Rachel Cook is a criminal solicitor with extensive experience advising individuals and families at the intersection of criminal and family proceedings. She regularly advises clients at the police station and acts in complex cases involving allegations of coercive and controlling behaviour, domestic abuse and reputational risk. Rachel works closely with family law teams to provide strategic, joined up advice for clients navigating separation, child arrangements and parallel investigations.
Recent reporting of the decision in LP v MP [2025] EWFC 473 has brought renewed attention to an issue that continues to evolve within family law: the extent to which coercive and controlling behaviour can directly affect financial outcomes on divorce. In
In 2015, the law in England and Wales fundamentally changed how domestic abuse was understood. With the introduction of section 76 of the Serious Crime Act 2015, the criminal law finally recognised that abuse does not have to be violent to be
