News

We are delighted to announce that Family Law Advice for the Neurodivergent Community (FLANC) has been awarded the Innovation Champion Award at the prestigious Resolution Awards 2024. This significant honour recognises FLANC's groundbreaking and progressive approach to making the family justice system more inclusive and accessible for neurodivergent individuals and their families.

The awards ceremony, hosted by Britain’s best-known legal commentator Joshua Rozenberg, took place on Thursday, 19 September 2024, at Church House, London. FLANC’s win in the Innovation Champion category is a remarkable achievement, highlighting the significant impact the initiative has made in less than six months since its inception.

FLANC was co-founded by Alia Lewis, a Director dedicated to transforming the family law landscape for the neurodivergent community. It is a pioneering cross-firm initiative of expert family lawyers dedicated to dismantling the barriers obstructing the neurodivergent community’s participation in family proceedings. The group is committed to raining awareness, advocating for systemic change, and driving collaboration across the legal sector to ensure the family justice system is inclusive and accessible for all.

The initiative is also led by Jenny Beck KC (Hon) from Beck Fitzgerald and includes Caroline Croft from Coram Chambers, Solicitors Sheena Vadher and Fauzia Mumani from Duncan Lewis, as well as Jasmine Hollis and Flora Hughes from Beck Fitzgerald.

In addition to winning the Innovation Champion Award, FLANC was shortlisted for two other notable categories:

• Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Champion: This category celebrates individuals and organisations driving meaningful change in equality, diversity, and inclusion.
• Community Champion: This award honours those who have used their professional expertise to make a positive impact on the wider community.

FLANC’s mission is to create a more inclusive family justice system that better serves neurodivergent children and families. Their key objectives include:

• Advocating for compulsory training on neurodivergence for all professional involved in the family justice system.
• Developing best practice guidelines for working with neurodivergent individuals.
• Implementing systemic and practical changes to make the family justice system more accessible to neurodivergent children and families.

Through their transformative campaign, FLANC continues to lead the charge for a fairer and more inclusive family justice system. Winning the Innovation Champion Award is a reflection of their ground-breaking efforts, and we look forward to seeing the continued impact FLANC will make in the future.

About the Author

Alia leads a dedicated and friendly team of Family and Child Care solicitors within Duncan Lewis specialising in representing neurodivergent individuals and their families. She works alongside Sheena Vadher and Fauzia Mumani, who are also members of FLANC, to assist clients in cases involving neurodivergence (including Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Dyscalculia and Tourette Syndrome), learning difficulties, learning disabilities and special needs, in addition to assisting clients who are deaf or hearing impaired and children of deaf adults. The team’s sole focus is to advocate for the rights of neurodivergent clients and their families within Public and Private Children Law proceedings, including cases that are publicly funded. 

If you require specialist support from our Autism and ADHD Family & Child Care team, please contact Alia Lewis via email at AliaL@duncanlewis.com or via telephone on 02031141193