In this episode of That Family Law Guy: Unfiltered, Daniel is joined by domestic abuse specialist and survivor advocate Lejla Dauti, survivor “Carrie,” whose identity has been protected, and family mediator Louise Cadman.Together, they examine the reality of domestic abuse, coercive control and post-separation conflict, and ask whether the family justice system always provides the safety, understanding and resolution that families need.Carrie describes the emotional and physical impact of family court proceedings, answering deeply personal questions and facing the alleged perpetrator in court. She explains why the process sometimes felt like it was returning power and control to the person she had escaped.Lejla challenges the expectations placed upon women and protective mothers, the burden placed upon survivors to prove patterns of abuse, and the gap between offering safety in theory and providing it in practice.Louise explains what family mediation actually involves, when mediation may or may not be appropriate where domestic abuse is alleged, and how techniques such as shuttle mediation can allow people to participate without being placed in the same room.In this conversation:• When ordinary conflict becomes domestic abuse• The signs and impact of coercive control• Post-separation abuse and the family court• Why survivors can feel interrogated rather than protected• The burden of proving domestic-abuse allegations• The physical and emotional effects of court proceedings• Children caught in parental conflict• Whether mediation can be safe following domestic abuse• How shuttle mediation works• Whether the family-court system is designed for resolution or battleCHAPTERS00:00 Coming up00:20 Welcome to That Family Law Guy: Unfiltered04:00 Lejla Dauti on feminism, power and domestic abuse09:00 Expectations placed upon mothers12:20 Survivor advocacy and access to support16:00 Carrie’s experience of family-court proceedings17:20 Facing the alleged perpetrator in court21:00 The burden of proving domestic abuse24:20 How abuse escalates and affects the body26:00 Louise Cadman explains family mediation28:20 Can mediation work where abuse is alleged?30:20 Shuttle mediation and participant safety35:00 Why mediators need to hear both sides36:40 Does the family court stage conflict?40:20 Closing thoughtsCONTENT WARNING!This episode contains discussion of domestic abuse, sexual violence and trauma. Please take care while watching.If you are in immediate danger in the UK, call 999. If you cannot speak while calling from a mobile, listen to the operator and press 55 when prompted.The National Domestic Abuse Helpline is available free, 24 hours a day, on 0808 2000 247.This programme provides general information and discussion only. It is not legal advice. Every family law case is different, and independent advice should be obtained from a qualified professional.Subscribe to That Family Law Guy for direct and honest conversations about divorce, domestic abuse, child arrangements, mediation and the realities of the family justice system.#DomesticAbuse #CoerciveControl #FamilyCourt #Mediation
