Our Judges

Adele Ballantyne

Adele Ballantyne

Psychotherapist, Relationship Therapist, Eleda Consultancy Limited

Adele was the first Therapist to chair a committee in Resolution’s history. Based in Shropshire but working nationally and internationally, Adele support individuals, couples, and families. Her unpaid work involves consultancy with hospitals, NHS Trusts, and corporate organizations. Over six years, Adele has provided Continuing Professional Development for legal professionals, emphasizing Relationship Psychology and positive outcomes. She educates and supports legal professionals to address vicarious trauma’s effects on mental health. Her work helps separating couples navigate divorce with a therapeutic approach, attending collaborative round table meetings and mediation sessions. Adele strives to promote a positive outlook post-divorce, minimize children’s emotional damage, and encourage effective co-parenting. She has contributed to publications and frequently speak at workshops, seminars, conferences, podcasts, and local radio.

James Brown

James Brown

Managing Partner & co-founder, Hall Brown Family Law.

James is Managing Partner and co-founder of Hall Brown Family Law. Founded in Manchester in 2016 it is now one of the largest specialist family law firms in the country with teams in Manchester, London, Sheffield, Leeds and Birmingham. The firm is ranked in the top tier of Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners, listed as one of The Times Best Law Firms and named by Best Companies as one of the top 5 law firms to work for in the UK. Alongside management, James practices family law named as a leading individual in Legal 500 and in the top tier of Chambers and Partners. Reported cases include Supreme Court case Sharland v Sharland [2015] UKSC 60 and Giggs vs Giggs [2017] EWHC 822.

Karen Dovaston

Karen Dovaston

Owner & Principal Solicitor, Dovaston Law

Karen is the owner and founder of Dovaston Law. She is a solicitor, Chair of The Law Society Family Law Committee, Vice Chair of the Forum of Family Arbitrators and former Chair of Trust Board, now Member, for SECAT, a Multi Academy Trust serving circa 3,500 pupils and students. She is recognised by The Law Society as an advanced level specialist in the area of family law. She is a member of the Pensions Advisory Group. She is also a member of Resolution. She supports the Law Clinic at Anglia Ruskin University. She has specialised in family law since 1995. She is loves her tech and is part of the stakeholder group relating to the digital court platform.

Jacqueline Emmerson

Jacqueline Emmerson

Managing Director, Emmersons Solicitors

Jacqueline is the Managing Director of Emmersons Solicitors Ltd which she founded 25 years ago. Based in the North East of England the firm represents clients nationally and internationally. Jacqueline leads a team of award winning Private Client Lawyers. As a team they are interested in helping clients who often have no one else to support them. Emmersons are also heavily involved in their local communities by way of training Dementia Friends.

Jacqueline has been practising both family law and private client since 1989. She was one of the first, and youngest, members of the Law Society Family Law Panel and is a trained Collaborative lawyer.

Jacqueline is President of Sunderland Law Society and in this role has brought together the local university, Sunderland BID, charities and sponsors. She is the Honorary Counsel for SSAFA in Newcastle. She won the inaugural Wearside Women in Business Lifetime Achievement Award. She holds a diploma in Leadership Management.

Jacqueline lectures to charities, businesses and the financial sector in relation to the needs of elderly clients and the crossover between divorce, wills, probate and contested estates. . She has launched Slow Shopping in conjunction with Gosforth Dementia Alliance. She regularly writes articles for the press as well as being called upon for legal commentary by numerous radio stations.

James Evans

James Evans

Head of UK Professional Education, OurFamilyWizard

James Evans is the Head of UK Professional Education at OurFamilyWizard. Having previously worked as a teacher, James joined the Family Law community over 5 years ago to introduce Family Law Practitioners around the country to OurFamilyWizard. James works with Courts, Chambers, Firms, CAFCASS, Mediators, Organisations and Charities to help parents with their communication. James is a member of the East Sussex Resolution committee, the Family Dispute Solutions Group, the Family Law Language Project, The Parents Promise Alliance, The Family Mediation Week committee and is the chair of Support Through Court’s Family Ambassadors Board. James has been shortlisted for over 7 awards for his contribution to Innovation and Championing of supporting separated families and recently won the Working in Collaboration Award at Resolutions 2023 Family Law Awards.

Duncan Finlyson

Duncan Finlyson

Director, Infolegal

Duncan Finlyson is a director of Infolegal and a non-practising solicitor. He qualified in 1981 and has, throughout his career, been involved in developing ways in which lawyers deliver services, interact with clients and compete in the legal marketplace. Duncan specialises in solicitor regulation and data protection/cybersecurity. Duncan writes extensively for the internet, is the author of books on solicitor regulation, cybersecurity and data protection and is co-author of volumes on Data Protection in the Encyclopaedia of Forms and Precedents.  He was formerly a partner in private practice, managing director of LawNet and administrator for the Solicitors Assistance Scheme.

Graeme Fraser

Graeme Fraser

Partner & Head of Family, BBS Law

Graeme has specialised in family law throughout his career. His practice covers, divorce, financial settlements, involving complicated assets, substantial wealth, children issues, marital agreements, cohabitation, intervenors, insolvency-related settlements, European Family law, relationship breakdowns, tax rules on divorce, corporate and family law strategic advice and multi-ethnic law. Graeme is well-known in the legal community and beyond not simply as an experienced specialist family lawyer, but also as a commentator, writer and trainer. Graeme is renowned for having dedicated his career to improving protections for cohabiting couples through his practice, through his work with Resolution and through commentary in the media.

