David Emmerson OBE wins prestigious John Cornwell Award

We are delighted to announce that David Emmerson OBE has been awarded the prestigious Resolution ‘John Cornwell’ award for outstanding achievement in Family Law. The award is named after Resolution’s founder and presented annually to an individual or group that has made an outstanding and sustained contribution to family justice. The award recognises those who have championed the Resolution Code of Practice throughout their career.

David is a partner in our Family Law team and has been an active member of Resolution for many years. He was a national committee member for 18 years and now chairs the organisation’s Dispute Resolution Committee and was a founder member of their Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Committee, improving the representation of minority groups.

He is an accredited and hybrid trained mediator, a collaborative practitioner and a Deputy District Judge, with accreditation to hear complex financial remedy and private law children cases. In 2004, he was awarded an OBE for services to the legal profession.

David is on the Thomson Reuters Family Law and the Lexis Nexis editorial boards. He writes the domestic abuse and dispute resolution chapters for Butterworth Family Law and has contributed to the last two editions of The Resolution Handbook. He has presented courses for trainees and junior colleagues and keynote speeches on reform and future family practice.

The Resolution Awards were presented at a gala event on 13 September beneath the dome of the stunning Assembly Hall, Church House, Westminster. The evening was hosted by Joshua Rozenberg, Britain’s best-known legal commentator and presenter of the BBC’s Law in Action.

David said:

“I am truly delighted and honoured to accept this award. Out of court dispute resolution now represents around 70% of my work, and I am lucky to receive recommendations from judges and other legal professionals. There is real value in resolving issues between separating couples positively, quickly, cost-effectively and with their and their children’s wellbeing in mind.”

Resolution is the third largest representative group of lawyers in England and Wales, providing vital support, training and inspiration to family law professionals. Its philosophy is that lawyers must not automatically treat relationship breakdown as civil litigation, but instead focus on treating individuals, who are often at their most vulnerable, with respect and support.