GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL

Joan Meier is the National Family Violence Law Center Professor of Clinical Law at George Washington University Law School, where she has taught three different domestic violence legal clinics, two of which were award-winning.

In 2004 she also launched and directed the Domestic Violence Legal Empowerment and Appeals Project (DV LEAP), an independent non-profit. At DV LEAP she litigated hundreds of appeals in state courts around the country, including providing amicus briefs to the U.S. Supreme Court in more than ten cases. She also trained judges, lawyers and experts and advocates, and developed valuable technical assistance resources for the domestic violence field. Professor Meier's primary focus has been on survivors and protective parents in custody litigation, and she has published widely on those topics as well as other topics related to

domestic violence. In 2019 she completed a 5-year empirical study of the nation's family court outcomes in custody cases involving abuse and alienation allegations. In 2020 she stepped down from DV LEAP, returning to the law school full-time, and launched the National Family Violence Law Center at GW (NFVLC), which she directs. She continues to teach a domestic violence clinical program.

Using empirical research, policy development, and collaborative advocacy, the NFVLC educates professionals, the media, and the public about the problems in family court responses to adult and child abuse, and advances critical legal reforms and systemic change. Through its Legislative Clearinghouse, the center supports legislative change around the country and in Congress, primarily addressing family courts. Through its research and public education arm, the center provides trainings for professionals and research-based information for the public and the courts. The center also files selected amicus briefs in the Supreme Court and other high courts. The NFVLC is the only organization in the nation blending legal expertise on both adult and child abuse; and the only one producing scholarly research to support these much needed system reforms.