Talking Family Law - The Resolution Podcast

This is the start of a series into enforcing orders; this part focuses on enforcing financial remedy orders.   We are joined by Christopher Stirling (Field Court Chambers) and Kara Swift (Family Law in Partnership) who breathe life into this topic.   Chris starts with telling us that recitals that deal with the payment of money are enforceable: Austin v Haynes [2021] EWCA Civ 1919 per Moylan LJ. H...

Resolution’s National Conference in 2026 kicked off with our keynote session looking at the impact of AI in the justice system, including the benefits of being able to deliver justice more efficiency and the risk of it perpetuating bias that exists in the system.   We wanted to find a topic that would give our audience lots to were privileged to be joined by The Honourable Mr Justice McKendrick an...

Are you up to date with how to apply for non-molestation orders?  Jenny Beck KC (Beck Fitzgerald), and Charlotte Baker (4PB) join us to bring us up-to-date, and discuss Family Law Act Remedies.    Jenny was the Chair of the Family Justice Council that wrote the report providing Best Practice Guidance*.  She starts by telling us why the guidance was necessary:  https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/u...

Simon and Anita were privileged to be invited to speak at Resolution’s annual Financial Advisors conference. They were joined by Steve Hennessy (Beeswax Wealth Management) and Angela Lake-Carroll (ALC associates) to discuss how financial advisors see economic abuse in their day-to-day work with families.    The full detail of the discussion is in The Review in an article by Shalini Kanap (Her Fina...

In this episode, Anita and Simon kindly passed the reigns to YRes members Abigail and Natalie to pick the brains of Alison Bull (Partner at Mills and Reeve) and Philip Barnsley (Partner and Head of Family at Higgs) regarding questions posed by other YRes members.      Referred to by many as Resolution Royalty, Alison and Philip are both experts in their field, having hosted the finance update at R...

On the 22nd October 2025, it was announced that the government is going to repeal the presumption of parental involvement in s1(2A) of the Children Act 1989.  Our hosts Simon Blain and Anita Mehta, ask Mary McKaskill (National Centre for Social Research), Natalie Sutherland (International Family Law Group LLP) and Sarah Williams (Forsters) about what the research to support that change shows and w...

Should misconduct be taken into account when an equitable division of assets is being attempted following a divorce? This is an extra special episode where we joined forces with the well-known legal podcast, Law & Disorder, hosted by Charlie Falconer (Labour peer and former Lord Chancellor), Baroness Helena Kennedy, Sir Nicholas Mostyn.  Sadly, Charlie Falconer could not join us on the day of...

The Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 received royal assent on the 12th November 1975. We celebrate its 50th birthday with Emily Roskilly (Roskilly & Co) and Alexander Learmonth KC (New Square Chambers). Everyone needs a broad hinterland behind their specialist practice. Therefore, it is no good being a family practitioner and not knowing your way around the Inheritanc...

In this episode, Simon takes advantage of Anita’s absence to indulge his favourite topic: trusts and divorce. Simon is joined by three leading experts in the field: Emma Hargreaves  is a barrister at Serle Court chambers, specialising in contentious trust litigation. Abby Buckland is a partner in the family team at Kingsley Napley and was part of the team who were successful in an argument that a...

To start our season with a bang, we are joined by Natasha Watson, Head of Law in Brighton & Hove City Council, and Darren Howe KC, 1 Crown Office Row Brighton, to discuss covert recordings and tracking devices.     Natasha was a member of the Family Justice Working Group who developed the Family Justice Council guidance into covert recording: https://www.judiciary.uk/related-offices-and-bodies...

We are joined by Rebecca Bailey-Harris (1 Hare Court) who was the first junior barrister for Mr Standish, and Sam Longworth (Stewarts) who was the lead partner for Mr Standish.   Rebecca tells us that the five principles in the judgment are: There is a conceptual distinction between matrimonial and non-matrimonial property. In general terms, this distinction turns on the source of the assets. Non-...

This month we are joined Anna Lintner (Maitland Chambers) and Gareth Schofield (Clarke Willmott) to discuss the interconnection between bankruptcy and financial remedy cases.  For this episode, Anita is joined by guest host, Matthew Taylor (Stowe Family Law) who is a member of Resolution’s Pension, Tax and Financial Remedy Committee.  Matthew is an experienced podcaster as one of the presenters of...

Listen to a live recording of the podcast at Resolution National Conference with Ruth Dodsworth (journalist and presenter) and Professor Jane Monckton-Smith (Forensic Criminologist).   Elaine Richardson wrote this review which we replicate to tell you all about the conversation. A review from Elaine Richardson who was at National Conference: A conversation that stopped the room. At the Resolution...

