Domestic Violence

One in four women and one in six men will experience domestic abuse whether psychological, physical, sexual, financial or emotional. We never underestimate how difficult it is for those who have experienced abuse to disclose the number or severity of the incidents and we bring complete confidentiality, our professional experience and a great deal of empathy to all such discussions.

Legal Aid is available to you and will continue to be where domestic violence is involved. Collins Solicitors holds a Legal Services Commission (LSC) Specialist Quality Mark (SQM) and has the requisite knowledge and experience to swiftly assess whether an individual is eligible for public funding.

There are options available to swiftly protect a domestic abuse sufferer which include applying to the Court for injunction orders and we are adept at taking prompt and correct action where necessary. Where an applicant or child is in imminent danger of harm the LSC have empowered us to grant an emergency certificate alongside immediate urgent Court action.

Financial eligibility limits are waived by the LSC for injunction proceedings but a contribution may be payable. As we hold the requisite SQM we conduct all our injunction cases on a publicly funded basis - subject to LSC assessment.

Children and Domestic Violence

The impact upon a child of witnessing or being subjected to abuse cannot be underestimated and must always be carefully considered when it comes to decisions on the level and circumstance of child contact (if any). Legal Aid will continue to be made available for children and finance applications that meet domestic violence or abuse criteria.