With every case we take on, with every survivor we support, we reaffirm our mission to ensure that justice prevails and survivors find their voices.

Our Mission

The mission of St. Louis Survivors Legal Support (SLSLS) is to provide zealous advocacy and meaningful access to justice for survivors of intimate partner violence and their children, and to educate the St. Louis community about the legal process and resources for those seeking protection. SLSLS helps survivors get effective legal relief in the form of thorough and enforceable orders of protection and other companion orders.

What We Do

St. Louis Survivors Legal Support (SLSLS) provides free legal representation to survivors of intimate partner violence, helping them obtain Orders of Protection and other critical relief, which can include custody, child support, firearms relinquishment, substance abuse treatment and batterer intervention programs.

We reach survivors early by partnering with police departments, hospital systems, advocates, and community organizations - often connecting before they would otherwise seek help, potentially preventing years of abuse.

In addition to legal advocacy, we:

Educate partners on how to identify and support victims of intimate partner violence.
Consult with survivors to assess whether pursuing an Order of Protection is safe and appropriate.
Connect survivors with free attorneys, safety planning and community resources.
Hold offenders accountable by working with police, prosecutors and courts to enforce Orders of Protection when violated.

Why SLSLS Started

Our History

I saw it firsthand. I presided over thousands of cases involving domestic abuse during my 22 years as a Judge in St. Louis County. It was common for the survivors of the cases with the worst allegations to not appear for their hearings, forcing me to dismiss their cases. I knew why; many of their abusers likely threatened them, intimidated them, or pleaded with them to not go forward with getting an Order of Protection (OP). The victims who did show in court were typically unrepresented, while their abusers often hired attorneys. These victims were understandably daunted by such an unfair battle. Some simply left the courthouse before their trials began. This painful reality made it very clear to me that the system was failing survivors. St. Louis County judges are wise, compassionate, and fair but, just as mine were, their hands are tied. SLSLS was founded to address this problem. Its mission is quite simple: no victim of IPV should ever walk into court alone.

Michael D. Burton,

SLSLS Founder and Executive Director

Our Team

Leadership

Michael Burton, Executive Director of SLSLS

Michael D. Burton was a judge on the St. Louis County Circuit Court bench for 22 years. After serving as the Court’s presiding judge, he retired from the bench in August, 2021, to attend a year-long leadership initiative at his alma mater, the University of Notre Dame.

Burton has taught trial advocacy, evidence, and other courses at both Washington University and St. Louis University law schools for more than twenty-five years.

In 2009, Burton founded the St. Louis County Domestic Violence Court, to address better ways to hold offenders accountable and ultimately keep victims safe. Four special dockets were created to focus on monitoring offenders and responding to their noncompliance with the terms of their orders of protection (“O/P”s) and probation. In 2020, the Department of Justice and the U.S. Office on Violence against Women selected the St. Louis County Domestic Violence Court to be one of four Mentor Courts in the country. Only thirteen other courts in the country have received similar recognition.

From 2008 to 2021, Burton developed and maintained a user-friendly process to bring petitions for orders of protection to the circuit court during evenings, weekends and holidays. Moreover, during the pandemic, the St. Louis County Circuit Court developed a system for victims to obtain temporary (ex parte) orders of protection online, without having to leave their residences. He has regularly trained more than a thousand law enforcement officers from all sixty-plus police departments in St. Louis County about these processes and about many other procedures, statutes and rules pertaining to O/Ps and domestic violence.

Burton has written a manual for judges and law enforcement officers on the pertinent local, state and federal procedures, rules, statutes and case law for domestic violence issues. He has also written the Missouri Bar’s chapter (and supplement) on Orders of Protection for its CLE series. Burton created bench cards for all Missouri judges who preside over order of protection hearings.

Burton was the chairperson for the St. Louis County Domestic Violence Council for ten years, the St. Louis County Domestic Violence Court for twelve years and the Missouri Supreme Court's Commission on Combating Human Trafficking and Domestic Violence for its formative first four years.

Burton has trained hundreds of attorneys and judges throughout the state and country on domestic violence issues -- through the St. Louis County Bar, the Missouri Judicial College, the National Judicial Institute on Domestic Violence and the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges. He is currently involved with the American Bar Association’s training of judges and attorneys on best practices for handling DV cases with victims from the LGBTQI+ community.

In 2018, the American Bar Association presented Judge Burton with the Judith Kaye Award for Judicial Excellence. This award recognizes one judge in the country who embodies the commitment provided to victims of domestic and sexual violence by New York State’s former chief judge. While on the bench, Burton was honored for his work in protecting victims of abuse by various organizations, including Legal Advocates for Abused Women, A Woman’s Place and Voices for Children.