A Special Message from Staff Attorney & Survivor Justice Program Manager Stephanie Caraway

Stephanie Caraway

My first day as a staff attorney with Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic was just over nine months ago. Last summer, the Holy Spirit began prompting me to take on more work for the Kingdom of God. I had a vision of stewarding my God-given gifts back to Him, to glorify Him. My husband, Kirk, and I started attending College Park church shortly before that, so I began by looking on our church’s website for ministries we support. Lo and behold, there was a thing I didn’t even know was a thing: A ministry dedicated to providing legal aid to those in our community who cannot afford it and who urgently need help. I reached out to the Clinic’s volunteer coordinator, Ben Hayes, and asked how I could get involved.

With God’s involvement, various schedule conflicts kept me from meeting Ben for many weeks. But then, when we finally did meet, Ben told me that one of the Clinic’s full-time staff attorneys recently resigned and that the newly open position was posted just a couple of days prior. He suggested that I consider applying.

When I got into my car after our meeting, I looked up the job posting on my phone. As I read through the description and the preferred and required skills, I thought to myself, “Is this really a job? This looks like my resume written into a job posting!” Spanish skills, experience with educational presentations, experience working with survivors of violent crime, a desire to serve God through my work. They all fit me!

I applied, and one month after Ben and I had our God-appointed meeting, I walked through the door of Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic ready to work. I hoped I would love it, and my hopes and prayers have been answered in ways I never could have anticipated. 

My practice is focused on representing survivors of domestic abuse in family law and protective order cases. Two of my clients suffer from permanent brain damage because of the beatings they received at the hands of their husbands. Several of my clients have endured violent attacks in front of their children or grandchildren. Some of my clients came to me full of uncertainty because their spouses “only” abused them emotionally or financially, and maybe, they wondered, it wasn’t really that bad. 

Although my clients are bruised and scarred, both physically and emotionally, they are strong. They are resilient. They are survivors. The cases are tough, but my clients inspire me. These are the women who are strong enough to say, “Enough is enough.” They know they don’t deserve to be degraded, insulted, punched, kicked, manipulated, or threatened. And my job is to make sure that the law protects them, to allow them to leave the pain behind, and to help them start the next chapter of their lives.

I hope to continue helping these inspiring, strong survivors for many years to come. One way you can help support this vital work is to save the date of October 8, 2020 for this year’s Justice for All gala, which will be held in a virtual format. More information will be coming soon on our website, so be sure to check back.