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27 February 2013
Issue: 7550 / Categories: Legal News
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Tributes for Cornwell

Lawyers pay tribute to founder of Resolution

Family lawyers have paid tribute to Resolution founder, John Cornwell, who passed away on 22 February.

Cornwell set up Resolution, then known as the Solicitors Family Law Association, in 1982. It is now an influential organisation of 6,500 family lawyers and associated professionals in England and Wales.

Cornwell was instrumental in the development of mediation in England and Wales, and co-founded the Family Mediators Association in 1998. He served as a deputy district judge of the Principal Registry of the Family Division of the High Court from 1986, and as a member of the Law Society Family Law Committee from 1993-99.

Liz Edwards, chair of Resolution, says: “Both Resolution and separating families owe a huge debt of thanks to John for his vision, passion and determination.”

Family lawyer David Burrows says: “John was a man with a fine heart, an indomitable ability to inspire and a delightful impatience.

“He embraced the spirit of the Report of the Committee on One-Parent Families and steered many of its ideas, such as conciliation (later mediation) and unified family courts, into the blood of the new [Solicitors Family Law] Association.”

Issue: 7550 / Categories: Legal News
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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Cripps—Radius Law

Cripps—Radius Law

Commercial and technology practice boosted by team hire

Switalskis—Grimsby

Switalskis—Grimsby

Firm expands with new Grimsby office to serve North East Lincolnshire

Slater Heelis—Will Newman & Lucy Spilsbury

Slater Heelis—Will Newman & Lucy Spilsbury

Property team boosted by two solicitor appointments

NEWS
A High Court ruling involving the Longleat estate has exposed the fault line between modern family building and historic trust drafting. Writing in NLJ this week, Charlotte Coyle, director and family law expert at Freeths, examines Cator v Thynn [2026] EWHC 209 (Ch), where trustees sought approval to modernise trusts that retain pre-1970 definitions of ‘child’, ‘grandchild’ and ‘issue’
Fresh proposals to criminalise ‘nudification’ apps, prioritise cyberflashing and non-consensual intimate images, and even ban under-16s from social media have reignited debate over whether the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA 2023) is fit for purpose. Writing in NLJ this week, Alexander Brown, head of technology, media and telecommunications, and Alexandra Webster, managing associate, Simmons & Simmons, caution against reactive law-making that could undermine the Act’s ‘risk-based and outcomes-focused’ design
Recent allegations surrounding Peter Mandelson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor have reignited scrutiny of the ancient common law offence of misconduct in public office. Writing in NLJ this week, Simon Parsons, teaching fellow at Bath Spa University, asks whether their conduct could clear a notoriously high legal hurdle
A landmark ruling has reshaped child clinical negligence claims. Writing in NLJ this week, Jodi Newton, head of birth and paediatric negligence at Osbornes Law, explains how the Supreme Court in CCC v Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust [2026] UKSC 5 has overturned Croke v Wiseman, ending the long-standing bar on children recovering ‘lost years’ earnings
A Court of Appeal ruling has drawn a firm line under party autonomy in arbitration. Writing in NLJ this week, Masood Ahmed, associate professor at the University of Leicester, analyses Gluck v Endzweig [2026] EWCA Civ 145, where a clause allowing arbitrators to amend an award ‘at any time’ was held incompatible with the Arbitration Act 1996
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