Volunteer Attorney Helps Domestic Violence Victim with Divorce

An Air Force servicemember was brutally attacked by her husband. She was physically abused, sexually assaulted, and threatened with weapons. Her husband was arrested and she was desperate to end the marriage. Because she was stationed in Europe, she struggled to get started with a divorce pro se in her home state of California.

To seek help, she visited a military legal assistance office on her base, which referred her to the ABA Military Pro Bono Project. The program connected the Airman with an attorney in California who offered pro bono help. The volunteer attorney promptly prepared and filed a petition for divorce, and the husband was served in prison. After the divorce proceedings where complete, the Airman received what she desperately needed—a divorce from the man who abused her.