Blogs

Rebecca Hawkins and Sarah Smith of the Resolution Parenting After Parting committee passionately believe in the the value of a joined-up, supportive team of family professionals who share a common ethos. Separation is never just legal, and early collaboration between lawyers, mediators, therapists, financial advisers and child-inclusive mediators helps families feel informed, supported and heard. Working together, rather than in opposition, leads to healthier decisions and better long-term outcomes for parents and children.

Lesley Edelstein take a light-hearted look at what it would have been like representing Henry VIII as the ultimate high-stakes divorce client. Beneath the Tudor theatrics, it highlights the value of working as a team and adherence to Resolution’s Code when managing difficult clients while staying ethical, constructive and focused on long-term outcomes.

Nazia Rashid reflects on a rare moment in London when Ramadan, Lent and the Lunar New Year overlapped, exploring shared themes of reflection, fasting and celebration across faiths.

Marking LGBTQIA+ History Month, Bridget Garrood reflects on twenty years of legal change for same sex couples, from criminalised discrimination to marriage equality. While legislation has transformed family law, the author highlights the lived realities still facing LGBTQ+ families, particularly around separation, parenthood and cross-border recognition. Rights in legislation only matter if they work in real life. Family lawyers work with people at their most vulnerable, from those anxiously trying to grow their families through issues like surrogacy or adoption to the challenges faced when relationships come to an end. It is never ‘one size fits all’. Real families are diverse, complex - and often incredibly brave.

Is there a “right” way to resolve family disputes and when does court become the default? Claire Colbert reflects on a recent MIAM experience and asks whether clients are always fully informed or encouraged to engage meaningfully with the different NCDR alternatives before court becomes the focus.

Joe Ferguson and Katy Halliday examine the evolving approach to conduct in financial remedy proceedings, exploring tensions between established case law and procedural limits. Drawing on two of Cusworth J's recent judgments, they consider whether the courts are beginning to take a broader, fairness-based view of conduct – and whether a genuine shift may be underway.

Resolution's publications committee co-chairs, Farhana Shahzady and Rosa Schofield, introduce our new blog 'Resonate'. Designed to sit alongside The Review, it offers an inclusive, accessible platform for all members and we hope will encourage a sense of community, connection and shared experience across the family justice profession.