About Us

Free Legal Advice Group for Domestic Violence (FLAG DV) is a charity (CIO 1154070) which was set up in October 2012 and registered as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) in October 2013. The organisation was established to to fill the gap left by the reduction in Legal Aid services.

FLAG Aims
To relieve the needs of people who experience domestic abuse by providing access to free legal advice and support in order to empower them to make informed to safely leave the abuse.

FLAG Mission
Our mission is to empower and support those who have experienced domestic abuse by providing them with free, confidential family law legal advice. We strive to raise awareness of their legal rights and options. We endeavour to work in collaboration with other organisations and government agencies to ensure that domestic abuse victims have access to the resources and support they need to make informed choices about escaping abuse and rebuilding their lives.

Free Family Law Legal Advice

We understand that leaving an abusive relationship is extremely difficult and that many people need support along the way.

Flag DV is a charity that helps people experiencing domestic abuse or violence from their partners, ex-partners or family members to access specialist advice and support. We do this by signposting people to support organisations and, when they are ready to consider taking legal action, we offer a free legal advice appointment with a volunteer solicitor, legal executive or barrister who specialises in Family Law.

We operate in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Hampshire and support anyone over the age of 18 regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race or religion.
Service users will usually be offered a telephone appointment for their free legal advice session, however we understand that this may not be accessible for everyone and will try to arrange a convenient face to face appointment as required.

As our solicitors/legal advisors specialise in Family Law the areas typically discussed includes:

• Divorce or separation
• Child custody, residency and arrangements including contact with a child in care
• Advice about the legal aid process and application
• Advice regarding non-molestation orders, occupational orders, forced marriage protection orders (please note this is advice only, we are unable to arrange these orders on your behalf)
• Financial matters such as maintenance, division of assets
• General court proceedings understanding

The solicitors, legal executives or barristers provide their time for free and Flag DV makes no charge for these clinic appointments. They will have knowledge and experience in Family Law including domestic violence or abuse. The advice clinic is designed to help give users of the service clarity on what they can do, and how to do it, so that they can move out of the abuse in a safe way.

Family Court Support (Currently in Berkshire only)

To strengthen our commitment to supporting access to justice, we provide a dedicated Family Court Support service. This project provides ongoing, one-to-one assistance for individuals involved in legal proceedings related to domestic abuse. Currently available in the Berkshire Family Court, this service addresses a critical gap in the region, where similar support is lacking.

Stakeholder and client feedback highlights a growing trend of individuals representing themselves in complex family court proceedings, often struggling to navigate a system designed for legal professionals. Our Family Court Support programme is tailored to meet these challenges, offering specialised assistance to victims and ensuring they are not alone in their legal journey.

The service offers:

• Practical Support: Guidance through court processes and case preparation.
• Emotional Support: A steady presence to help manage the psychological stress of proceedings.
• Moral Support/McKenzie Friend Role: Assistance in court to empower individuals without formal representation.

This support is not time-capped, providing clients with continuous assistance throughout their case, no matter how long it takes. We are committed to being there every step of the way, helping individuals navigate the complexities of family court and reclaim their voice in a system that can often feel overwhelming.

Securing funding for the Flag DV service is a collaborative process between our staff, volunteers and our partners.

We submit applications to trusts and grant providers who may be offering anywhere between £300-£30,000+. Awarding bodies will usually have specific eligibility criteria that applicants must demonstrate but even in circumstances where we meet these essential qualities our applications are not always successful. The bid application process can be long, requiring several stages of information gathering therefore we must fundraise in other ways to secure the charity’s future operations.

In recent years smaller fundraising strategies have included Flag DV awareness events, participation in national events such as the Great Legal Bake Off & Legal Walks, sponsorship from local businesses, prize raffles and most recently the West Berkshire Lottery. Our volunteers and trustees donate their time to these tasks for free and without them we could not continue to offer the service we do.