This information is relevant to you if you whether you are a man or a woman, gay or straight, and you are in need of legal advice because you are being violently abused or harassed by your partner or ex-partner.
Healys expert team of family solicitors and lawyers can give you legal advice about domestic violence and injunctions or about any other area of family law.
Domestic violence
Domestic violence includes physical and mental abuse, threats and intimidation from a close family member. It is damaging to the physical and mental health of the recipient and to the physical and mental health of any child who sees or hears it. Domestic violence can be a pattern of behaviour over many years or it can be a one-off incident.
Domestic violence often accompanies relationship breakdown.
Domestic violence is criminal assault. As well as bringing (or sometimes instead of) criminal charges, it is possible to obtain a civil court order, or injunction, to
- Prevent a violent or abusive person from molesting you and/or any children involved (this is called a non-molestation order)
- Exclude a violent or abusive person from your home or other family property (this is called an occupation order)
Healys is experienced in successfully obtaining domestic violence injunctions, non-molestation orders and occupation orders, on behalf of partners and former partners.
Our many years experience as specialist family solicitors and lawyers has taught us that each individual situation is different. Healys can help by listening sensitively and giving you straightforward legal advice so you can weigh up what choices will work best for you to break a cycle of violence and abuse.
Links
As well as legal advice about domestic violence and injunctions, you may need other support:
www.womensaid.org.uk
www.refuge.org.uk
www.mensadviceline.org.uk
www.broken-rainbow.org.uk
www.dvip.org
Here's just one or two things you may not know but could make all the difference to you:
- It is possible to ask the civil courts for a domestic violence injunction without your partner or ex partner being present at a court hearing.
- As well as excluding a violent perpetrator from your home, the civil courts have the power to order them to pay you money towards the rent or mortgage and towards the upkeep of the property, even if they are not allowed to live there.
This can be particularly useful where the violent person is the only breadwinner in the family, or the person with the higher income.
