Client Testimonial

Hannah Smith - The Work of Practitioner Butler

Life was very bleak for Hannah Smith. After putting up with domestic violence for years, in the late 1980s she left with her four children and filed for divorce from her husband. 

But her road to separate herself from her abuser and collect what was her due did notprove short or easy.  Her husband, who was financially secure, was forcing her to appear in court constantly, exhausting her mentally and draining her resources, she explains.

And right before her trial, the lawyer she relied on refused to continue with the case because of a conflict of interest.

Smith was drained and was looking for help and support. That is when through a recommendation, in 1989, she went to see Christine Butler, a domestic violence expert practicing in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

"I liked Chris immediately. I knew that she had a lot of experience with battered women," says Smith. "That is very unusual because most lawyers do not understand a battered woman's situation, but she did. And her experience proved to be invaluable," she adds.

Butler, who has a two lawyer firm, is a member of a solo and small firm practitioner network run out of Northeastern University School of Law. The network's goal is to connect socially conscious, like-minded lawyers so they can be a resource to themselves as well as to low and middle income clients.

The practitioner networks, which were created at City University of New York School of Law, University of Maryland School of Law, and Northeastern University School of Law, are part of the Law School Consortium Project. The Project aims to increase access to justice by supporting law schools to expand their educational and institutional mission beyond graduation to include support and service to solo and small-firm practitioners who are committed to serving low and moderate-income individuals and communities.

Initially, when Smith filed for divorce and custody, she had money set aside for counsel. But as years and court appearances dragged on, it became evident to Smith that she was not going to meet all of her legal payments. "I paid Butler something monthly but could not pay the entire bill off when I was not working," she says. "She never pushed me or said she would not represent me if I don't pay.  Whether I could pay her or not never affected the quality of her work," she points out.

Smith says that after she got an inheritance from her parents, the first check she wrote was to Butler. "She certainly wasn't in it for the money because it was a long time coming. Another attorney would have kicked me to the curb," continues Smith. "She is genuinely a down to earth, kind person who has so much compassion for her clients," says Smith. 

Over the years, the two women became friends. "She is very unique, one of a kind," says Smith. "She is quiet and low key, but she is a fighter. And she fights like a survivor - she has a survivor's spirit," claims Smith.

Smith also praises Butler's legal acumen and style. According to Smith, she would not have been able to navigate the legal system without Butler. "Chris is very impressive at trial.  She knows her way around the courtroom," she says. "She understood that not only are there a lot of lawyers who do not understand domestic violence but also many judges. I felt very comfortable with her skills," she states.

Smith claims that Butler was always very careful to answer her questions about the law, risks, strategy or anything else during the case. And she always made herself available, through many different emergencies, recalls Smith. "I would call her on the weekends frantic and she would always get back to me. She always kept in touch," she says.

In addition, Butler's years of experience working with survivor's of domestic violence proved to be invaluable during the 10 years the women worked together. "She was very good about always keeping my safety in mind," says Smith.  "I did and would trust her with my life and with the well being of my kids," she states. 

Smith, full of praise for her attorney, has recommended Butler to friends and family. "She knows how to pick her battles and has a lot of common sense," emphasizes Smith. "I'm sure I would not have nearly as good of an outcome without her."

Written by Victoria Rivkin, a freelance writerin New York City.