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While Sir James Munby has his reasons for wanting to reform 'family law', cultural change isn't really what he's talking about. For me, cultural change isn't about better courts, access to 'justice' or even legal aid. It's about fundamentally changing the way our society chooses to approach problem solving or dispute resolution.

Adversarial litigation - a medieval development - is rarely the most appropriate way to sort out resolve broken relationships between adults or between parents and children. It is hugely expensive, is damaging to those involved and their children, and it does not resolve the conflict at the heart of the dispute.

Those with family or relationship problems more often need emotional support, help with communication and parenting plans and an understanding about their possible future financial circumstances. Very, very few of them indeed need true legal advice (as can only be provided by a lawyer). Why? Because very few have any disagreement about over the law. The law that applies to relationship breakdown is - despite the cases mentioned in the main article - well established.

True cultural change would encourage people who need help to find someone who can help them with these problems together - mediators, counsellors, financial planners and collaborative practitioners specialising in divorce and such like. If they start by finding mutual help, they are more likely to find their own solutions.

As an non-practising solicitor who now practises family mediation, what disappoints me about the vast majority of my solicitor colleagues is their woeful failure to do anything other than react. They have had opportunities for over 10 years now to practise with other professionals as part of a collaborative team, to work closely with mediators, and more recently to work alongside arbitrators.

Yet so long as they can, the majority of family private law lawyers seem determined to continue to peddle their antiquated, ineffective, over-priced, lawyer-focused, and long-winded correspondence-led dispute resolution services until only the tiny wealthy minority of clients are buying them.