Between Friends: Court Advocacy in Rolling Meadows

By Alanna Mojica, Roosevelt University Student

April Fehrenbacher speaks with pride about her work in the Rolling Meadows courthouse. She works as a court advocate for the agency Between Friends in the suburban satellite office. “The office here is an important place for many reasons,” said Fehrenbacher. “Currently, Between Friends is the only agency that has the offering of civil advocacy in Rolling Meadows.” It is easy to hear the passion in Ms. Fehrenbacher’s voice as she describes her work there and her role since 1998 as a court advocate.

Ms. Fehrenbacher explains what her job as a court advocate entails. The service Between Friends offers can be described in three main steps: inform, file, and petition. When a victim is referred to their office, Between Friends assists in the process of obtaining an emergency order of protection. Once in the office, the victim is informed that the advocates in the office are Illinois mandated reporters; any allegations of abuse made to the advocate will be reported, because that is the state requirement.

The general first steps are in informing the victims about the process of the law and preparing them for appearing in court before a judge, because many have never been in court before. Once the paperwork and the petition have been filled out, they appear before a judge. If granted, this order of protection will last twenty-one days. The victim does not have to pay for these services or for filing with the clerk’s office.

It is important to note that the agency Between Friends only handles civil orders of protection, which are for a case where an arrest has not been made. Often the civil orders of protection are sought as protection for an impending threat. These orders are just as important as criminal ones; yet it is sometimes more difficult to get these granted. The allegations being brought into court need to be current, such as within the week that the order is sought, and of course the judge’s verdict. However, if the civil order of protection is granted and then broken, it becomes a criminal offense and will be updated to a criminal order of protection.

Between Friends’ Rolling Meadows office certainly makes a difference in the Northwest suburbs. The agency will work in partnership the other agencies; in many instances they are members of the Northwest Suburban Alliance on Domestic Violence. Fehrenbacher said membership in the Alliance is an essential part of maintaining community involvement, especially on issues pertaining to domestic violence awareness. "With such a passionate force, working to lessen the impact of domestic violence in the Northwest suburbs, the cycle of violence will be easier to break," she said.

Roosevelt University Students are learning about domestic violence in their writing for social justice course.