Junior Elizabeth Bucklee Spends Summer at House of Ruth Maryland

This summer Generals Junior, Elizabeth Bucklee spent the summer working at House of Ruth Maryland. Here is her account of her time there!

Buck in the office getting work done!

This summer, I was busy working as a legal advocate at a domestic violence non-profit in Baltimore, Maryland. The House of Ruth Maryland not only provides free legal aid, but also offers counseling services, shelter, caseworkers, clothing, and more to victims of intimate partner domestic violence. Working in the main office, I would take incoming calls from victims and 24-hour hotline callers, complete intakes (an interview with potential clients to find out more information about the abuse and relationship for our attorneys), file away closed cases, and do other little jobs the attorneys needed finished. Some days, I worked in the House of Ruth offices in the courthouses. This was my favorite because I worked directly with clients who walked into our offices from the street. I was able to watch the entire legal process from the moment the client came in, to filling out his or her paperwork, sitting with him or her in court, and then walking them out of the courthouse with a Final Protective or Peace Order a few weeks later.

Buck with the main office legal assistant going through old case files.

As I became more comfortable in my role and in talking with clients about details of abuse, their relationships, and family history, I began to pick up on the details that the Shepherd Alliance wants an intern to realize. The House of Ruth represents clients below a certain poverty line, and through interacting with our clients, I saw aspects of poverty that I learned about in my Pov 103 class. For example, the cyclical nature of poverty is relatable to the cyclical nature of abuse – abuse is a learned behavior, and many abusers are no the first in their family to be violent towards a partner.

The most important thing I learned this summer, however, is that anyone can be a victim of domestic violence. We received many calls from individuals who were able to seek a low-bono attorney or find their own attorney. I also did intakes for women who were younger than me, women with many children (usually from many different “baby-daddies” as they would say), and even elderly women and men. Most of our clients had not graduated high school and some were not able to fill out their own Orders, save for signing their name where I would indicate.

The summer interns.

I learned that I live a very fortunate life. Yes, we always say how lucky we are to go to an amazing school like W&L, study whatever interests us, and have the health and ability to play Generals lacrosse. But this summer, I realized that I am so lucky that I never have had to even think about the threat of domestic violence in my life. Speaking with children who have an abusive parent is so heartbreaking because they pick up on everything. DV adds an entirely new aspect of fear in one’s life and is difficult to escape for many who rely on their abusive partner for finances, shelter, vehicles, cell phones, and more. Many clients cannot just get up and leave their abuser. I realized that I am fortunate enough that if I had to, I would have the support of my family and friends.

If you have any questions or want more information, feel free to ask! I have a lot of stories (anonymous ones, of course!) and really interesting outlooks on my eight weeks working closely with victims of DV.

Check back next week when we hear from another General laxer who spent some of her summer in another country!