Writing for The Review

The Review is a peer-to-peer magazine for Resolution members covering family law, practice and justice issues. Published six times a year, The Review provides an opportunity for members to share perspectives, discuss developments and offer opinions on the latest developments in family practice, the family justice system, dispute resolution and professional development.

The views and opinions expressed in the articles are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Resolution.

The Review is your space to share news, ideas and best practice and we welcome articles for consideration. There are different types of content you can consider – The Review includes interviews, articles, case law updates, top tips, opinion pieces, columns, book reviews and news. We can expand the variety of content types so if you have a new idea on how best to share knowledge and expertise, let us know.

Word counts

Word counts depend on the type of content you produce and it is difficult to be exact. Word counts will also depend on the number of headings, quotes and images used.  Most articles are around 2 pages though we do commission longer features where the subject requires more in-depth treatment.

Your content will be edited and it may be necessary to cut content to fit, but we don’t impose strict word counts. Please discuss with the editor in advance.

As a rough guide to words on a page:

1-page column: 480-570 words

2-page article: 1250-1350 words

Who you are writing for

Resolution has a broad church membership of lawyers, mediators, financial advisers, therapists and coaches. A certain level of knowledge should be assumed, however articles should not be overly technical unless the topic requires. They should be practical, engaging and practitioner-orientated.

If you are writing an opinion piece or ‘top tips’ style content, sometimes a more informal, personal style will be appropriate than for a law and practice article. We are always happy to give guidance if you are unsure.

Please always consider Resolution’s Code of Practice when writing and, where applicable, consider how you can embed the principles of the Code in your writing.

Articles

If you have a draft article ready to go you can send it directly to the head of editorial or editor for consideration. It would help to provide a short summary of the article in the email and outline why the article is topical, who of our members it will be of most use to and what the main headline points are.

If you have an idea and would like to speak to us before you start writing, we would be happy to discuss it with you and help you shape the content. It is wise to do this as we may have commissioned articles on the same topic and can guide you on a particular path or a different angle that might be helpful for our members.

Opinion pieces

The Review welcomes opinion pieces on issues relevant to the family justice community.  The Review is a magazine for members and a space for you to add your perspective on a topic of interest to our community.

Your opinion piece should show evidence of research and include facts and data to back up assertions, but this type of piece will be setting out a position and it is expected there may be a section of the audience who may hold differing views.

There will be topics that provoke debate, and we will encourage readers to exercise their ‘right of reply’ to write their own opinion piece if they wish to express an alternative view.

Your view may not represent the views of Resolution as an organisation and thus we will clearly mark opinion pieces in a way to make this clear.

  • Opinion columns should not exceed 800 words.
  • This means you need to make a clearly defined point and get to it quickly – you need to grab the reader’s attention and it is best done by presenting the fresh perspective you are offering them.
  • The rest of the piece should be devoted to expanding on your point and explaining your reasoning. Consider the obvious counter-arguments to your point and debate them.
  • The topic must be of relevance to the Resolution membership so you can assume the readers are up to speed on the topic and don’t need a long background introduction.
  • Opinion pieces should be written with a strong, unique voice of the writer.
  • We welcome opinions that explore new ideas or illuminate diverse points of view.
  • While you are presenting an opinion or perspective, your piece should be grounded in solid research: back up your opinion with facts, quotations, data and personal observation.
  • Be punchy but do not be antagonist towards individuals or a section of our audience.
  • Do not make negative references to individual members or organisations that could be considered defamatory.
  • If you submit an idea it must be original and not published elsewhere.
  • We will not publish opinion pieces that are clearly and primarily aimed at promoting an individual or organisation’s work.

If you want to write an opinion piece please email [email protected] with a short summary  – three to four bullet points –  on the subject you wish to write about.

Submitting news and events info from Resolution regions

We want to include information and images from regional events.  Please send us photos and where relevant, a couple of paragraphs on the event. Please include details of who is in the photo, location and date so we can include in the captions. If you have any particular news from your region, eg a long-standing committee member is standing down and you want to acknowledge their tenure, let us know. We are also looking for short articles on good ideas for running a successful region, cross-working across regions, etc so we can share and inspire regions who might be struggling with engagement.

2026 copy deadlines

  • issue 240 Jan / Feb: 12 January (This is a YRes special issue)
  • issue 241 Mar / Apr: 3 March
  • issue 242 May / June: 6 May
  • issue 243 Jul / Aug: 29 June
  • issue 244 Sept / Oct: 8 September
  • issue 245 Nov / Dec: 3 November

Style points

  • Please provide a short summary of the article’s most relevant points.
  • Please use double quotation marks and single spacing.
  • Bullet points, etc, sub-headings, tables, diagrams and images should be used wherever possible to break up the text.
  • When citing cases please provide the best citation available (one only) and neutral citation if available. If a case is unreported please provide the hearing date.
  • Avoid long quotations from judgments.
  • We do not run footnotes: please remove / incorporate footnotes before submitting any articles.
  • Please provide a high res colour photograph (headshot) as a JPG along with your full name, title and email as will appear in the magazine.
  • Note that articles must not overtly be vehicles to promote an organisation or practice.
  • If you wish to see a proof of the article pre-press we will send it to you, please let the editor know.

Terms of acceptance

  • Resolution expects the content you provide for publication to be original and not to have been previously published elsewhere.
  • The contributor agrees to have a photograph, name and email contact published with the article.
  • The contributor warrants to Resolution that the article submitted does not infringe any existing copyright or licence.
  • The contributor warrants that the article contains nothing defamatory or otherwise unlawful and no information obtained is in contravention of the Official Secrets legislation as in force.
  • The contributor warrants that there where case details are cited they have abided by the privacy rules set out in the judgment.
  • Resolution may add to, omit from or vary the contents of the article. Any substantive changes will be discussed with the contributor but the matters of house style and changes to fit the page layout of the publication will be decided on by, and final editorial control will rest with, the editor.
  • Contributors to The Review waive all moral rights pursuant to The Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 and grants Resolution full copyright in the article to publish in print and electronic format.
  • The contributor agrees to wait two weeks post-publication before posting a pdf on a personal website or on social media and agrees to acknowledge that the article was first published in The Review and include a link to our website: www.Resolution.org.uk.
  • If you have any queries on the terms of acceptance, please email Resolution’s head of editorial Esther Pilger: [email protected]

Contacts

Head of editorial: Esther Pilger [email protected]

Editor: Euan Mackinnon [email protected]

Marketing and advertising: Kimberley Carvalho [email protected]