Ms Hannah Holdaway

PhD: An exploration of the emotional support given by family law advisers to clients

My research focuses on the interactions which take place between lawyers and clients as they work through financial settlements upon divorce. The legal framework followed by judges dealing with these matters takes into account factual matters such as the parties’ ages, incomes, assets, liabilities, financial resources etc. The relevant factors are set out in s.25 of the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 and are all factual. However, the centrality of emotional experiences to financial remedy cases is a recurring theme in recent research. I aim to explore the balance between emotional and technical content in the exchanges between lawyers and clients during these cases to understand the ways in which lawyers are providing emotional support as well as legal services.