The Mintz Levin 2008 Pro Bono Report 19 orders and other legal remedies, assisted with appellate and amicus briefs, and lobbied for legislation reforms. Throughout the years, our attorneys and professionals have also represented dozens of non-profit organizations focused on domestic violence —including domestic violence shelters, counseling agencies, and entities providing other support services —in corporate, employment, real estate, immigration, tax and governance matters. This past year, reinforcing Mintz Levin’s long-standing commitment to eradicating domestic violence, the firm’s San Diego office launched its own Domestic Violence Project, headed by Benjamin Wagner. The program provides counsel to domestic violence victims at temporary restraining order clinics held in the San Diego area. “ Handling restraining order hearings on behalf of clients in need has. . . humanized the legal process and impressed upon me Mintz Levin’s generosity in subsidizing this work.” - Susie Yoo Mintz Levin Domestic Violence Project In early 2008, “Natalie” met attorneys Crystal Barnes and Jennifer Ellis from Mintz Levin’s Washington, D.C. office through Women Empowered Against Violence, Inc. (WEAVE). Natalie was seeking assistance in obtaining sole legal and physical custody of her eight-year-old daughter. Crystal and Jennifer intervened on Natalie’s behalf to prevent the entry of a Consent Order proposed to Natalie without the benefit of legal representation. After successfully preventing the entry of that order, the Mintz Levin team negotiated an agreement granting Natalie sole legal and physical custody, and the freedom she sought from her daughter’s father. As Natalie wrote to her Mintz Levin attorneys, “Dear Crystal and Jennifer: Last year at this time I was facing a court date that was scheduled on January 8, 2008. It cast a shadow over my holiday season and led me to seek your help. I had truly started to believe that I was alone in fighting for what was fair, and that justice was for people who had money to pay for lawyers. Lucky for [me and my daughter], you extended yourselves and made a difference in our case. I will always remember you and be thankful for your efforts on our behalf, especially during the holidays. Thank you for making a difference.” It is positive outcomes like these that reinforce Mintz Levin’s partnership with WEAVE and the sense of accomplishment that encourages our attorneys to bond with victims of domestic violence. Starting in the early 1990s in the Boston office, when two first-year associates established the Mintz Levin Domestic Violence Project, the firm has counseled more than 600 domestic violence and sexual assault victims seeking protective