The role of the law in settling family disputes has been a matter of particular debate over the past 25 years. In keeping with the general public perception, the media has been largely critical about the role of lawyers in family law matters, sustaining a general lack of confidence in the legal profession, and a more specific feeling that, in family matters, lawyers aggravate conflict or even represent a female conspiracy. The climate in which family lawyers practice in England and Wales is a harsh one. The authors of this path-breaking study felt it was time to find out more about the...