The Legal Clinic

At VOICES, we understand how overwhelming it can feel to seek legal help when you’ve experienced abuse. You don’t have to go through this alone. We offera free legal clinic to guide and support you with compassion and care.

1. Non-urgent legal advice – UWE Law Clinic

Through our partnership with the University of the West of England (UWE), you can access free, confidential advice on non-urgent matters. You’ll meet with supervised law students who will listen to your situation and priorities.

After your appointment, you’ll receive a detailed letter explaining your options, with clear guidance on the advantages and disadvantages of each. Everything is carefully overseen by practising solicitors, so you can feel reassured you’re in safe hands.

2. Urgent legal support – Local Solicitors’ Clinic

If your situation is urgent, local solicitors can provide immediate, confidential advice. They may also apply for legal aid funding if you are eligible. Support is available for issues such as protective orders, urgent court applications, child arrangements, divorce, or financial matters linked to abuse.

If you cannot get legal aid, a Court IDVA (Independent Domestic Violence Advisor) may be able to help. IDVAs offer practical guidance, emotional support, and can attend court with you.

Survivor Testimonials

The Family Courts were an extension of the abuse that I suffered at my husband’s hands, providing more hands to harm me and my children in the ‘secret court system’! If not for VOICES and their unwavering support, I would have lost both my children to the corruption that poses as justice.

Theresa

Special thanks to VOICES who walked alongside me through the darkest time of my life and shone a light of hope into my future when I did not think that recovery was possible. My family and I are eternally grateful.

Elizabeth

Counselling alongside legal support

We know that legal processes can feel very stressful. That’s why the Voices recovery team may also offer counselling sessions during family court proceedings, giving you a safe place to talk and to manage difficult feelings

Protective orders

Protective orders can help keep you and your children safe. These include:

  • Non-Molestation Order – stops someone contacting, harassing, or approaching you.
  • Occupation Order – prevents someone from living in or near your home.
  • Prohibited Steps Order – prevents a parent from taking a child without permission.

Police can also apply for temporary protective orders, such as Domestic Violence Protection Orders or Stalking Protection Orders. If an order is broken, it is a crime and should be reported immediately.

Child arrangements

When parents cannot agree on child contact, the Family Court can decide. The process may involve safeguarding checks, hearings, or special measures if abuse has taken place. Voices can guide you through this step by step.

Additional support

You can also get free advice from:

At Voices, everything we do is trauma-informed. Our aim is to give you clarity, confidence, and compassionate support so you can feel safer and more in control of your next steps.

Toolbars

Toolbars such as Google, AOL and Yahoo keep a record of the search words you have typed into the toolbar search box. In order to erase all the search words you have typed in, you will need to check the individual instructions for each type of toolbar. For example, for the Google toolbar all you need to do is click on the Google icon, and choose “Clear Search History”.

Don’t forget to log out

If you use an online forum, do not save your password and don’t forget to log out of your account, when you have finished your browsing session so no one else can log in as you.

General security

If you do not use a password to log on to your computer, someone else will be able to access your email and track your internet usage. The safest way to find information on the internet, would be at a local library, a friend’s house, or at work.

Click the above poster to download our guide

We Can Support You

If you are ready to have a conversation with us, leave a safe number for us to call and a time that suits you either on our answer machine or via email.

No commitments, no record without your consent. Just a conversation.