“I was so much more confident going into court representing myself this time around, I actually spoke and stated all my concerns."
Laura came to us for advice about the Family Courts after her son’s estranged father made an application to resume contact after several years. Laura is a single mother-of-two children from Caerphilly. Laura, aged 35, works part-time and was not eligible for Legal Aid but she couldn’t afford legal representation. A hearing had been set for the end of June and Laura needed help to gather the evidence, understand the process and safeguard herself while at the court.
Laura said a restraining order had been made several years ago, following the breakdown of the relationship, due to domestic violence and coercive and controlling behaviour. A court order was made six years ago which directed that her son lives with her and that his father was able to spend some time with the child, under supervision, with the aim of moving towards community visits and overnight stays. Laura said that her ex-partner made little or no attempts in six years to maintain contact.
Laura had not received a copy of all the directions made by the court in May. Without these she would not be able to fully understand how she should respond. Our adviser and Laura phoned the court together and discovered that the solicitors for her ex-partner had not filed all the relevant documents. She was advised to phone the court daily to chase this information.
When all the information became available, our adviser was able to help Laura prepare for the June hearing and offered advice on how to represent herself and evidence her concerns.
Laura said: “I was so much more confident going into court representing myself this time around, I actually spoke and stated all my concerns. I can’t thank you enough for all your help and advice in that short period of time! You were simply amazing!”
View more on our Family Advice Service.
