Episode 9: Joan Meier of the Domestic Violence Legal Empowerment and Appeals Project

On this episode, our guest is Joan Meier, Professor of Clinical Law at George Washington University Law School, and the Founder and Legal Director of the Domestic Violence Legal Empowerment and Appeals Project (DV LEAP).  DV LEAP provides a stronger voice for justice by fighting to overturn unjust trial court outcomes, advancing legal protections for victims and their children through expert appellate advocacy, training lawyers, psychologists and judges on best practices, and spearheading domestic violence litigation in the Supreme Court.

Professor Meier is here to speak us today about DV LEAP and her research findings from a 4-year empirical study of family court outcomes in cases involving “parental alienation” and child abuse. This study is an update to a 2017 publication called “Mapping Gender: Shedding Empirical Light on Family Courts’ Treatment of Cases Involving Abuse and Alienation.” We will also be speaking with Professor Meier about the intersection of domestic violence and child abuse and new policy reforms such as H. Con. Res. 72, a child safety resolution which she co-authored.

During our show, we referenced the following articles and resources which are listed below:

• Joan's article in the Huffington Post called "Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics" which addressed the...
• ...The Wilcox and Wilson OpEd, citing marriage as a solution to end violence against women
• The Fourth National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect that Joan cited to debunk the Wilcox and Wilson OpEd
• And a powerpoint of the initial results of Joan's Family Outcomes Project:  Empirical Analysis of Custody Cases Involving Abuse and Alienation
• Joan recently gave a talk about her research findings which can be found in YouTube
• The NYC Administration for Children's Services new protocol for Investigative Consultants to help "identify and intervene" in domestic violence cases