After meeting with Gina, who fled her home following a harrowing assault by her husband, attorney Susan Yanagi stayed by her side through both a DVPO hearing and a custody trial.
“I Decided to Represent Her Pro Bono”: LANC Volunteer Commits to Complex Case
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Content Warning: This story includes an account of domestic violence.
When Safe Alliance, a provider of domestic violence services, first contacted Legal Aid of NC volunteer attorney Susan Yanagi about Gina’s* case, the complaint she received suggested that legal advice was likely all that was needed.
But as the details of Gina’s harrowing assault at the hands of her husband emerged, Susan recalled, “I saw the case was more complex. I decided to represent her pro bono.”
Gina shared that her husband had beaten her repeatedly, and in the last assault — which took place in front of their toddler — he had held a gun to her head and a knife to her throat. When Gina grabbed the child and fled, he chased them in his vehicle, attempting to run them over.
Gina reported the abuse to the police and decided to seek a domestic violence protective order (DVPO) and legal custody of the couple’s child. But it wasn’t until she met with Susan, who gently earned her trust, that she shared a detail that would prove critical to her case: a crib camera in their toddler’s bedroom had captured both the assault and the child’s voice begging him to stop.
“Gina didn’t realize how high on the lethality scale this assault was. I convinced her to allow me to show the video in court so that I could secure a DVPO and sole custody of the child.”
“Gina didn’t realize how high on the lethality scale this assault was,” Susan noted, referring to a tool used by first responders and others to gauge how potentially deadly an attack was. “I convinced her to allow me to show the video in court so that I could secure what she needed: a DVPO and sole custody of the child, with the father permitted supervised visitation at a neutral location.”
At the hearing, Susan obtained the DVPO and a temporary custody order, but Gina’s husband denied her version of events and filed for custody himself, insisting on a trial to settle the matter.
Susan, who works at Epperson Law Group, agreed to represent Gina in this case as well. But as weeks passed and the trial date approached, Susan couldn’t reach her. Finally, on the day before the trial, Gina contacted her, saying that she was afraid of facing her abuser in court but still wanted Susan’s help to fight for custody. She shared that she had a plan to move out of state to be closer to her family.
Legal Aid of North Carolina volunteer attorney Susan Yanagi represented Gina, a survivor of domestic abuse, pro bono in her hearing to obtain a domestic violence protective order and a subsequent custody case initiated by her estranged husband.
“A move would complicate the custody arrangement and required a shift in our approach to the case,” Susan explained. “Judges typically don’t allow custodial parents to move out of state unless they have a contract for a job or something similarly compelling.”
At the custody trial, Gina did “extremely well” despite being very nervous, Susan said. “I was able to guide her through talking about the move, making sure she laid out the facts fully, so that the judge was likely to approve it.”
The video provided the evidence Gina needed to win the case. While her husband had been given the opportunity to view the video prior to trial, he chose not to, and the version of events he gave as testimony was proven by the video to be false.
“I was able to guide her through talking about the move, making sure she laid out the facts fully, so that the judge was likely to approve her custody petition.”
“That didn’t help his case,” Susan remembered. “The judge said she’d never seen anything like this [assault] in her 17 years on the bench.”
Gina was awarded sole physical and legal custody of their child and given permission to move. They’re now safely living with family. “She’s happy and doing well and thinking about going back to school,” Susan said.
Reflecting on the case, Susan said building trust with this client was “crucial.”
“Gina was very embarrassed to have found herself in this position. She had kept quiet about the abuse to keep up the facade that their life was perfect,” Susan said. “I got personal with her, told her a little about my own story, and she realized I wasn’t going to judge her. That’s when she shared the video with me.
“It really shows that if you’re willing to be vulnerable with clients in these situations, they’ll be vulnerable with you.”
*To protect the client’s identity, a pseudonym and stock photo have been used.
Case shared by Legal Aid of NC, an NC IOLTA grantee. This story originally appeared in the NC State Bar’s 2024-25 Domestic Violence Victim Assistance Act report, “Combating Domestic Violence With Legal Services.”
Legislation passed by the North Carolina General Assembly on July 9, 2025, bars NC IOLTA from grantmaking from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026. Consistent with the legislation, our 2026 funding cycle has not been opened.
Learn more about NC IOLTA and find our most recent updates on this issue on our Media Resources page.
The NC State Bar and NC IOLTA continue to seek a resolution to preserve funding for civil legal aid, which plays a critical role in building a legal system that works for everyone, breaking down barriers and creating strong communities across North Carolina.