August 26th, 2021
Dear Friends,
One of the inherent challenges of combatting gender-based violence is the reality that for the most part, it occurs behind closed doors. The paradox of the pandemic has been that the measures that can keep us healthy – staying at home and shuttering public spaces -- also contribute to increased prevalence and severity of violence within families.

I thought of that paradox last week. An Ascend Justice client had seen the news that Governor Pritzker signed the Domestic Violence Fatality Review Bill into law, and she texted Staff Attorney Rachel Migliore to say, “Just heard the bill passed for DV victims. Ascend Justice was mentioned. It’s women like you that allowed the door to be open for this to happen.” 

At the time Rachel received this text, our Order of Protection team at the Cook County Domestic Courthouse was serving clients in person for the first time since March 13, 2020. Over the past 17 months, we’ve served hundreds of clients through our Remote Order of Protection hotline, but we are grateful for the opportunity to return to work with survivors who prefer or need to seek help in person. Not only does it align with our commitment to client-centered service, we know that our onsite presence will increase transparency and accountability in the court system as well.

While the pandemic may create new challenges to keeping our offices open, Ascend Justice will continue opening new doors – to access to justice, economic opportunity, and healing – for survivors. I hope that you will support our efforts with a contribution today. And when it’s safe to do so, I hope you’ll pay us a visit – our doors will be open!
Sincerely,
Margaret R. Duval
Executive Director
Ascend Justice
Domestic Violence Fatality Review
Last week Governor JB Pritzker signed the Domestic Violence Fatality Review bill into law. Ascend Justice worked with State Representative Maurice West, State Senator Celina Villanueva, and a robust statewide coalition to build support for the law that establishes a statewide committee and regional review teams to conduct domestic violence fatality reviews and to advise the Governor and General Assembly on domestic violence prevention policy.

This is a significant milestone for victims and survivors of domestic violence, as well as their families and communities. We are hopeful that the fatality review processes across the state will result in reforms that interrupt the cycle of domestic violence and save lives.
Virtual Trivia Night 2021
Join us on October 20th for our Virtual Trivia Night 2021, a night of trivia fun that helps support Ascend Justice's mission to empower individuals and families impacted by gender-based violence or the child welfare system to achieve safety and stability through holistic legal advocacy and system reform.

How Virtual Trivia Night works:

Register as a team: trivia teams can have up to five players who can play remotely or from the same location. When registering, you will need to provide the names and email addresses of all five teammates. Don't know this info? No problem! You can still register and send us that information later. Team tickets are $125.

Register as an individual: you can register as an individual to play on a team or play solo depending on your preference. Have a friend you want to play with? You can add their name in the registration field to be placed together. Individual tickets are $30.

The week of the event, we will send a link to a Zoom meeting to all registered participants to use on October 20th to join us for a night of trivia fun! Trivia will be provided by Whaddayaknow? Free Pub Trivia and the winners will receive $250 in VISA gift cards.
Welcome Ana & Jess!
We are excited to welcome two new members to the Ascend Justice staff!

Ana Pliego joined our staff in July as our Intake Specialist and Office Administrator. A recent graduate of the University of Illinois Chicago, Ana says "Ascend Justice is the most inspirational and motivating space I have ever been a part of. I’m excited to continue to learn and grow while working with all these wonderful people!".

Jessica Wilson started this week as a 711 Law Clerk in our Family Law and Protective Orders Division while she awaits licensure before transitioning into a Staff Attorney role. She is a 2021 graduate of the DePaul University College of Law and previously interned with Ascend Justice in our Order of Protection Clinic. Jessica says "I entered law school with the intention of using my degree to advocate for those that are often forgotten about in the legal system. As a 2020 summer intern with Ascend Justice, I was inspired by the organization's adaptability and drive to continue providing the same service to those experiencing gender-based violence despite the uncertainty of the changing world. A year later, I am so excited to now be a part of Ascend Justice and to begin my legal career doing the kind of work I set out to do from the start."

Do you want to help us empower individuals and families impacted by gender-based violence or the child welfare system? We are currently hiring, you can view our available roles here.
And So I Stayed Screening & Panel
A few weeks ago we hosted a screening of the award-winning documentary film, And So I Stayed, followed by a powerful panel of survivors of gender-based violence with our partners at the Women's Justice Institute. We are excited to share more in the coming weeks and months of how you can help us end the criminalization of survivors.

Thank you to Kirkland & Ellis for hosting the screening and panel, as well as the producers of And So I Stayed for joining us to share more about the inspiration behind the film.
legal advocacy. transforming lives.