October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM)

October is a month to honor courage, resilience, and survivors. The 2025 Domestic Violence Awareness Month theme, With Survivors, Always, highlights the importance of standing with those impacted by abuse. At Coast to Coast Legal Aid of South Florida, we assist survivors with their legal needs, working alongside them to promote safety, stability, and security.



In recognition of DVAM, CCLA joins communities nationwide in wearing purple to show support for survivors and raise awareness. Our Family Law and Victims of Crime Unit provides free, trauma-informed legal services to survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, and other violent crimes.

Meet our Client: Julie

After enduring years of domestic violence, Julie came to Coast to Coast Legal Aid of South Florida seeking help with her Injunction for Protection and Paternity matters. The father of her children had been arrested for strangling her and she left with their children. However, even after separating from her partner, he continued to threaten her safety, including a public physical attack during one of their children’s birthdays—a shocking event that led to an additional arrest for battery. There were now two pending criminal cases against him. We let Julie know about our RISE (Rights In Systems Enforced) Program and assisted Julie for victim’s rights enforcement in the criminal cases against her abuser as well. We were able to assist Julie holistically and address all her legal issues without her needing to retell her story repeatedly, further retraumatizing her.

Coast to Coast Legal Aid attorneys worked carefully to protect her privacy and avoid contentious courtroom battles that could have exposed sensitive personal information. Through strategic evidence gathering and negotiations, we were able to achieve meaningful results for Julie without prolonged litigation. Julie was relieved.

One critical step was subpoenaing the surveillance footage from the public birthday party incident, which directly contributed to the abuser’s continued prosecution. This evidence also helped secure a Final Judgment of Injunction, ensuring Julie’s safety. Moreover, for the past year and a half, Julie has had 100% of the physical time-sharing with her children, with Julie’s abuser limited to video calls, keeping them safe as well. Recognizing the impact of children witnessing domestic violence, we coordinated a therapeutic visitation plan for the children and their father through a community agency. Their father started supervised visits, with reports from the children’s therapists made admissible in the paternity case to support their ongoing care.

Victims’ determination to protect their children and themselves, supported by Coast to Coast Legal Aid’s thoughtful legal advocacy, makes all the difference in keeping families and our community safe.

CCLA In The Community

Since we last checked in, Coast to Coast Legal Aid of South Florida attorneys attended the Broward County Women Lawyers’ Association (BCWLA) Installation Dinner, an inspiring evening dedicated to celebrating leadership, community, and the advancement of women in the legal profession. The event brought together legal professionals, judges, and community leaders to recognize the accomplishments of BCWLA and to welcome its incoming board. CCLA looks forward to our continued collaboration in advancing justice and equity in our community.

CCLA sponsored the Broward County Bar Association and Broward County Hispanic Bar Association's 7th Anniversary Behind the Gavel for Hispanic Heritage History Month. Executive Director Lisa Goldberg attended this meaningful evening at NSU Shepard Broad College of Law honoring our Broward County Hispanic Judges.

CCLA Executive Director, Lisa Goldberg, Senior Law Unit Supervising Attorney, Jeff Hittleman, and Senior Law Unit Attorney Melany Danielson presented to the Broward County Commission about CCLA's services highlighting our eviction prevention legal program that keeps vulnerable seniors in their homes.

Shayna Finkelstein, Senior Attorney with CCLA's Family Law & Victims of Crime Unit, presented at the Broward Domestic Violence Council’s (BDVC) Annual Train the Trainer event, a key initiative focused on strengthening law enforcement’s response to domestic violence. The event unites officers from across the county to share best practices, legal updates, and trauma-informed approaches for supporting survivors. CCLA provided a comprehensive legal overview of civil laws applicable to survivors under Florida law, including detailed guidance on civil protection orders such as Injunctions for Protection Against Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Repeat Violence, Sexual Violence, and Stalking.

By offering practical legal insights, CCLA helped equip law enforcement personnel with the knowledge needed to understand available legal remedies for victims and recognize the pivotal role first responders play in promoting safety and justice. CCLA’s Family Law and Victims of Crime Unit continues to maintain an active role within the Broward Domestic Violence Council and values the opportunity to contribute to this vital community training.

CCLA's Economic Advocacy & Community Health (EACH) Unit participated in the 211 Community Connections Council (C³) Event! Powered by Unite Us, the C³ Council is a forward-thinking initiative that brings together community partners working to address the social drivers of health through collaboration, innovation, and data sharing.

This system champions a closed-loop, person-centered approach to providing high-quality, customized care to those in need. We recognize that health needs include legal needs — and CCLA is honored to contribute our voice and our services to this important cross-sector Council.

Our Senior Law Unit was warmly welcomed at Federation Sunrise, an affordable housing community for seniors. CCLA led a meaningful conversation with the residents about the importance of Advance Directives, such as Powers of Attorney, Designations of Healthcare Surrogates, and Living Wills. In addition, CCLA offered valuable information about how seniors can spot and protect themselves from scams and fraud. CCLA is here to help seniors protect their rights and plan for the future.

CCLA's Mobile Justice Squad and Senior Law Unit hosted an educational presentation at St. Boniface Gardens, reaching seniors in their own community to provide vital legal information and resources. The presentation focused on topics most relevant to older adults like scams, fraud, exploitation, and abuse prevention including food assistance and Social Security. Additionally, the Mobile Justice Squad and Senior Law Unit spoke at the Southwest Focal Point. CCLA shared information about food assistance and Social Security. CCLA explained how our Mobile Justice Squad helps bridge the justice gap by bringing legal services directly to underserved communities. 

CCLA conducted outreach at Miramar's Senior Resource Fair, distributing information and answering questions about CCLA's legal services. CCLA shared information about our services at Memorial Healthcare's Eligibility Workshop and the East Gate Estates Community Meeting.

CCLA attorneys attended a vibrant Diwali celebration hosted by the Broward County Bar Association, the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of South Florida, and the South Asian Bar Association of Florida. Members of the legal community honored the Festival of Lights—an important cultural and spiritual celebration observed by millions around the world. CCLA joined fellow legal professionals recognizing the rich culture of South Florida’s legal landscape.

CCLA attended the Tri-County Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) Training, held this year in West Palm Beach. The training brought together multidisciplinary professionals from across Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach counties including victim advocates, law enforcement, medical personnel, prosecutors, and CCLA attorneys to advance our efforts in addressing and responding to sexual assault. CCLA’s participation with Broward's SART is reflective of our ongoing commitment to survivor-centered, trauma-informed legal advocacy. The training provided valuable insights into best practices, emerging trends, and collaborative strategies to support survivors and improve outcomes across the justice system.

CCLA staff are experts in their field and recognize the importance of being on the cutting edge of issues that impact our clients and community.

As an integral part of this community, we look forward to engaging with all community members and providers as the year continues. If you would like CCLA to attend an event, conduct an outreach, or you have a topic you'd like us to address in an episode of Legal Learning on CCLA's Facebook page and YouTube channel, please contact us at: CCLAInfo@legalaid.org.

Check out our Community Outreach page.