Natasha Grande

Natasha Grande

Head of Family, Wilsons Solicitors LLP

Natasha joined Wilsons in June 2023 as Head of our Family team and is based in our Salisbury office.

Natasha advises on all aspects of family law and is committed to achieving the best possible outcome for her clients, tailored to their needs, whether that is through the court process or through alternative dispute resolution. Her specialisms are the determination of financial arrangements upon divorce and a significant number of her cases involve complex, jurisdictional aspects, corporate and trust structures. She has a particular interest in cases that have an American element. Natasha was featured as a rising star in the 2023 Spears Index for professionals working in family law.

Natasha also advises on matters involving children on relationship breakdown, including living arrangements, relocation, and financial provision.

Natasha read English at Oxford University and obtained an interdisciplinary masters from Birkbeck College, London, where her thesis focused on the status of women in nineteenth-century property law. This sparked her interest to pursue a career in law and she completed the Graduate Diploma in Law and the Bar Professional Training Course, with scholarships from Inner Temple, where she gained an Outstanding in Family Law. She then cross qualified as a solicitor, completing her training contract at Vardags. Upon qualification, she obtained Higher Rights of Audience for civil proceedings. Post- qualification, she moved to Bross Bennett, Highgate, where she was a Senior Associate, before joining Wilsons as Head of the Family Team.

Natasha is a member of Resolution. Resolution members are committed to a code of practice that promotes a constructive approach to family issues and disputes.

Alex Holt

Alex Holt

Director of Business Development, The Cashroom

Alex’s background is in the legal profession and is a qualified solicitor, having been a litigation Partner at Hill Dickinson. He then founded and ran an executive search business, before joining a global outsourcing company to head up their strategic move into the legal sector. Alex joined the Cashroom in 2014 to lead the company’s Business Development. 
Orlagh Kelly

Orlagh Kelly

CEO, Briefed

Orlagh, an experienced family barrister and legal tech innovator, is the visionary founder and CEO of Briefed, a comprehensive legal compliance and training platform for chambers and law firms.

Called to the Bar in 2003, Orlagh was instructed in more than 2000 family law cases in her 12-year tenure as a barrister. In 2011, she founded Briefed with a vision of creating technology that improved the working lives of barristers. Over her 12-year stewardship, Orlagh has meticulously assembled a diverse team focused on product and service excellence, innovation, and social strategy. Orlagh’s leadership has been instrumental in assisting 1000+ businesses, 4000+ barristers, and advising 115 chambers.

Emma Nash

Emma Nash

Partner, Rayden Solicitors

Emma is a Partner at Rayden Solicitors and a commentator with over 12 years of experience in private family law and international family law. She has been writing about family law since before she qualified and is regularly featured in mainstream and legal media. For the last 3 years she has been listed as a recommended lawyer in Spears500 and in the CityWealth Leaders List. In 2021, she launched The Family Law Language Project, a project to help make family law more accessible and reduce conflict by improving the understanding and use of language.

Richard Port MBE

Richard Port MBE

Partner, George Green Solicitors

Richard Port MBE is a highly accomplished family lawyer, with a particular focus on domestic abuse. He is a partner at George Green Solicitors based in the West Midlands.

In 2022, he was named Solicitor of the Year at the Birmingham Law Society Legal Awards.

Richard’s commitment to helping victims of domestic abuse is evident in his work with many domestic abuse organisations and constant advocating for change. He created and delivered a training programme for staff to assist service users in accessing legal aid, to help represent and protect victims of domestic violence.

In recognition of his work, Richard was awarded an MBE for services to victims of domestic abuse In the 2022 New Years Honours list. His dedication to his clients and his community makes him a highly respected and valued member of the legal profession.

Outside of work he is the Vice President of the Birmingham Law Society, chair and trustee of the Heart of England Community foundation and Senior visiting fellow at Suffolk University.

Natalie Sutherland

Natalie Sutherland

Partner, Burgess Mee Family Law

Natalie Sutherland is a specialist family law solicitor and Partner at Burgess Mee Family Law. Burgess Mee have offices in Clapham, Hammersmith and Liverpool Street.

Natalie spearheads the firm’s modern family department where she deals with surrogacy, assisted reproduction law including donor conception and platonic co-parenting as well as advising clients on the whole spectrum of family law issues.

Natalie is a Resolution accredited specialist in children law and complex higher income financial remedies and is a member of the Board of Trustees of Progress Educational Trust.

Natalie is also co-founder of In/Fertility in the City where she co-hosts a podcast and runs events designed to explore the complex relationship between in/fertility and work and how to manage this effectively.

Natalie was the winner of the Woman of the Year award at the inaugural Women & Diversity in Law Awards in March 2023.

Lisa Watts

Lisa Watts

Managing Partner, Caswell Consulting Ltd

Lisa is a seasoned business development and marketing professional working predominantly with barristers’ chambers and law firms.

A former Legal Director at a top 50 UK law firm, she has held senior marketing and BD roles in her firm leading teams of lawyers and marketing professionals across strategy creation and execution, marketing planning, internal and external communications activity, merger projects, new business acquisition, client relationship management, bids and proposals, service delivery improvement, events, and branding work.

She has extensive direct experience of offering strategic advice to senior directors, partners and stakeholders across the legal sector as well as overseeing and implementing marketing and business development campaigns and demonstrating tangible results.