Anonymous
This review was submitted by a verified client of Edmondson Hall.
Feedback from child custody case
Sorry it has taken me so long to give feedback. It has been 8 months since my daughter has been court ordered 50-50 shared care with my abusive ex-partner & I am only just starting to find any words. I can’t change our outcome but I would like to help any families I can moving forward. I am so grateful to everyone at Edmondson Hall. Although the outcome was far from safe, I am thankful for all the support & guidance given by the team. Elisabeth was amazing. Her enthusiasm is second to none and she is very approachable and punctual in her work. The person who stood out the most to me was Isla. During a time when you are feeling stripped of all hope in a system that focuses on equality for the parents rather than the stability of the child, Isla brought humanity back into the room in the simple act of offering me a hug. This act of kindness I will never forget. Now for the negative. I had asked several times for an application for a fact finding hearing which were not even considered. After I lost my daughter, a barrister told me a fact finding would have helped my case & he didn’t know why I didn’t have one. Not Edmondson Hall related, but I am shocked by the Judge’s comment of my evidence & strangulation being historic as my daughter had not been born, yet what is coercive control if not demonstrating a pattern of events? I was also outraged by my own Barriester, Andrew Shaw’s, final comment to me being “it’s not the end of the world”! I found him incredibly arrogant, he talked ‘at’ me without empathy or listening to me, and unprofessional. After leaving a controlling relationship, I felt without a voice in the legal system. Moving forward, I strongly recommend using a trauma informed barrister such as Charlotte Proudman. She specialises in women’s rights and domestic abuse. Please can I ask, do solicitors have training in domestic abuse and coercive control? I appreciate I can’t change the legal system, but I would really like to help in helping it move forward in anyway I can to prevent parents and children having to endure this new life that my daughter and I are having to negotiate. Many thanks
A representative from Edmondson Hall responded to this review
Thank you for taking the time to share such a considered review. We truly appreciate your kind words about Edmondson Hall and are very grateful for your recognition of the support provided by our team. It means a great deal to hear that Elisabeth’s approach and dedication made a positive impact, and that Isla’s compassion during such a difficult time stayed with you. Your feedback has been shared with the whole team. We note your wider comments regarding the legal process and matters such as fact-finding hearings and the handling of domestic abuse and coercive control. These are important and evolving areas within family law, and we take such feedback seriously. As a firm, we are committed to ongoing professional development, including training around domestic abuse and client care, to ensure we continue to support clients as effectively and sensitively as possible. In relation to your comments regarding counsel, we would respectfully clarify that the Barrister mentioned is not employed by Edmondson Hall. Whilst we are sorry to hear of your experience, any concerns regarding his conduct would need to be raised directly with him or through his chambers’ formal complaints procedure. Thank you again for your feedback and for highlighting both the positive aspects of your experience and the areas where you feel improvements can be made. We wish you and your daughter all the very best moving forward.