This month we are joined by the Law Commissioner, Professor Nicholas Hopkins (who led the scoping report), Emma Hitchings, Professor of Family Law at the University of Bristol (who led the Fair Shares reports), and Resolution’s Family Law Reform Group chair, Jo Edwards of Forsters LLP. The Law Commission has found (in its scoping report published in December) that the current law does not provide...

This month we are joined by Sir Jonathan Cohen (now an arbitrator and private FDR Judge at 4PB) to discuss the last half century in family law.    Sir Jonathan tells us about how family law has changed over that time. He recalls the humiliation caused by all divorces being heard in public, and the seminal changes following the Children Act 1989 and White v White.  He also talks about how delayed t...

We are joined by Joseph O’Brien of St Johns Buildings and Laura Flanagan of Burgess Mee to discuss how to manage cases that involve capacity issues.   Laura has recently co-authored an article with Maisie Lockyer on this issue: https://financialremediesjournal.com/content/family-proceedings-and-litigation-capacity.ec7c993244094031bbcb75338ef9c29e.htm Unfortunately, court commitments meant Maisie w...

About this episode Hosted by : Annie Boxer and Lauren Guiler Guests: Matthew Richardson and Trevor Sterling  This is the second Resolution podcast episode of 2025 and it is a special YRes takeover featuring YRes National Committee members, Annie Boxer (Solicitor at the International Family Law Group LLP) and Lauren Guiler (Associate at Birketts). However, this episode can of course also be enjoyed...

This episode is a strong start to the year.  It is essential listening for all professionals working with separating families.  We are joined by Jenny Beck KC (Beck Fitzgerald) , Dr Jamie Craig (Consultant Clinical Psychologist) and Zoe Fleetwood (Mills & Reeve) to discuss children that are reluctant, resistant or refusing to see the other parent, as well as parents engaging in psychological m...

This month we are joined by Sarah Branson (Coram Chambers) and Professor James Coulson (Professor in Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology at Cardiff University).    We discuss the concern that over-reliance on the numbers generated in hair testing can lead to miscarriages of justice.  The issue is that the use of a standardised cut-off levels have a racial bias, because the dark melanin in the hai...

This month we are joined by Samantha Hillas KC (St John’s Buildings), Geoffrey Kingscote KC (1 Hare Court) and Olivia Piercy (Hunters) to discuss domestic abuse in financial remedy proceedings.  When it will impact on the outcome, and how we can make the process of agreeing financial arrangements, or an order, safer for victim-survivors.    Geoffrey explains the law in relation to s25(g), the test...

This month we are joined by Natasha Shotunde (Garden Court Chambers), Olamide Ogunrinade (Garden Court Chambers) and Donna Goodsell (Goodsells Family Law) to celebrate Black History Month.  Natasha and Olamide are members of the Black Barristers Network https://blackbarristersnetwork.org.uk .  Donna is one of the Co-Chairs of Resolution’s Equality & Diversity Committee.    Natasha tells us abo...

In this episode, we are joined by Professor Jens Scherpe (Professor of Comparative Law at Aalborg University, and academic door tenant at QEB), and our very own Resolution Cohabitation Committee Chair, Graeme Fraser (Head of Family at William Sturges) to discuss what model of cohabitation law reform should be introduced in England & Wales.     This is a seminal moment for Resolution.  It has b...

This is the final episode in Season 3 and we wanted to finish with a bang! Nicholas Allen KC (29 Bedford Row) and Michael Allum (The International Family Law Group LLP) join us to talk about applications pursuant to Schedule 1 of the Children Act 1989.    Michael and Nick start by considering the line between payments that are properly for the benefit of the child and those which a court is likely...

Our hosts, Anita Mehta and Simon Blain, discuss what to do when a reporter turns up in your Court and the importance of transparency with Joshua Rozenberg KC (Hon) and Lucy Reed KC (St John’s Chambers, Chair of The Transparency Project).    Joshua refers us to the lessons learnt in Tickle v Father & Ors [2023] EWHC 2446 (Fam) (05 October 2023).  https://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Fam/2023/24...

We are joined by Charles Hale KC (4PB) and Tammy Knox (Pennington Manches Cooper) to discuss relocation.   Charles and Tammy consider the law and principles applied in these cases.  They point out that the law is the same for internal and external relocation cases, as set out in Re C (Internal Relocation), Re [2015] EWCA Civ 1305, where Charles and PMC were successful in the Court of Appeal: https...