- Resolution adds three new categories to expanded awards programme
- Marjana Uddin, Fiona Lyon, Adele Ballantyne and Peter Jones named as winners
- Awards ceremony takes place on final day of the Family Practice Conference
Family justice group Resolution today revealed the winners of the Resolution Awards 2021 during the final day of its Family Practice Conference.
Alongside the already established John Cornwell Award, the inaugural Resolution Awards saw three new categories added to the line-up to celebrate the professionals who have supported families and children while championing the Resolution Code of Practice.
The YRes Rising Star Award, which recognises members with fewer than 10 years PQE who have demonstrated potential as a future leader in family justice, was won by Marjana Uddin of Taylor Rose Solicitors. The judges said Marjana was “a true champion for the vulnerable and those who cannot access paid-for legal advice,” working with local law clinics as well as with numerous domestic abuse charities across Essex. As a positive voice and role model, Marjana is already helping to shape the next generation of lawyers acting as a Family Clinic Supervisor at BPP Law School.
The Resilience Award went to Fiona Lyon of Anthony Gold Solicitors for “going above and beyond to support clients and colleagues through the challenges of the pandemic”. Fiona founded a topical talk-show style webinar called “Family Law in Lockdown” which featured solicitors and barristers to discuss a range of topics that reflected the impact the pandemic was having on family law practice. It has grown from a handful of attendees in April 2020 to 150+ regular viewers now.
The Working in Collaboration Award was won by family therapist Adele Ballantyne of Eleda Consultancy for helping families work together with other professionals to achieve the best solutions. Adele has long pushed for a multi-disciplinary approach to become the norm for separating families and her work as a trainer has been instrumental in demonstrating the value of therapeutic support for families.
The prestigious John Cornwell Award goes this year to Peter Jones of Jones Myers Family Law Solicitors. Named after Resolution’s founder, the award recognises a family professional who has made an outstanding contribution in the field of family justice. Peter has played an important and consistent role for Resolution since its creation and has always been at the forefront of change within the profession, spearheading Resolution’s prestigious specialist accreditation programme.
Judges said: “He is an outstanding family lawyer, technically excellent and utterly committed to conducting cases in accordance with the Code. He is someone who has ‘given something back’ to the family law community and wider society throughout his career.”
Juliet Harvey, National Chair of Resolution, said:
All the judges were truly impressed by the high calibre of the entries in this first year of our expanded awards programme. The work taking place across the country is even more impressive given the challenging circumstances of the last couple of years.
Today’s award winners have demonstrated a thorough commitment to Resolution’s core values, enshrined in our Code of Practice, and are actively helping families and going the extra mile to resolve painful disputes in constructive and innovative ways. I am so proud of the work that they – and indeed, all our members – are doing.
The Resolution Awards are sponsored by Iceberg Client Credit, which provides access to preferential rates to help fund proceedings.