Lindsay Moon, Legal Services Coordinator: "We are here, ready to help in any way we can"

“What I really appreciate about being part of our legal team is that what we do makes a  tangible impact on the safety of survivors – it’s enforceable,” said Lindsay Moon, legal services coordinator.

Approximately seven years ago, Lindsay joined NextStep. She had become fascinated with domestic violence while taking a course in woman’s studies as part of her sociology major at UMaine. “My experience in college set the stage for my love of this work,” she affirmed. “That; and the experience I received while working at the UPS Store. In the retail environment I learned office skills, organizing paperwork, working with the public, etc. Everything came together for my job at NextStep.”

Lindsay has lived in the Ellsworth area her entire life, and she appreciates that her work is making a positive impact on the community she loves. “Sometimes, as an advocate, you personally know or are acquainted with a survivor using services, which can be very comforting or a barrier sometimes. Our staff knows how to navigate through the obstacles that living in a small, rural community can present.”

Lindsay started with NextStep as a victim services advocate, going to court with survivors to offer support, and she also worked shifts on the helpline. “It provided a great foundation for me prior to moving into my current job.”

A conduit for legal information, Lindsay reviews requests for court dates and gets contacted by legal clients – she passes all of the information to wherever it needs to go, the keeper and sharer of information. She is also one of the processers for the emotional piece; one who listens to the client and works through all of the concerns. This allows attorneys Rick Doyle and Sara Becker with the ability to focus more on what they need to do. Lindsay always knows who is available for court and makes sure everyone on the legal team is where they need to be.

 “When COVID hit and we had to pivot on everything, we all rose to the challenge and have made all the adjustments to keep serving our clients,” Lindsay proudly stated. “We had to figure out how to keep things moving, especially with reduced court hours. Being able to take care of family court matters over Zoom has helped us tremendously.”

 The legal team has to be able to help people who are also navigating these new waters; to try to be prepared even when they are not sure what will happen next. “Because we are not in court physically it sometimes makes me wonder if our clients are getting all they help they need. It’s strange to not do all that we are used to doing. We miss seeing all those whom we normally work with on a regular basis, such as our volunteer court advocates. They are still helping out on our helpline, though. We couldn’t do all that we do without them!”

 Regarding changes within the domestic violence issue, Lindsay has observed a few new things that the legal team is helping to address. “One new challenge that we’ve noticed because of COVID is that stimulus money has been taken by the abuser. Also, when the survivor is doing everything to follow social distancing guidelines to keep the family safe, the abuser may not be concerned about precautions, putting the entire family at risk. Visits in public places has been a bit of a challenge too, with all the lockdowns. We want survivors to know that as far as stimulus money is concerned, it may take a while, but we are here to help them prevail in court. We are here, ready to help in any way we can, just the same as always.”