend Wendy. She welcomed a beautiful, healthy new baby boy into the world.  However, as her pregnancy progressed, her relationship with her infant son's father deteriorated and it became increasingly clear that he was unable and unwilling to provide a safe home for Wendy and either of her children. Wendy got a domestic violence restraining order against her infant son's father at the end of 2018, and was able to do so using free and low-cost legal services for victims of domestic violence. 

However, her struggle to create a safe, loving home for both of her children is far from over. She now needs to secure legal representation to ensure that her infant son's father pays child support and is limited to supervised visitation to keep her and her baby safe. Washington, like most states, does not provide low-cost or free family law services to negotiate things like custody and child support that she qualifies for. 

Wendy is currently looking for an attorney who is willing to take her on for a modest fee. She is also pursuing legal aid and similar but so far, does not meet their income qualifications. In other words, she is trying her best to make this as affordable as possible, but will need to raise some money. That is why we need your help. 

Wendy's financial situation is compounded by taking time off to care for her infant (a necessity and a basic human right), the general lack of affordable child care for her son (even if she didn't want to take off from work), her physical limitations due to a stressful birth that left her in the hospital for several days, and that her son's father specifically and maliciously ensured that her lease would not be renewed, creating yet another financial burden for her when she needed to secure new housing.  At no point during her pregnancy, or since the birth of her son, has his father provided any financial support to Wendy or the baby - Wendy paid all of her own bills, purchased baby supplies, and saved for her maternity leave all by herself, which means she does not have extra funds to hire an attorney, without your help and support.

Wendy has been a wonderful friend to me for many years and I'm happy to start this campaign (my first!) to give back to her and keep her family and baby safe. . As an attorney myself, I know oftentimes, it doesn't matter how strong (or weak) your case is - what matters is how good your lawyer is.If I was a WA lawyer, I'd represent her myself, but I'm not, and in any event, family law is not my specialty. Her baby's father works a full-time job, with full benefits. He hired a lawyer to fight the domestic violence charge and  has already hired a family lawyer. Without our help, he could well prevail if Wendy does not have a good attorney.

I know that after the expensive and stressful holidays, many people feel tapped out financially and emotionally, so please know that your generosity is especially appreciated.