Barbara J. Hart Justice Center

The Barbara J. Hart Justice Center (Justice Center), a project of the Women’s Resource Center (WRC), provides legal assistance and representation for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking.  The Justice Center works with WRC program participants in Lackawanna and Susquehanna Counties.  All referrals to the Justice Center are made through the WRC.      

Recognizing that survivors face numerous challenges in the legal system, the Justice Center combines the skills of advocates and attorneys to assist survivors in legal matters.  The Justice Center staff works with survivors to restore justice, safety, and autonomy for individual survivors and to build a more just society for all persons.   

All services provided by the Justice Center, including legal assistance and representation, are performed by advocates and attorneys who are experienced in domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking.  The Justice Center offers legal assistance and representation in matters relating to:

Custody/Visitation                                                        Divorce
Employment Law                                                         Estate Planning
Immigration                                                                   Landlord/Tenant; Housing
Protection From Abuse                                               Summary Offenses
Support                                                                          Taxation

Services provided by the Justice Center include:

Advocacy                                                                     Accompaniment
Consultation                                                                Economic Justice 
Referral                                                                        Representation
Safety Planning
Trainings, including an annual conference for professionals, community members, and survivors

About Barbara J. Hart, Esq.

“It is an act of supreme courage for battered women to implore the civil legal system to bring its authority to bear against the violence and terrorism of batterers.”

                                Barbara J. Hart

The Justice Center was named after Barbara J. Hart in recognition of her commitment and dedication to ending violence against women.  Ms. Hart is one of several founders of the battered women’s movement and is currently the Director of Strategic Justice Initiatives in the Justice Policy Program of the Cutler Institute on Health and Social Policy of the Muskie School of Public Service.  Ms. Hart is also the Principal Investigator on the Violence Against Women Measuring Effectiveness Initiative (VAWA MEI) and Principal Investigator on the Building Economic Security for Survivors (BESS) Project. She serves as the Senior Policy and Legal Advisor for the Battered Women’s Justice Project and Senior Counsel to the National Center on Full Faith and Credit. Her work includes public policy development, training, and technical assistance on a broad range of issues such as: advocacy; economic justice and security for survivors; systems to monitor batterer intervention programs; implementation of coordinated community intervention systems; development and critique of legislation; construction of court procedures and standards; consultation on impact litigation; and design of training curricula.  She has served as a leader in the national efforts to implement the Violence Against Women Act.