Important Update: The Certified Advocate Partners Program (CAPP) is now administered by our partners at the Community Justice Advocates of Utah (CJAU). Please reach out to them with all questions.
The Certified Advocate Partners Program (CAPP) equips trained, non-lawyer advocates to help survivors of abuse navigate the protective order process and connect with needed resources. Advocates are authorized to provide certain legal services, such as helping complete court forms, preparing for hearings, and offering information about legal options, under the oversight of the Utah Supreme Court’s Regulatory Sandbox.
Advocates work in partnership with attorneys and service providers to ensure survivors receive timely, informed, and compassionate support. This approach expands access to justice, especially in rural communities where legal help can be hard to find.
Timpanogos Legal Center (TLC) launched the Certified Advocate Partners Program (CAPP) in 2021, after receiving approval from the Utah Supreme Court to operate within the state’s Regulatory Sandbox. Our vision was simple but ambitious: empower trained, non-lawyer advocates to stand beside survivors of abuse and help them navigate the legal system with confidence.
We designed the program from the ground up, building the training curriculum, recruiting the first cohort of advocates, and setting the standard for how CAPP would operate. In June 2021, six trained advocates began serving clients. In just the first four months, they helped nearly 60 survivors take critical steps toward safety.
Since that launch under TLC, the program grew steadily, reaching survivors in 77% rural communities where legal help is often limited. Between 2021 and 2024, CAPP served 358 clients in 327 closed cases, delivering 841 distinct legal services. Advocates assisted in filing 225 protective order requests, with 205 ex parte orders granted, a success rate nearly double the statewide average.
While day-to-day program management has now transitioned to the Community Justice Advocates of Utah (CJAU), TLC remains committed to supporting CAPP. As the program’s founder, TLC will continue to lend program support by assisting with certification training materials and helping with ongoing trainings.
Legal Assistance Pilot Program Helps Rural Victims of Domestic Violence and Abuse in Utah by Kristi Eaton, The Daily Yonder
Need help getting a protective order? A new program in Utah makes the process easier by Becky Jacobs, Salt Lake Tribune
Utah's Certified Advocates Partners Program Made Possible by Regulatory Sandbox by Maddie Hosack, IAALS
This project was supported in part by the Utah Office for Victims of Crime, awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication are those of Timpanogos Legal Center and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Department of Justice or the Utah Office for Victims of Crime.
This project was supported in part by the Utah Office for Victims of Crime, awarded by the State of Utah. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication are those of Timpanogos Legal Center and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Utah Office for Victims of Crime or the Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice.