Dr Charlotte Proudman delivers keynote speech at Leadership in Law Conference

At Law.com’s Leadership in Law Conference, Dr Charlotte Proudman delivered a powerful keynote urging the legal profession to confront the entrenched gender bias that continues to shape outcomes in our justice system, especially in the family courts.

She reminded attendees that true leadership requires the courage to challenge discriminatory practices, expose flawed assumptions, and insist on evidence-based decision-making. As she told the audience, “the law was written by men for men”, a historical reality that still influences how women and children are treated when they raise concerns about abuse.

Dr Proudman highlighted the ongoing misuse of parental alienation, a concept widely discredited yet still relied upon in proceedings to undermine protective mothers. She referenced the 2024 judicial guidance directing courts to prioritise domestic abuse allegations over unsubstantiated accusations of alienation, a shift long overdue.

She also drew on the Ministry of Justice’s landmark 2020 Harm Report, which found systemic failures in how the family courts handle domestic abuse: allegations routinely minimised, flawed risk assessments, patchy inter-agency coordination, and survivors left unprotected. These gaps, she warned, create opportunities for pseudoscience and unregulated “experts” to influence life-changing decisions.

Her message to the profession was unmistakable: reform is essential. It depends on practitioners who are prepared to speak up, confront harmful narratives, and reshape the culture of the family courts to protect women and children.

For more on Dr Proudman’s work and trauma-informed representation, visit Proudmans, the family law firm she founded to champion survivor-focused justice.