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 have 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 practise in England and Wales is therefore a harsh one.