I have been working on a long-term project to create a basic layout of what to expect when defending someone in a domestic violence case. This "what to expect" information is geared towards probono lawyers who, domestic violence may not be their strong point. Because of the lack of understanding of domestic violence cases, I understand that I must cover a wide variety of information to include, without it being overwhelming.
The first step I took to tackle this project was to talk with both my boss and the woman who I am doing this for. Both told me basic things that should be included: frequently asked questions, what to expect before, during, and after court, questions to ask the defendant, etc.
Second, I began to brainstorm ideas of what should be included. I looked at it from a couple of different perspectives: someone who has no idea about domestic violence laws, someone who has worked with these cases a time or two, and those who are very familiar with domestic violence. I had to include a broad range of information so that it was not overwhelming, but gave a lot of information.
Third, I had to get a basic knowledge of the subject before I could really know what I wanted to look for. I received a couple brochures and handouts from RDVIC (Rape and Domestic Violence Information Center), and I also talked to my boss about where he goes to find information on subjects he's not sure of. He directed me to the West Virignia Benchbook website where I could find all the laws on domestic violence for West Virginia, which was a huge help.
I researched the West Virginia Benchbook for a couple of days to get all the information I could on the laws about domestic violence. After I had gathered all the information I thought was most important, I sorted through it all and grabbed what the most important and relevant information was. I decided what to pull from the conversations I have had with my boss and what he thought was helpful when he started doing probono work for domestic violence cases.
I decided to pull the most basic but relevant information for these cases. I pulled what the exact definition of domestic violence was and what circumstances it has. I also pulled the information on the difference between domestic violence and battery. I decided to include information about what to do after a hearing (i.e. getting an appeal).
After I pulled what I thought was most important to include, I emailed the woman I am working with to give her an idea of what direction I am going in and what she thought about it. While waiting for a response, I have begun creating different possible layouts that could be used to portray the information. Up until this point, I have done what I can until I receive some feedback. Once I have more direction, I will be able to complete this project successfully.
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Still no feedback -- ugh! I imagine that you already have been, but I'll say it here anyway: keep Modrey and Sopensky's "Survival Skills" article in mind as you maintain your persistent, polite, and focused email and phone messages (and perhaps even a snail mail version) soliciting her feedback on your work thus far.
ReplyDeleteI'm interesting in hearing more about what particular genre you're trying to create as you pull together this information in the handbook. For example, are you creating an instruction manual that provides specific instructions in a specific order for how to handle a domestic violence case? Or, are you following more of a technical description/technical definition form that describes in detail the specific information that lawyers need to know in order to work these types of cases? Or are you producing a Q&A type of document that includes questions phrased in the way that a lawyer would ask them and then specific, detailed answers? Or some combination of these different genres? To answer this question, you'll want to also think about this question: who will be reading this manual, and why will they be reading it? To learn how to do something? To acquire a more thorough understanding of a topic before beginning to work on it? To answer questions that arise once a person has already begun to work on the case? Your answer to this question about the audience and the purpose they have for reading can and should guide your decision about the specific genre conventions you'll want to draw on as you begin to draft this manual. (You can see any technical writing textbook for more thorough descriptions of how to plan, draft, compose, and revise these different types of genres.)
Hi Freddie,
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to add a quick question concerning something interesting that I read on your internship time sheet. You mentioned that you helped generate some questions to be used when talking to witnesses for a case. What did you learn about this process? That is, what did you learn about what makes for good or important (or, conversely, bad or unimportant) questions? And what did you learn about effective ways to go about discovering and inventing questions? What kinds of topics do you focus on? Where do you look to discover relevant topics for questioning? What topics are in-bounds or out-of-bounds, so to speak?