Lawyer Monthly Legal Awards 2022 Attorney Julie Ann Podolsky exclusively represents survivors of domestic violence in Injunction for Protection (IFP) proceedings (called restraining orders in other jurisdictions). Attorney Podolsky graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor’s of Science in Legal Studies, Minors in Criminal Justice and History before graduating from the Honors Program; Stetson University College of Law, cum laude. She was a member of Stetson Law’s internationally renowned Advocacy Board and was a National Semifinalist in the American Bar Association’s Arbitration Competition in 2012 and also secured First-Place championships in various competitions while at Stetson Law. Attorney Podolsky worked as a Teaching Assistant and Research Assistant at Stetson; through the latter she is the credited research assistant for Piccard’s U.S. Legal Writing for International Lawyers and Law Students (West Publishing,) written for lawyers looking to practice in the United States for the first time. Attorney Podolsky’s writing is published in Privacy Rights in the Digital Age. (Grey House Publishing). Previously, she worked as a civilian employee with the United States Judge Advocate General Corps, serving the Military Justice unit. She worked for Bay Area Legal Services, a nonprofit lawfirm serving Tampa Bay area’s low-income individuals before specializing in assisting domestic violence survivors full-time. Currently, Attorney Podolsky represents survivors in IFP proceedings, the adversarial court action that results in protective orders, or IFP, when successful. She advocates to secure temporary and final Injunctions and related legal matters without costs to the survivors themselves. With consequences beyond the parties’ contact with one another, injunctions can determine possession of shared homes, timesharing (also called custody or visitation) of children, child support and alimony. Injunctions often curtail individual’s second amendment right to bear firearms; often a paramount provision for the safety-planning of the survivor. Injunctions effect many other legal rights, whether purposefully or otherwise, such as: establishing paternity, child welfare and dependency, landlord-tenant and criminal liability. As such, representation by competent counsel specially trained in the nuances of domestic violence is absolutely vital for survivors of domestic violence. About Julie Ann Podolsky www.hopefamilyservice.org Julie Ann Podolsky Attorney at Law at HOPE Family Services, Inc PUBLIC INTEREST LAW LAWYER OF THE YEAR Attorney Podolsky works as an independent attorney placed at HOPE Family Services, Incorporated, (“HOPE”) through the statewide (Florida) IFP Project in order to assist survivors of domestic violence, dating violence or stalking rather than at a law firm. It is the mission of HOPE to promote safety, strength, and well-being for those affected by domestic violence in Manatee County, Florida. HOPE assists exclusively through an empowerment-based model, meaning HOPE Advocates assist survivors in making their own decisions to escape his or her abuser; no service is mandatory or required as HOPE knows that the survivor is the expert in her experience, not the service provider. From planning to leave an abusive relationship to assistance after leaving; from helping survivors meet immediate-needs like food or shelter to educating the community on healthy conflict resolution in an effort to eliminate domestic violence before it begins; HOPE helps. HOPE first contracted with the IFP in 2016, providing survivors access to free attorneys since. HOPE is grant- and donation-funded organization that is fueled by a staff of about thirty highly-dedicated professionals providing direct services to survivors at the Outreach Office or Emergency Safe Shelter, administrative services for the same, and operating the HOPE Chest – a thrift store that provides income for HOPE (moreover is a place survivors can shop without money and without judgement, whether they are restarting from scratch or they just need to find clothes appropriate for Court.) In 2021, HOPE assisted approximately 2,000 children and survivors; this year, HOPE is on track to provide the same, if not more, with support and HOPE. Firm Profile 127 USA
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