Knowledge and resources

The family is not just heteronormative (straight) couples who have their own children; it likely never was. The prevalence of 'alternative' or 'modern' families is more mainstream and accounts for more than 5% of the population. There will be locations in the UK, eg Brighton, Manchester and London where that percentage is much higher. This Guidance Note is a resource for members to help increase the understanding around language and culture but you are encouraged to do your own research.

Surrogacy is an area of family law that is on the rise and many practitioners all over the country are being asked to give advice. While there are surrogacy lawyers who specialise in this work, all of us should be equipped to deal with a surrogacy enquiry and to refer on where necessary.
In particular, it is important to note that the Law Commission of England and Wales, jointly with the Law Commission of Scotland, prepared a report (dated 29 March 2023) and draft legislation to outline a proposed reform to the current regulatory regime.

Welcome to your June 2024 edition of the Legal Aid newsletter from Resolution.

Family proceedings (whether through NCDR or court-based) should be conducted cost effectively without compromising the quality of advice that clients crave and deserve, balancing the benefits of any steps taken against the likely costs – financial or emotional. Many family cases are now concluded without the involvement of barristers. However, certain clients will benefit from representation by an effective team of lawyer and barrister in order to achieve an appropriate balance between cost and quality. This guidance note offers advice on best practice for family law professionals when working with a barrister.

Welcome to your May 2024 edition of the Legal Aid newsletter from Resolution.

Welcome to your April 2024 edition of the Legal Aid newsletter from Resolution.

Welcome to your March 2024 edition of the Legal Aid newsletter from Resolution.

Resolution’s response to the Ministry of Justice Review of Civil Legal Aid.

Welcome to your February 2024 edition of the Legal Aid newsletter from Resolution.

Social media can be a useful tool for family law professionals to connect with the public and other professionals, publicise campaigns, raise the profile of members and communicate about the work we do. As it can potentially reach a wide audience, we must be careful about how our use of social media impacts on our client-related work.

Welcome to your January 2024 edition of the Legal Aid newsletter from Resolution. We wish all our readers a happy New Year!

Resolution’s response to the Ministry of Justice's consultation seeking views on a proposal to deliver increases to selected court and tribunal fees, to partially reflect changes in the general level of prices.

Welcome to your December 2023 edition of the Legal Aid newsletter from Resolution.

Resolution’s response to the recommendations for best practice in respect of the Adoption Interim report of the Adoption Sub-Group of the Public Law Working Group

Welcome to your November 2023 edition of the Legal Aid newsletter from Resolution.

Resolution’s response to the Family Justice Council.

Welcome to your October 2023 edition of the Legal Aid newsletter from Resolution.

The introduction, development and evolution of new methods of resolving family disputes for changing families means there is a need for us all to look at how we communicate as members of Resolution; with our clients, with other members, with our clients’ former partners if they are not represented by a lawyer, with other members of our clients’ families, with other non-member lawyers, barristers, judges, mediators and arbitrators and more widely within the family justice system. Poor communication accounts for the largest number of complaints received by Resolution.