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I need protection
For when your safety, your children's, or an older adult's is at risk. What we can do, how it begins, and what to expect.
What we can do
Advise you, explain your rights, assist you in completing the petition, help you organize the evidence, and prepare you for the demands of the hearing. We offer full representation of the case or representation limited to the service that best fits your circumstances, in matters involving protection orders (Law 54 for intimate partner relationships, Law 284 for stalking, and other laws depending on the case). We can represent you at the ex parte hearing or the final one, and support you with referrals to support resources. We aim to reduce revictimization and to explain your options clearly.
Services on this path
- Protection orderAssessment, filing, evidence, representation in court, and follow-up. Law 54 and Law 284.
- Sexual abuseLegal representation in sexual abuse cases.
- Older adults: protection and remediesDefending the rights of older adults.
Before you decide
Do I need a lawyer to request a protection order?
No. You can file the petition on your own behalf. Filing it costs nothing and the court does not require you to have legal representation.
At Equitas we can begin working with you before you file the petition, or accompany you at any stage of the process. That assistance may be a consultation, help preparing or reviewing the petition, organizing the evidence, preparing you for the hearing, explaining the process and the scope of the orders, representing you at a specific stage, or taking on full representation.
The scope of the service is defined with you, according to what you need and what you want us to take on.
Protection and custody often go together when there are children who have survived violence directly or indirectly; that is why we work on them together where it applies.
How it begins
You tell us the basics
No sensitive details.
A safe first contact, at no cost
Through the method and at the time you choose.
Legal consultation ($125)
Options and fees in writing. Payment plans available.
Who will help you
Linda De Jesús Casiano, Esq., attorney and social worker. Admitted in Puerto Rico and California. In person in Hatillo and by video call across the island.