The Lifetime Spiral of Gender Abuse describes the potential for violence across the female lifespan. Those working with battered women use it to identify a survivors life history of trauma. Information about a survivors trauma history can be extremely helpful in the development of a victim’s immigration case and improve outcomes in VAWA, U and T visa cases. Identifying the full history or traumas experienced by battered women can also improve outcomes in custody cases as it helps family lawyers representing battered women identify elements of abuse that the victim may not have otherwise revealed (e.g. sexual assault) and it makes the attorney representing the victim in the custody case aware of trauma history that the perpetrator may use against the victim in the custody case.