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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

Walkers—Muriel Marseille

Walkers—Muriel Marseille

Ashurst's Chief Risk Officer joins Walkers

Excello Law—John Osborne

Excello Law—John Osborne

Northern family lawyer John Osborne joins Excello

mfg Solicitors—Rebecca Rogers, Kennedy Langley & Victoria Griffiths

mfg Solicitors—Rebecca Rogers, Kennedy Langley & Victoria Griffiths

Trio of promotions announced at Kidderminster law firm mfg Solicitors

NEWS
A sole director can conspire with their own company for the purposes of the tort of unlawful means conspiracy, the High Court has ruled in a judgment with potentially wide implications for business disputes
The Court of Appeal has reinforced that domicile depends on intention rather than residence alone, in a significant post-Brexit ruling on cross-border financial remedy claims
The Chancery Division's long history comes to an end this autumn as it is reborn as the Business and Property Division, prompting questions over whether the shake-up is really necessary
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) continues to show that failing to disclose regulatory issues can attract harsher consequences than the original misconduct itself
Rejecting a generous settlement can prove an expensive mistake, as two recent high-profile cases demonstrate
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