Coercive control and non-physical forms of domestic violence can be difficult to identify, document, and effectively present in court. This training will provide victim advocates and attorneys with practical tools for understanding and addressing coercive control and non-physical violence in Delaware protection order proceedings.

Participants will review Delaware’s statutory definitions and legal framework, explore strategies for preparing survivors and framing cases for hearings, and examine effective ways to gather, organize, and present evidence. Through practical examples and discussion, the training will help participants translate survivors’ experiences into clear, compelling evidence for the court while supporting survivors throughout the legal process.

Presenters

Commissioner Meghann O’Reilly Karasic received her B.A. in government and politics from the University of Maryland in 2007 and received her J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 2010, where she was awarded the community service award for her work on social justice, human rights, and public interest outreach. After law school, Commissioner Karasic worked as a staff attorney and then as managing attorney for the Law Offices of Women in Need, a civil law project serving survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault in central Pennsylvania. She subsequently moved to Delaware in 2016, where she worked at Community Legal Aid Society, Inc., in Wilmington, as supervising attorney for housing and fair housing, then as managing attorney of the immigration, domestic violence, and medical legal partnership programs. In 2023, the Commissioner began work as an assistant public defender for the Delaware Office of Defense Services, where her practice focused on representing justice-involved youth at all stages of litigation. Appointed to the bench in 2025, Commissioner Karasic continues her service within the Delaware Family Court.
Tara Blakely is the managing attorney of the Georgetown office of Community Legal Aid Society, Inc. (CLASI) and she supervises the Domestic Violence Unit. Since 2018, her practice has focused exclusively on representation of survivors of domestic violence in all Family Court matters. A member of the bar since 2004, she began her career in private practice representing clients in consumer bankruptcy matters. While in private practice, Tara was a recipient of the Christopher W. White Access to Justice Award for her pro bono bankruptcy work with Legal Services Corporation of Delaware and Delaware Volunteer Legal Services. Tara is a 1999 graduate of Dickinson College and a 2004 graduate of Delaware Law School of Widener University.

The Delaware Coalition Against Domestic Violence program, "Coercive Control and Non-Physical Violence-How to Prepare Survivors for Court hearings and How to Present Cases for Court hearings", scheduled for Oct 14, 2026 in Executive Banquet and Conference Center, Newark, DE, has been approved for 2.80 credit(s), including 0.00 Enhanced Ethics credits. The course ID number for this program is DCA10142026COERC.

We have applied for CEUs from NASW- once approval is received, we will update the registration page.