Talking Family Law - The Resolution Podcast
Guests take on a topical debate in family law in each episode in this podcast series from Resolution. Our hosts, Simon Blain and Anita Mehta, invite family law experts to share their experiences and anecdotes, in an insightful and entertaining conversation.
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Enforcement of financial remedy orders
<p>This is the start of a series into enforcing orders; this part focuses on enforcing financial remedy orders.</p><p> </p><p>We are joined by Christopher Stirling (Field Court Chambers) and Kara Swift (Family Law in Partnership) who breathe life into this topic.</p><p> </p><p>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. However, be careful about how you are drafting the recital to make sure that they are not conditional or incapable of definition. </p><p> </p><p>In resp...
LIVE from National Conference: AI and the Risk of Bias
<p>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 and Professor Rosemary Hunter King Counsel (Lead author of the Harm Panel 2020 report and co-author of the Everyday Business report 2025). </p><p> </p><p>Judge tells us that the Chancellor of the H...
Family Law Act applications and the President’s Guidance
<p>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. </p><p> </p><p>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: </p><p>https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/FJC-Best-Practice-Guidance-for-Practitioners-Making-an-Application-for-a-Protective-Injunction-under-the-FLA-1996-with-Annex-1.pdf</p><p> </p><p>Charlotte then explains how the President’s guidance should change our practice: </p><p>https://www.judiciary.uk/guidance-and-resources/the-pfds-guidance-2026-non-mole...
LIVE from Financial Advisers Conference - Economic Abuse
<p>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. </p><p> </p><p>The full detail of the discussion is in The Review in an article by Shalini Kanap (Her Financial Planning): https://resolution.org.uk/the-review/current-issue/talking-family-law-live-podcast-recording/</p><p> </p><p>We did take two Slidos in the room in the room which verified what we all expected that Financial Advisors frequ...
YRes Takeover: the five questions you really want to ask, but feel you can’t
<p>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. </p><p> </p><p>Referred to by many as Resolution Royalty, Alison and Philip are both experts in their field, having hosted the finance update at Resolutions National conference for several years.</p><p> </p><p>The episode starts by considering some of the signs to look for when domestic abuse is an issue in a...
Repealing the presumption of parental involvement: practitioner guidance
<p>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 what it means in practice.</p><p><br>Natalie reminds us that the recommendation to review this section appeared in the Harm Report from June 2020. The MOJ announced that there would be a review in November 2020 and t...
Conduct - an extra special joint episode with Law & Disorder
<p>Should misconduct be taken into account when an equitable division of assets is being attempted following a divorce?</p><p>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 recording.</p><p>Together they talk about financial remedy cases as it was, is and could possibly be, as our understanding of complex issues like domestic abuse and coercive control evolve.</p><p>Our l...
Happy 50th Birthday to the Inheritance Act!
<p>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).</p><p>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 Inheritance Act, because at some point we will be acting for a family where one of the litigants dies. This podcast will tell you all you need to know!</p><p>Alex tells us who can be in the category...
Trusts and Divorce
<p>In this episode, Simon takes advantage of Anita’s absence to indulge his favourite topic: trusts and divorce.</p><p><br>Simon is joined by three leading experts in the field:</p><p><br>Emma Hargreaves is a barrister at Serle Court chambers, specialising in contentious trust litigation.</p><p><br>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 trust was a sham in Michael v Michael.</p><p><br>Louise Woolrich is a partner at Carey Olsen in Jersey, specialising in...
Covert Recordings and Tracking Devices
<p>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. </p><p> </p><p>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/advisory-bodies/family-justice-council/resources-and-guidance/covert-recordings-in-family-law-proceedings-concerning-children/. Note, Natasha joined us in her personal capacity today and was not speaking on behalf of the Family Justice Council.</p><p> </p><p>At the outset, Natasha reminds us of t...
