I see such beauty there, no other can compare.

I see such beauty there, no other can compare.

I see it clearly now with my inner eye.

Our student advisor Katie speaking patiently with a police officer in a city in southern England, trying to persuade them to carry out a recovery order.

Our client’s nine-year-old daughter has been abducted by the father, and we have appeared in front of the Urgent Business Judge to obtain orders for her return.

Our student advisor Nas is looking on her iPhone for suitable landmarks in that city in the south of England, to find somewhere to which the father can safely return the child so that my client can recover her. The cathedral there seems apt.

Our student advisor Annabel is reassuring our client, who has not seen her daughter for two weeks and is understandably on edge.

Our barrister colleague Simon has been kept in touch with developments, as he is busy with other cases.

Our boss Billy is tweeting with the police commissioner of the relevant county, to encourage police cooperation in the process.

And while steering the ship, I keep in mind the kindness of our client and of everyone involved in this process to deliver our objective.

Within a few hours our court order is brought to fruition, with the return of the child to our client’s home.

The devotion, spirit, determination and doggedness of our family law clinic seems neatly encapsulated in that memory of 2021.

And we look forward to 2022 with eager anticipation.

To our clients, our friends, and everyone in the same boat - merry Christmas and happy New Year.

I see such beauty there, no other can compare.

Simon Bruce – Dads House Volunteer