Elia Robertson and Peter Johnsen, ’15, won the University of Pennsylvania Law Review’s Public Interest Essay Competition.

The essay, Protecting, Restoring, Improving: Incorporating Therapeutic Jurisprudence and Restorative Justice Concepts Into Civil Domestic Violence Cases, explores civil protection order statutes as a means to address domestic violence in the U.S.

Robertson and Johnsen argue that therapeutic jurisprudence and restorative justice practices could enhance functioning of civil protection order statutes, advance litigants' access to justice in protection order proceedings and decrease future incidents of domestic violence. 

Their essay, for which they won a $3,000 prize, will appear in Volume 164 of the law review.

Robertson is an assistant district attorney in Philadelphia.  Johnsen is an associate at Shemtob Law in Blue Bell, Pa., where he practices family law.