Men and the marriage law

A chara, - Ms Cleary of Amen (December 10th) trots out the usual attack on the legal profession.

A chara, - Ms Cleary of Amen (December 10th) trots out the usual attack on the legal profession.

Her generalisation about lawyers is as vacuous as was my generalisation about men and pints. I withdrew my generalisation in my last letter, and I would ask her to have the courtesy now to do the same.

When I criticised Amen, I was criticising a group which gives out the prejudiced information seen in Ms Cleary's letter. If her members see lawyers as "the only winners" then what does this do for the relationship between lawyers and men?

Some men rise gloriously to the occasion when their marriage breaks up, and continue to work with the mother to rear their children well. Some men never accept that the mother is now free, and create constant difficulties for the whole family. I pointed out in my first letter that the Courts will often give a judgement in favour of the husband. The decisions of the family law system are as varied as people are. However, the only fixed factor is that the children will come first. I would remind Ms Cleary that every lawyer recommends mediation before legal advice is given. Yours, etc.,

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MUREDACH DOHERTY, Lower Beechwood Avenue, Ranelagh, Dublin 6.