Resolution’s former Chair, Nigel Shepherd, was recognised for his outstanding contribution to family law at the Family Law Awards held in London last night (27 November).
The award was presented in recognition of Nigel’s work over a long period of time, both in his practice and in his role at Resolution, most notably his tireless campaigning for divorce law reform.
In receiving the award, Nigel said he remained optimistic of the chances of reform following the General Election, despite the various hiccups caused by unrelated political events:
“No-fault divorce is the Scarlet Pimpernel of law reform. We’ve been seeking it here and seeking it there for decades and it’s still proving damned elusive. We thought we’d got it in the mid-90s. And this year it’s been rather like that ‘wack-a-mole’ game where it has stuck its head up, only to be clobbered by the mallets of summer recess, unlawful prorogation and most recently the General Election.
“But I genuinely believe that these latest setbacks are only temporary. Following Tini Owens’ battle through the courts, Professor Liz Trinder’s Finding Fault research and all the tireless campaigning, the argument for ending the blame game has been won.”
Speaking after the awards, Resolution’s current Chair, Margaret Heathcote, who sat on the 12-strong judging panel, said:
“This award is thoroughly deserved and long overdue.
“Nigel has been a Resolution stalwart for many years, and has given a phenomenal amount of time to the organisation, to the campaign for no-fault divorce, and to improving the family justice system in general. On behalf of our 6,500 members, I’d like to congratulate him on this latest accolade.”
Other Resolution members who picked up awards at the ceremony included former Chair, David Allison, and Eleri Jones who was recognised for her work communicating our concerns on Brexit to the Ministry of Justice.
Photograph © RBI events/LexisNexis Family Law
