Inaugural Southern Family Law Conference a resounding success
16 September 2024
The inaugural Southern Family Law Conference, which took place on Thursday 12 September, was a vibrant day of discussion and learning, centred on ‘Hot Topics and Future Trends’, bringing together some of the brightest minds in Family Law. The event, organised by Edward Cooke Family Law, took place at the historic Sussex County Cricket Club, in Brighton & Hove.
Edward Cooke and Lauren Guy, directors at Edward Cooke Family Law, opened the conference with brief reflections on the pace of change in family law over recent years and particularly in the last six months, which inspired the development of this new conference.
The top quality panel of speakers covered topics from across a wide of range of specialisms in family law as follows:
- Financial Remedy Matters – Nicholas Allen KC, Joint Head of Chambers at 29 Bedford Row
- Children Matters – Sharon Segal KC, 1 Garden Court
- Modern Families – Andrew Powell, 4PB
- Future Trends in Parenting Communications – James Evans, Our Family Wizard
- Psychology of Family Law – Annmarie Carvalho, The Carvalho Consultancy
- International Matters – Michael Allum, The International Family Law Group
All of the speakers focused in their presentations on current hot topics within their area and what future trends are likely to be in that field, allowing the 100+ practitioners in the room to consider how family law is changing and is likely to develop over the year ahead.
A clear theme from the conference was the speed at which things are developing across the family law arena. Delegates commented on how helpful the conference was in delivering high quality content from across such a wide range of topics in a way that practitioners working within family law can keep up with the rapid changes, and deliver the very best outcomes for the families they support.
A close and lively debate
At the end of the afternoon session, there was a lively debate on the subject of ‘Should Non-Court Family Dispute Resolution be Mandatory?’. With Karin Walker of KGW Family Law and Karen Barham of Moore Barlow speaking for the motion, and Robert Williams of Family Law Partners and Joanne Edwards of Forsters against, the debate was Chaired by Nicholas Allen, KC of 29 Bedford Row Chambers.
Live polling of all delegates before the event showed 54% against prior to the debate, however this dropped to to 50% against after the debate took place, with 48% voting for and 2% remaining unsure. It was clear from the animated discussions that took place during the debate (with contributions also from the floor) that this is a particularly hot topic at present, particularly in the wake of recent changes to non-court dispute resolution rules that came into effect on 29 April 2024. It will be interesting to see where the debate leads in the months ahead.
After the debate there was an evening networking event, where delegates enjoyed the backdrop of the beautiful Sussex County Cricket ground and shared ideas, caught up with colleagues and made new connections.
Supporting Off the Fence: Brighton & Hove Homelessness Charity
Delegates also heard from our Charity Partner for the event, Off the Fence, as part of our fundraising efforts for them. Charity Chief Executive, Reverend Julio Abraham, represented the charity and spoke passionately about the impact of their work over the last 20 years, helping individuals and families in and around Brighton who find themselves facing homelessness after their lives have taken a difficult turn. Julio gave an inspirational short presentation in which he explained that family breakdown is a common thread that connects many of the individuals who are supported by Off the Fence.
As our chosen Charity Partner for the inaugural conference, Edward Cooke Family Law will be donating a proportion of proceeds from the event to Off the Fence to continue to support the work they do. Thank you too to those who donated to the Charity on the day.
Edward Cooke commented on the day
“Our inaugural conference was a resounding success. When we first came up with the idea of the conference, we wanted to bring high quality specialist learning, lively debate and networking to a venue on the south coast, as we felt this would be a real benefit to practitioners.
With expert speakers and a packed programme, we were delighted this proved to be an exceptional day exploring hot topics and future trends – allowing both junior and seasoned family law professionals to gain valuable insight from industry leaders.
It was an enjoyable and impactful day, bringing together a diverse range of practitioners to reflect on how we can continue to develop approaches to achieve the best results for families.
We have been delighted with the feedback we have received for the event. We would like to thank everyone who supported us with our first conference, including all of the speakers, delegates, sponsors, our team and, of course, our hosts, Sussex County Cricket Club.”
We will reflect on the feedback from this year’s event to shape our plans for next year.
Some initial feedback from delegates
"Such a fantastic day. Huge thanks to Edward Cooke, Lauren Guy and everyone involved in organising it. If the energy, enthusiasm and ideas in the room is anything to go by… the future of family law is bright."
Paul Linsell. Partner, Mediator & Head of Family Law at Boyes Turner
"It was a really excellent day - thank to all of you at ECFL for the huge amount of time and effort that went into the organisation! We're delighted to have been able to sponsor and support such great event."
Nicholas Allen, KC. Barrister and Arbitrator, 29 Bedford Row
"Congratulations to you and your team for a fantastic inaugural conference! Looking forward to coming again next year 😉."
Rachel Donald. Partner, Russell Cooke
"Thank you so much - it was such an amazing event, really worth attending and hope it becomes an annual event. Excellent speakers."
Michelle Truelove. Solicitor, Surrey Hills Solicitors
