The School of Law at the University of California, Davis, has been awarded a $223,522 grant to set up a free legal clinic for lower-income women in Yolo County who are victims of domestic violence. The new Family Protection and Legal Assistance Clinic, established in collaboration with the Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Center of Yolo County, will open next August at the center's offices in Woodland. It will serve 30 to 40 women in its first year and 60 to 75 in subsequent years. Under the supervision of a staff attorney, second- and third-year law students will represent women who are victims of family violence in issues of child custody and support, separation and divorce, property division, family mediation and other long-term problems such as housing and employment. The project is one of 54 across the country -- and the only one in California -- to share in $11.5 million recently awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice to strengthen civil legal assistance for victims of domestic violence. "Participating students will benefit from the clinic's exceptional learning opportunities while furthering our long-standing tradition of service to the community," says Dean Rex R. Perschbacher of the law school. The school's Immigration Law Clinic represents clients in political asylum and deportation cases. Its Civil Rights Clinic represents prisoners alleging claims under the Fourth and Eighth Amendments and other individuals alleging police brutality. Professor Martha S. West, a nationally recognized authority in issues involving women's legal rights and a faculty member experienced in clinical education, will serve as faculty sponsor for the new clinic. "This is a wonderful opportunity for UC Davis law students to provide direct representation to members of our community who would not otherwise be able to afford a lawyer," West says. "I look forward to implementing this clinical program with the assistance of Jean Jordan, executive director of the Yolo County center, and Judge Donna Petre, who has created a model domestic violence court program in Yolo County." In the clinic's first year, six to eight students will represent four or five women at a time, and in subsequent years, a maximum of 12 to 15 students will participate in the clinic. In preparation for their two semesters at the clinic, participating students will attend an intensive weekend training seminar in relevant law and in client interviewing and counseling techniques. Staff of the Yolo County center will assist with the training, which also will include how to make referrals for health-care services, housing and employment opportunities. Over the two semesters, students will attend 15 two-hour seminars related to the clinic's work. Students will also use their training in outreach programs to present community workshops on family or dating violence. West says she hopes the clinic's students will be invited to talk to area high-school students about dating violence. "We have learned that violence against women begins early in a relationship, and patterns can be set even while people are dating. We need more education so women can recognize signs before becoming caught in cycles of abuse and repentance." Although the federal grant will fund the clinic for only 18 months, West hopes the clinic will become a regular and permanent part of the law school's curricula.