Practitioner Testimonial

Practitioner Margaret Drew

Margaret Drew, a solo practitioner, started her own practice in 1981 doing corporate work for small businesses. 

But after getting a call from a victim of domestic violence determined to get out of her abusive relationship, Drew's life changed. So inspired by the plight and bravery of this caller, Drew started taking on domestic violence cases and changed the focus of her practice forever.

Practicing domestic violence law in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston,was a very lonely experience.  For years, Drew was the only private attorney she knew in the area who concentrated on domestic violence cases. Having no one in the same situation to turn to she learned to get by solo.

Her situation remained status quo until a few years ago, when Drew was asked to join Northeastern University Law School's brand new family law network. Through her participation in the family law network, Drew found other experienced and inexperienced attorneys interested in pursuing domestic violence work. She even connected with another practice of two attorneys who, like her, specialized in domestic violence cases in Middlesex County, Mass. No longer isolated, Drew became an active participant in the network.

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.

Now after years of isolation, Drew finally found like-minded colleagues who share her passion for helping survivors of domestic violence. "The program allowed us to meet each other," proclaims Drew.  "The program relieved my isolation."

For Drew, who has been cutting down on her hours in private practice, knowing that there is a new generation of attorneys interested in taking over this work was a welcome relief. Through the network, she has been able to pass on her knowledge to lawyers who share her vision of helping people. "It was wonderful to know that there are younger lawyers interested in domestic violence work. It is important for us to know that there are lawyers behind us to continue doing this work," says Drew. "I love being a mentor and passing on my skills," she says. 

In addition, the network allows Drew to refer her cases to attorneys she can trust. Prior to joining the Northeastern family law network, Drew had a difficult time finding attorneys to refer casesto.  Although many lawyers practice family law, few understand domestic violence issues, she explains. "It was an impossible situation before.  The network has provided me with several, very competent people to refer cases to," she says.

The network, Drew claims, is not only about helping the inexperienced attorney. Experienced lawyers benefit by connecting with other senior attorneys in order to discuss new cases, legislation and other related legal and tactical issues. For example, when one of her clients needed a domestic violence specialist in New Hampshire, she just sent an e-mail to her network colleagues and got a response within 10 minutes. Saving herself hours of work, Drew was able to apply the time saved to helping other clients in need. 

In addition to passing on her knowledge of domestic violence law, Drew has also been able to pass on her knowledge of running a practice. "I always tell people that you can make money in this type of practice.  You just have to know how to manage your money as well as having a balance of cases," she explains. 

For instance, Drew has always taken on trusts and estates cases to supplement domestic violence work. The trusts and estates clients bring in finances to the practice and also give Drew some needed relief from the emotionally difficult domestic violence cases, she says.

Most of Drew's domestic violence clients always make good on their bills. "The real underrepresented class who needs a domestic violence lawyer are the middle class," claims Drew. "Many clients were not able to pay me while the case was going on but did pay me at the end of the case when the assets were divided," she says. "They are great clients. Helping them has made my career worthwhile."


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