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09 September 2010 / David Allison
Issue: 7432 / Categories: Features , Family
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Rhetoric, reviews & reality

David Allison berates the uneasy alliance of family politics & law

When I was elected as Resolution chairman in March the political parties were fighting to be elected. In my speech to the Resolution national conference I warned then that political parties offered “puff rather than progress” and failed to engage with the reality of family life in the UK.

Six months on, and with Cameron and Clegg at the helm of a coalition government that few had predicted, the rhetoric around family law remains far removed from the reality for families facing the consequences of severe and far-reaching cuts. Meanwhile the family law profession is grappling with a series of government reviews which promise to fundamentally alter the system in which justice is done.

Let me start with the rhetoric. We have been told that “strong and stable families are the bedrock of a strong and stable society”, a taskforce has been set up by the prime minister to put “strong, stable and loving families at the heart of British life”, and

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

NLJ Career Profile: Stephen Ward, The Barrister Group

NLJ Career Profile: Stephen Ward, The Barrister Group

From mowing lawns to life at the Bar: Stephen Ward reflects on an unconventional career

Clarke Willmott—Ben Loosemore

Clarke Willmott—Ben Loosemore

Commercial property partner joins Clarke Willmott in Southampton

Ellisons—Robert Tiffen

Ellisons—Robert Tiffen

Robert Tiffen joins Ellisons as Partner in growing Norwich office

NEWS
The Law Society RFC Festival of Sport returns next month, bringing together legal and financial services professionals for one of the sector’s largest annual sporting events
Legal aid deserts leave almost one in four without adequate access to justice
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has warned solicitors and law firms that using artificial intelligence does not alter their professional obligations, amid concerns over inaccurate legal material and client confidentiality
From forgotten interest claims to case-management appeals, a string of procedural developments offers useful—and occasionally cautionary—lessons for practitioners

Jonathan Fisher KC highlights that it now accounts for around 40% of criminal offences, with roughly 70% involving technology, and argues that the UK cannot simply prosecute its way out of the problem. Detection, investigation and prosecution all require improvement, while different fraud types demand tailored responses.

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