Legal Advocacy & DART

Legal Advocacy Program

Crossroads legal advocates assist and support victims of domestic violence in discussing their legal options and navigating the legal system.  Legal advocates are not attorneys and cannot provide representation or legal advice; however, advocates can:

• Provide Court Accompaniment:  An advocate can attend a court proceeding with a victim to provide support, answer questions, discuss options or next steps and safety plan immediately following a hearing. 
• Assist with civil protection orders: A legal advocate can discuss how a civil protection order could be beneficial, specific safety considerations related to protection orders, and how to get a protection order.
• Provide attorney referrals, including to Crossroads’ Bringing Justice Home Project.
• Arrange address confidentiality: Colorado has a state-wide program that provides victims with a legal address and mail forwarding service. Legal advocates are able to discuss the benefits of Colorado’s Address Confidentiality Program and enroll victims when appropriate. (More information can also be found at: https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/dcs/acp )
• Discuss reporting to law enforcement: Legal advocates can discuss what to expect when making a report, provide support while the victim meets with law enforcement and review what might happen in the event of an arrest.
• Provide information on a criminal justice proceeding,
• Assist in application for Crime Victim’s Compensation: Colorado’s Crime Victim’s Compensation provides financial assistance to crime victims. Crossroads’ advocates can discuss eligibility for victim’s compensation, how to apply and assist in the application process.   (Larimer County CVC: https://www.larimer.org/da/vicwit/compensation)

DART

The Domestic Abuse Response Team (DART) is a team of staff and volunteers who are on-call 24/7 to respond to scenes of domestic violence at the request of law enforcement agencies or medical facilities.  Advocates provide immediate support, referrals to resources, court information and connections to other Crossroads’ programs. Victims contacted by DART advocates are contacted by a legal advocate on the following day, who provides additional support and information about the court process.