NEW SPECIALIST LEGAL SERVICE LAUNCHED TO SUPPORT WOMEN SUBJECTED TO DOMESTIC ABUSE IN SHETLAND AND ORKNEY

(L-R, Dr Gillian Baker, Laura Stronach, Dr Marsha Scott, Shona Ewen)

Following our recent Women’s Voices in Shetland report, we are proud to launch a new partnership improving access to legal support for women subjected to domestic abuse in our islands.

Women subjected to domestic abuse in Shetland and Orkney will now have improved access to free specialist legal support, following the launch of a new partnership service between Shetland Women’s Aid, Orkney Women’s Aid, and Baker Gostelow Family Law last month, funded by the Legal Education Foundation and supported by Scottish Women’s Aid.

The new initiative introduces a dedicated solicitor working alongside local Women’s Aid services, helping to address long-standing barriers faced by women in rural and island communities when trying to access legal advice relating to domestic abuse.

While Shetland Women’s Aid has provided specialist support to women and children for over 40 years – including advocacy, refuge, counselling, and prevention education – access to legal representation has remained a significant gap.

Research and frontline experience have consistently highlighted the challenges women face, including limited availability of solicitors, conflicts of interest in small communities, and the need to travel long distances for support. Findings from the recent Women’s Voices in Shetland survey echoed this, with navigating the process of family court identified as a particular difficulty.

One respondent shared:

“Narcissistic abusers use the system to continue their cycles of abuse – family court, contact, mediation, maintenance payments, divorce proceedings etc.”

The new service has been developed in response to these realities, recognising that access to trauma-informed, domestic abuse-informed legal advice is essential to ensuring women and children can have safe and positive outcomes in civil and family court proceedings. Women will be able to access this service by contacting Shetland Women’s Aid, ensuring that legal advice is delivered alongside the support they are already receiving.

Laura Stronach, Manager of Shetland Women’s Aid, said:

“We are delighted to welcome Shona Ewen, our new solicitor, to the island and to our service. Shona brings a wealth of experience and compassion that will make a real difference to women and their families across Shetland.

Having access to specialist legal support locally is a significant step forward – empowering women to make informed choices about their safety and the safety of their children. This provision is not only about immediate protection, but about creating lasting, generational change for families affected by domestic abuse.

We are incredibly proud to be able to offer this as part of our support.”

Ria Leslie, Practitioner at Women’s Aid Orkney, added:

“For many years, women and children in Orkney and Shetland have faced significant barriers in accessing safe, specialist legal support. Whilst some advice has been available locally, this has been extremely limited, and in small island communities, conflicts of interest can leave women with few, if any, options.

As a result, many women have had to rely on remote advice from solicitors based outwith the islands, making it much harder to build the trusted, face-to-face relationships that are so often needed in complex domestic abuse cases.

This new initiative introduces a dedicated solicitor working in partnership with our services, significantly strengthening access to consistent, domestic abuse-informed legal advice. The positive impact this will have on women and children across our islands will be huge.”

The service is delivered in partnership with Baker Gostelow Family Law, with solicitor Shona Ewen appointed in March 2026 to work closely with local Women’s Aid teams.

Shona Ewen, the newly appointed solicitor, commented:

“For many women living in rural and island communities, access to legal support remains deeply unequal.

In some cases, legal processes themselves can be used as a continuation of abuse, making access to specialist, informed legal advice not just helpful, but essential.

By embedding legal support within trusted local services, we can help women navigate the justice system more safely and with greater confidence.”

Dr Gillian Baker, Director of Baker Gostelow Family Law, added:

“We know that women and children experiencing domestic abuse need consistent access to high-quality, trauma-informed legal services. Delivering this well requires experienced solicitors working in meaningful partnership with established domestic abuse services across the islands.

For us at Baker Gostelow Family Law, collaborating closely with the dedicated teams at Women’s Aid Orkney, Shetland Women’s Aid, and Scottish Women’s Aid ensures that women can access timely legal advice, in the right place and at the right time. This partnership strengthens communication, deepens our holistic understanding of women’s lived experiences, and enhances our awareness of the safety risks faced by women and their children. In turn, the local Women’s Aid teams gain closer insight into the legal issues affecting the women, enabling them to hone the support they provide.

Ultimately, it is the women and children who benefit most. Women are enabled to build and sustain trusting relationships with a solicitor whose advice is fully integrated into the wider support they are already receiving from local domestic abuse services. Together, we are modelling what meaningful access to justice and quality legal representation should look like.

Services like this must be properly resourced at a national level and embedded within our public services framework. We are extremely grateful to the Legal Education Foundation for making the launch of this new partnership service possible through their support.”

This new service has been fully funded by the Legal Education Foundation, an independent foundation supporting communities across the UK to use the law to create a more just and equal society. Partners emphasised that while this funding marks a significant step forward, sustained investment will be essential to ensure women in rural and island communities can access the same legal protections as those elsewhere on the Scottish mainland.

If you are being subjected to domestic abuse and would like some support, or if you are worried about someone you know, you can contact Shetland Women’s Aid. Email office@shetlandwa.org or call 01595 692070. In an emergency, please phone 999.