Victim Rights Law Center

VRLC is thrilled to sponsor Puzzles 2024: Solving the Campus Sexual Assault and Dating Violence Puzzle. This three-day virtual conference, held December 10-12, will include a workshop with VRLC Deputy Director, Amanda Walsh, and Assistant Director of Training and Consultation, Shannon Masden. Conference registration is available through Thursday, November 7. Find more information here: https://lnkd.in/eWYt-qjt

For too long, student-survivors seeking accountability and enforcement from the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) have felt betrayed and disappointed. Recently, VRLC, in collaboration with 21 other organizations, urged OCR to address the backlog of cases and remove barriers that prevent survivors from receiving any meaningful outcome to their complaints. To learn more, visit our latest blog here: https://bit.ly/4fbLoIi

Create magical memories for survivors and their families this season! Sponsor a family for VRLC’s Holiday Gift Drive. Our Holiday Gift Drive is sometimes the only source for gifts and basic necessities for survivors and their families. Participating sponsors can choose to support an entire family, multiple families, or an individual child or children. VRLC staff will match you with an appropriate recipient wish list based on your budget. All contributions are appreciated. For more information visit https://lnkd.in/ey4GzJej or email or email ngrais-clements@victimrights.org by Tuesday, November 8 to be matched with a survivor family. * Deadline for participation is Friday, November 8. Please note that for tax purposes, these generous gifts for our clients are not donations to VRLC.

Each year our Shining Star event’s Courage Award celebrates a survivor-client. This year we were proud to spotlight Carolina. As a student survivor, Carolina not only found the strength to advocate for herself and others, but has also been inspired to make that work part of her future profession. VRLC attorneys advocate for university and K-12 survivors and their families every day - navigating Title IX, special education, safety and confidentiality concerns and more - to help them pursue a path forward that allows them to achieve their fullest potential. You can help ensure this important support for student and child survivors by donating today here: https://bit.ly/48iSXKz

CNN Anchor and Chief Political Correspondent Dana Bash cited her interview with 2024 Shining Star Leadership Awardee Evelyn Yang as the “most important” story of her over thirty-one-year career with CNN. It was an honor to have these remarkable women share our stage and celebrate Yang’s achievements as an advocate, author, and force for accountability and education in gender-based violence. If you missed our Shining Star Celebration, you can still join in our continued efforts to make a difference for survivors. You can donate today here: https://bit.ly/48iSXKz

Survivors deserve to have their voices heard at the polls! Voting processes, however, can sometimes unearth survivor-specific concerns about safety and privacy. Jane Doe Inc. has compiled information on navigating Massachusetts’ voter registration, mail-in vs in-person voting, and more - all through a survivor’s lens. Check out their new resource Voting in Massachusetts for Survivors of Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence here: bit.ly/SurvivorVote24.

As #probonoweek continues, we are proud to shout out Dechert LLP, our 2024 Champion Awardee. Brenda Sharton, Dechert's Global Chair of Cyber, Privacy & AI and Senior Litigation Partner, accepted the award on the firm’s behalf during our Shining Star Celebration held earlier this month. A former VRLC board member and longtime chair, Brenda was one of our first pro bono attorneys. During the event, she spoke about VRLC’s growth and commitment to empowering survivors over more than two decades. Pro bono partners like Dechert play a vital role in VRLC’s ability to provide legal representation to survivors of sexual violence to help rebuild their lives. Learn more about pro Bono opportunities here: https://lnkd.in/gmzj2gcx #celebrateprobono

This #nationalprobonoweek, we are thrilled to recognize our 2024 Shining Star Awardee, Noah J. Kaufman, a skilled litigator and partner at Morgan Lewis We honored Noah for his exceptional contributions as a pro bono attorney at our recent Shining Star celebration. VRLC relies on pro bono partnerships with attorneys like Noah for national policy work and direct representation. We are incredibly thankful for the remarkable work of Noah Kaufman and all of our pro bono partners this #probonoweek and always. To learn more about VRLC pro bono opportunities, visit: https://lnkd.in/gmzj2gcx

We’re still basking in the afterglow of last week’s Shining Star celebration! Leadership Awardee, Author and Advocate Evelyn Yang’s powerful remarks emphasized the importance of honoring the hard-fought victories that our community can achieve together. If you weren’t able to join us, there is still time to contribute to continued efforts to make positive changes in the lives of survivors. Donate today here: https://bit.ly/48iSXKz.

Don’t miss GROOMED, an award-winning autobiographical show performed by childhood sexual abuse survivor and UK-based Playwright Patrick Sandford. VRLC will co-sponsor Sandford’s performance of this brilliant one-man show, on Wednesday, October 23 at 7:00 PM at Northampton Center for the Arts. GROOMED aims to educate, inform, and serve as a catalyst for discussions about the reality of sexual abuse of minors. An audience Q&A session with the playwright/actor will immediately follow the performance. Admission is FREE. For more information visit the Northampton Center for the Arts here: https://bit.ly/3zYQuIx