Every week, Affordable Justice lawyers are battling against the family courts on behalf of women who have already undergone months, if not years of trauma, abuse, coercive control, and emotional and physical violence.
It seems unfair and unnecessary that they should continue to be put through yet more trauma by the very institutions that should be working impartially and fairly on behalf of the victims. Yet, that is the very situation that thousands of women are dealing with every week.
Our own clients have the benefit of our lawyers fighting on their behalf. Yet, there are many thousands of women who believe they can’t afford a lawyer for family court. These women are being re-traumatised at every stage of this legal process. And it is always the men who are driving and manipulating the narrative.
Family Court Bias
Our lawyers are very adept at recognising and blocking the actions taken by these men to manipulate legal proceedings. We felt it important to highlight below the main tactics that we witness day in day out by our clients’ abusers. By calling them out here, and raising awareness of the behaviours, we hope that we can start a systemic shift that removes the procedural gaps and recreates a much more robust and fair system for all.
How Long Does a Family Court Hearing Take?
There are two over-riding reasons why an abusive partner will want to disrupt any legal proceedings. The first is to insert any delaying tactics into court related activities. This gives them a greater overall sense of control.
The second reason is to cause additional expense to family court costs. Women are often left with little recourse to funds, particularly if they have been the victim of economic control. Delaying tactics can cause additional expense for women.
This means that there is no predictability to knowing how long does a family court hearing take, which only adds to the stress and anxiety that our women clients experience. Their abuser is constantly trying to exert their control over the courts in pursuit of continuing to exert their control over their ex-partner. The result is a much longer drawn out and costly experience that only adds to the overall trauma.
Requesting Special Measures in Family Court
When preparing for court, we often contact the courts in advance, requesting special measures in family court environments. This is to attempt to create a safe zone in cases where any contact between our client and her abuser needs to be kept to an absolute minimum.
Unfortunately, due to the physical limitations of often old and unsuitable buildings, providing any kind of special arrangement to protect the woman from having to physically face her abuser in court is at best challenging – at worst impossible. While we always request separate entrances, waiting areas, screens – more often than not, when we arrive none of these measures are put in place. This immediately puts the woman at an emotional disadvantage.
For many abusers, the court room is a place where they can further exert their control. Many actively choose to represent themselves, which means that they have the stage when it comes to cross-examining their ex-partners, with little or no checks or balances in place. This is their opportunity to put on the performance of their life.
For many of our clients this part of the proceedings is deeply traumatising. Having already spent probably many years at the hands of their abuser, they are now forced to relive every nuance as recounted by someone who is in control and in their element, in an emotional position of strength to tear down someone who is already psychologically broken.
Having been gaslit, controlled, abused, and spun many a web of lies over the years, the abuser knows exactly which narrative to spin for his own gain.
Even if the decision goes in favour of the woman, this does not stop the cycle of abuse. With minimal chances of winning an appeal in the UK family court, abusers will still continue to pursue an appeal as an opportunity to prolong the pain and trauma.
Do You Need a Lawyer for Family Court, but Cannot Afford Family Court Costs?
The truth is, there is no trick or tactic that we have not already witnessed in the court room, and preparing our clients for this is an essential part of our work.
That is why we believe that Affordable Justice, as well as being a non-profit that charges less than a third of normal commercial legal firms, is the right choice for many women facing the trauma of the family courts. Since we first started operating back in 2016, we have helped over 1100 women, achieving a success rate of 96 per cent. If you are eager to extricate yourself once and for all from a dangerous and abusive relationship, drop us a line and book in for a chat with one of our lawyers.