The Potential of Unauthorized Practice of Law Reform to Advance Domestic Violence Advocacy: Methods and Findings (2025 Update)

Abstract

Ninety-eight percent of low-income domestic violence survivors experienced at least one additional civil legal problem in the past year, and 87% experienced at least five. 88% of low-income survivors receive inadequate or no legal help. Survivors may receive legal navigation assistance from DV advocates positioned at organizations providing support services to survivors, but DV advocates are trained to give legal information, not legal advice, in order to comply with unauthorized practice of law (UPL) restrictions. To chart the national domestic violence legal service landscape under the current UPL regime, this project addresses five research questions: 

1. Nationally, what gaps in their ability to help survivors do DV advocates experience when they limit their help to legal information, not legal advice? 

2. Do DV advocates think UPL reform and the ability to give limited-scope legal advice as part of their services would be helpful to them and the survivors they serve? 

3. What civil legal needs do DV advocates most want/need to advise DV survivors regarding? 

4. What additional legal training would DV advocates want and need to feel equipped to give limited-scope legal advice? 

5. What do subject matter experts consider the best practices for lay and licensed legal advocacy for DV survivors, in areas such as training/certification, supervision/mentorship, and professional responsibility? 

Each of these research questions is answered in a separate article, for which each of the title, abstract, and links are provided in the PDF associated with this posting.

Keywords: Unauthorized Practice of Law, Unauthorized Practice of Law Reform, Regulatory Reform, Domestic Violence, Domestic Violence Advocacy, Legal Needs of Domestic Violence Survivors, Policy Advocacy