Legal services are often described as distress purchases, and few buyers are more distressed than those dealing with the breakdown of a relationship.

So it perhaps not a surprise that a significant minority of those interviewed in research aimed at informing government family policy should have a grievance with their solicitors, whether it be over the cost, length of time it took to deal with their cases or otherwise.

Solicitors sometimes have to take the blame as they form the face of a system that does not always produce the result their clients seek.

There is only so much family law specialist solicitors can do, however much they preach the importance of a non-confrontational atmosphere, encourage clients towards mediation and even offer counselling services as part of their practices.

The various troubles of the system are well known, whether they be poor legal aid rates, the ever-controversial Child Support Agency, and performance issues at the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service.

One cannot doubt the commitment of those inside the system to improve it, but the fact that family law solicitors are exiting publicly funded work needs to be addressed sooner rather than later.

This is becoming a perennial issue - the Gazette's annual legal aid survey has flagged up the problem for the past three years - but still insufficient action has been taken.

Family law solicitors may not be popular with all their clients, but they usually play a vital role in securing a just and equitable settlement to the most painful of disputes.