Through our corporate clients, we were able to bring together corporations, foundations and other funds to provide guidance and financial assistance to members of the domestic violence community who wanted to establish a fund to educate the public about domestic violence and to support battered women's shelters. The Jane Doe Safety Fund is now in its fifth year of existence. The broad-based involvement and enthusiasm of our employees reinforces and deepens our commitment to the issue. Building a network of like-minded law firms across the country is one of our goals for the coming year. Economic Security .
Economic security is listed as the number one reason battered women go back to their abusers.
It would be wrong to separate artificially the problem of domestic violence from the issues of free legal services, social services and child support programs. Battered women need more support, not less, to end abusive relationships. Learning from Others . Our initiatives in domestic violence, and our partnerships with the National Network, the Elizabeth Stone House, and other service organizations, have taught us that in addition to having a lot to offer, we have a lot to learn. From battered women and their advocates we can learn what is needed next to end domestic violence and how and when our resources and skills can best help.