Protection Orders Attorney in Kennewick, WA

Serving Benton & Franklin County with Compassionate Legal Aid

Helping You Protect Yourself & Your Rights with Orders of Protection

Are you and/or your child in danger due to another family member’s actions? At Tri-Cities Family Law, we take the safety and wellbeing of our clients very seriously. Our Kennewick protection orders attorney will help you get the restraining order, anti-harassment order, or order of protection you require with speed and tenacity. We understand the gravity of such situations and will do whatever it takes to ensure you receive comprehensive, affordable, and compassionate legal aid and representation in all matters surrounding protection orders in Washington State.

Don’t hesitate to get help from a local resource you can trust—contact Tri-Cities Family Law now to initiate your protection order.

Understanding Protection Orders: What You Need to Know

A protection order is an official order issued by a court that requires a person to do, or not do, certain things to another individual. Often confused with restraining orders (which are a type of protection order), orders of protection were designed to protect someone from actual or perceived harm perpetuated by acts such as harassment, assault, and abuse.

Explore the Types of Restraining Orders Available in Washington

If a party feels that a restraining order is necessary to protect him or herself, there are different types of restraining orders available and each is based on the circumstances of the parties.

Protection orders available in Washington include:

• Civil Anti-Harassment Orders
• Domestic Violence Orders for Protection
• No-Contact Orders
• Restraining Orders
• Sexual Assault Protection Orders
• Stalking Protection Orders
• Vulnerable Adult Protection Orders

Some restraining orders can be issued by the criminal courts and those restraining orders are most likely to be ordered to protect a victim of a crime and are issued against the perpetrator or alleged perpetrator of that crime.

For example, a domestic violence protection order is an order that protects a victim of domestic violence. Domestic violence exists when one or more of the following occurs between family or household members:

• Physical harm
• Bodily injury
• Assault
• Sexual assault
• Stalking
• Making you fear immediate physical harm, bodily injury, or assault

This definition includes many abusive behaviors such as pushing, striking, choking, slapping, or other conduct that causes harm or the fear of being harmed. A domestic violence protection order can result in severe consequences for the abuser if the order is violated. It is the most common type of protection order.

A civil anti-harassment order may be necessary if an individual engages in a series of willful acts over an extended period of time that serve no legitimate legal purpose—for example, if they alarm, annoy, harass, or harm you as well as causes you to reasonably suffer a significant amount of emotional distress or causes you to fear for the wellbeing of yourself and/or your child or children.

Key Benefits of Orders of Protection in Washington

By law, a Washington protection order can:

• Bar an individual from contacting you in any way
• Bar an individual from entering your residence
• Give one parent temporary custody of a child or children
• Grant you the right to possess essential personal effects
• Grant you the use of a vehicle
• Order an individual not to threaten or harm you
• Order an individual to attend counseling
• Prevent someone from possessing a firearm or other weapon
• Require an individual to leave a shared residence
• Restrict an individual from visiting a person’s workplace or school
• Set a schedule for visitation with a minor child or children

The existence of restraining orders can impact a party’s rights to access to their children in some circumstances.