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Domestic Abuse Response Alliance places 300th case

Home News Domestic Abuse Response Alliance places 300th case
Global law firm Reed Smith is delighted to announce that the multi-award-winning Domestic Abuse Response Alliance (DARA) has placed its 300th case. DARA provides advocacy services to survivors of domestic abuse who are not eligible for legal aid but who cannot afford to pay for private representation, providing them with legal help and court representation to the conclusion of their case.

Initially launched in 2022 by seven leading law firms, DARA now comprises eleven firms and has an extended reach across the UK. DARA is a collaborative project, working with LawWorks, the National Centre for Domestic Violence (NCDV), Finding Legal Options for Women Survivors (FLOWS) and Beck Fitzgerald, providing end-to-end representation and advocacy support for domestic abuse survivors seeking protective orders against their abusers in the Family Courts.

At Reed Smith, DARA is led by partner Sally-Ann Underhill and associates Alia Khalil, Louisa Martac, Emily Clarke and Sofia Loopuit with support from associate Jessica Tagg and partner Becca Naylor from the EMEA Pro Bono team.

In the period between January 2025 to June 2025, Reed Smith’s DARA volunteers dedicated over 500 hours supporting clients to seek legal protection against their abusers. In all of the cases, Reed Smith achieved positive outcomes for DARA clients.

The DARA firms include:

  • Akin
  • Debevoise & Plimpton
  • DLA Piper
  • Eversheds
  • Gibson Dunn & Crutcher
  • Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer
  • Hogan Lovells
  • Latham & Watkins
  • Reed Smith
  • Slaughter and May
  • Travers Smith

Underhill commented: “Reed Smith remains committed to DARA and its support of vulnerable individuals whose relationships have broken down and who are exposed to physical and controlling domestic abuse. At Reed Smith, we have a growing team to support the DARA clients who seek help, and our success rate in obtaining the orders needed means that we are truly supporting those who come to us when they do not feel safe in their own homes or going about their day-to-day activities.

“We are pleased that this important work in the alliance is continuing and that we can help to restore a sense of safety and normality to those most vulnerable within our own society.”