WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — The Women’s Justice Center of Pace Law School today launched a 5-year fundraising campaign to name its offices at 27 Crane Avenue in White Plains “Gail’s House,” in memory of domestic violence victim Gail Katz Bierenbaum.  The campaign goal is $250,000.  A ceremony to honor Gail will be held at Pace Law School on November 29^th and a tour of the Women’s Justice Center will follow.

“If Gail had been given legal support and gotten an order of protection after the early incidences of violence, she might still be alive today,” said Gail’s sister, Alayne Katz, a matrimonial attorney and long-time supporter of the Women’s Justice Center. “We’re proud, and she would be proud, that Gail’s House and Gail’s Fund will help save the lives of other women who are struggling in abusive relationships.”

Gail, a doctoral student in psychology, was murdered by her husband, Dr. Robert Bierenbaum, in 1985, when she was just 29 years old. The evidence at trial showed that he strangled her, dismembered her body and dumped it over the Atlantic Ocean from his private plane.  For fourteen years the murder remained unprosecuted, since investigators could find no physical evidence directly linking Bierenbaum to the crime.  Finally, last fall, after new interviews with Bierenbaum’s former girlfriends revealed startling inconsistencies in his story, Bierenbaum was convicted and is now serving a 20-year to life sentence in New York State prison.

“Bierenbaum was ultimately convicted on testimony from third parties.  If the case is upheld on appeal, new case law permitting hearsay in domestic violence trials could dramatically improve prosecution rates in New York State and possibly throughout the United States,” said Victoria Lutz, the Center’s executive director.  Though the legal system has come a long way in protecting battered women since the time of Gail’s death in 1985, domestic violence cases remain among the most difficult for prosecutors to prove.  The reluctance of victims to testify against their abusers, the private nature of the crime, and strict evidentiary rules have all contributed to this difficulty.

Moneys raised through “Gail’s Fund” will directly support the Center’s work with battered women, and will be used to expand the Center’s early intervention program, Project DETER, which provides legal representation to domestic violence victims as soon as police respond to a 911 call.  Currently operating as a pilot program in White Plains, NY, Project DETER links the local police force with the Center’s attorneys on a 24-hour basis.  Whenever police identify a domestic violence case, they can access a lawyer immediately, and the victim can be in Family Court the next morning securing an Order of Protection.  “The results from Project DETER prove the effectiveness of early and ongoing intervention,” Lutz explained.  “Before the project began, only 25% of battered women followed through to obtain permanent orders of protection.  Now, 90 to 97 percent of women participating in DETER get permanent orders of protection.  The key is that we’re giving victims personal support and legal counsel at the time of crisis, which gives them the confidence to fight back in court.”  The total campaign goal is $250,000.

The Pace Women’s Justice Center is dedicated to eradicating domestic violence and furthering the legal rights of women.  The Center involves Pace Law students in a number of its activities, including: the Family Court Externship Program, through which law students provide counseling and direct representation to over nine hundred victims of domestic violence annually; Family Law training programs, through which law students assist in the preparation and presentation of training programs and seminars for thousands of attorneys, judges and community members on emerging issues in the law; and Support programs though which supervised students assist in providing legal education, information, support, and resource referrals to area residents via a telephone help-line.  The Center also provides round the clock legal service to many victims of domestic violence. 

Founded in 1976, Pace Law School is located in White Plains, N.Y., 20 miles north of New York City. The School offers the J.D. program for full-time, and part-time day and evening students. Its post-graduate program includes the LL.M. and S.J.D. degrees in environmental Law and the LL.M. in Comparative Legal Studies. Pace has one of the nation's top-rated environmental law programs and its Clinical Education Program also is nationally ranked, offering clinics in domestic violence prosecution, securities arbitration.