Vanessa Buterbaugh
Vanessa Buterbaugh serves as an attorney’s assistant at The Law Firm of Robert D. Stein, where she provides comprehensive support to clients navigating complex legal situations, with a focus on family law and domestic violence cases. Her role extends beyond traditional administrative duties, as she also offers emotional support and guidance to clients, particularly women facing challenges similar to those she has personally experienced. Vanessa’s deep understanding of the legal system stems from her own journey through dependency and criminal cases, as well as family court proceedings following domestic violence. This experience sparked her passion for the law and for helping others navigate difficult circumstances with confidence and compassion.
Working from home enables Vanessa to balance her professional responsibilities with her personal commitments, including caring for her two elderly parents who are both seriously ill, and supporting her two daughters. She is actively involved in her youngest daughter’s rowing activities and guides her eldest through college as she pursues a nursing degree. Vanessa’s ability to juggle these responsibilities highlights her dedication, resilience, and exceptional organizational skills—qualities she brings to her work with every client.
In addition to her professional and family commitments, Vanessa is a vocal advocate for domestic violence survivors. She founded the Facebook page “Break Into Silence”, where she shares her personal story through photos and videos to raise awareness and provide encouragement to others affected by domestic violence. Passionate about legal reform, she works to advance changes in Florida’s laws to better protect victims and children, drawing on her lived experience to inform her advocacy and inspire meaningful change.
• Certified medical assistant
• Emotional support coach
• Medical Billing Training
• Medical Assistant Certification
• Created 'Break Into Silence' Facebook page for domestic violence awareness
• Partnering with TeamCourt in Sarasota to offer jiu-jitsu classes for trauma survivors
• Advocating for legal reform to protect domestic violence victims and children
• Supporting rowing team scholarship fundraising
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to the incredible support and mentorship I received from people who believed in me when I felt like I was going crazy. Attorney Robert Stein saved my kids and did what all other attorneys told me couldn't be done. He has mentored me, mentored my youngest daughter, gave us strength, guided us to the right places, and connected us with the right therapist. Therapist Barbara Russell was another life-changing mentor who stood up to my ex, told him he wasn't going to hurt us anymore, and reassured me and my daughters that we weren't crazy when everyone else made us feel that way. She broke the book and gave my little girl, who was crying and saying nobody believes me, a safe place where someone finally believed her. These two people, along with my faith that God worked his magic in bringing them into my life, are what got me through seven and a half years of hell and helped me turn my trauma into a passion for helping others.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I received came from my attorney Robert Stein, who saw my passion for helping others and suggested I could work with him. After I spoke with one of his clients who was going through a situation similar to mine, I called him back and told him I wished I could use something to help out. He asked if I wanted to work with him and suggested I take some online classes on how to be a coach for emotional and personal support. That advice led me to where I am today, working as his assistant and providing support to clients who need someone who truly understands what they're going through. It was advice that came by accident but turned into my calling.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge in my field right now is that the laws in Florida, particularly in Sarasota and Manatee County, are failing to protect domestic violence victims and their children. DCF and the court system are supposed to protect kids, but they don't. I see cases where kids are being neglected and abused, and when you bring all of this evidence into court, they dismiss it saying things like 'he's just a first-time father' or 'she's just a first-time mother.' You have to sit there and wait two, three, or four years until the kid can talk, and meanwhile these kids are in complete danger. Even when kids end up in the hospital or drugged by their parents, DCF gives them a case plan, reunites the kid with the parent, and then they go back to the same thing and the cycle repeats. Women need more support because paying an attorney, going through all of this, being a parent, and paying your own bills is overwhelming. The system protects the victimizer while the victim gets unprotected and vulnerable. We need to change these laws so they really protect people against domestic violence and protect the children.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The most important values to me are family, faith, and helping others who are going through what I went through. My family is everything to me. I have my eldest daughter who's going to college to be an RN, my youngest daughter who's graduating middle school and is part of a rowing team, and I moved my two elderly parents who are both very ill to live with me so I can take care of them better. For seven years I was not allowed to enjoy my kids because I was running around crazy dealing with court cases, so now I'm more into family time and enjoying my kids, making up for lost time. I also have my three dogs who are my passion and provide protection. My faith is central because I believe God worked his magic in bringing the right people into my life when I needed them most. And service to others drives everything I do professionally. I want to be there for women going through domestic violence, to calm them down and let them know there's always a light at the end of the tunnel, because I know how isolating and scary it is. I want to help change laws and protect children because the system failed my kids and continues to fail so many others.