Rachel Horman has to deal with harrowing cases on a daily basis. JENNY SCOTT went to meet her

SOMETIMES, it's a woman with a black eye. On other days it's a young mother with two children and a broken rib.

Such are the tragic stories Rachel Horman has to piece together every day.

Rachel, 31, is head of the domestic violence department at Watson Ramsbottom Solicitors in Blackburn -- one of the few such departments in the country.

Set up four years ago, the team's work involves trying to help women find a new start and escape from their violent relationships.

"It could be anything," said Rachel. "A woman who walks into reception may be there with a visible injury, but the abuse can also be sexual."

Figures suggest about a quarter of women are victims of domestic violence. Rachel admits the statistics in East Lancashire aren't dissimilar to those in other parts of the country - so why the need for a specialised department?

"Because of the number of claims we were seeing," explained Rachel. "Women would just turn up at reception at 9am with a black eye.

"We would have to cancel any appointments and take them to court to get an injunction to stop the husband from contacting her or coming to the house."

Once a victim has decided to get in touch with her, Rachel says speed is of the essence.

"The victim has normally built up a lot of courage to come and see you," she said.

"On average, women suffer 37 assaults before they come and see anybody about it. So it's not just one black eye you are dealing with -- it's years of abuse. If you don't see them there and then, they might bottle out, or they could even end up dead if it's a serious situation."

Originally from Accrington, Rachel knows East Lancashire well. She joined Watson Ramsbottom in 1996 after studying law at Manchester University and is now a partner in the firm.

"I've been quite passionate about domestic violence issues since university," she said.

"It's not that I've had personal experience of domestic violence in my family. I just felt strongly these women weren't being given proper support.

"When I started practising law, domestic violence wasn't considered a particularly serious matter by the police or by the legal profession as a whole. People didn't used to like talking about it. Now the situation is much better and, although that's not just down to me, I'd like to feel I've made a difference."

Rachel's passion has led her into charity work -- in 1996 she helped found HARV, a domestic violence team covering Hyndburn and the Ribble Valley. She also has links with several other domestic violence charities in the area.

"Sometimes my work might involve going out to different refuges," she said. "The women feel comfortable in the refuges and it's less formal than my office. A lot of the time women feel intimidated by going into solicitors' offices -- particularly when they feel beaten down anyway."

Rachel's contacts with local charities are crucial since her role in supporting domestic violence victims goes far beyond the confines of the courtroom.

"It's not just a legal problem -- it's an emotional one as well," she said. "A lot of women still love the partner that's been abusing them. They just want the abuse to stop."

But how does Rachel herself deal with her strenuous job?

"I can't get emotionally involved," she said. "But in some cases I do still get shocked at the extent of the violence. It's not just slapping someone around the face - it can be far more malicious than that."

And what about those rare occasions when she meets someone who puts themselves beyond her help?

"You can only do so much," she said. "You can't force somebody to leave their partner.

"But at least those women know there's help out there if they need it."