Cretney, Stephen, 1936-2019
by John Eekelaar FBA and David Feldman FBA
- Date
- 02 Oct 2020
- Number of pages
- 30 (pages 309-338)
Stephen Michael Cretney, QC (Hon.), FBA, is in many ways the ‘father’ of modern English family law. His magnificent textbook Principles of Family Law (1974) put critical analysis of family law on the undergraduate table. His academic work influenced the judiciary’s approach to family law and his service on the Law Commission from 1978 to 1983 directly influenced the direction of legislative reform in family law. His towering achievement is Family Law in the Twentieth Century: a History (2003)—a truly remarkable work in terms of its scope, ambition and insight.
Posted to Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the British Academy, XIX