I settled down with tea and crumpets to watch Sky Atlantic’s new family-law drama War. And, as a family solicitor, there was one question I was particularly keen to answer:

Does it give family solicitors a bad name? My verdict after episode one? I don’t think so.

Although, thankfully, it doesn’t portray a particularly accurate day at the office either.  And that is probably a good thing. I don’t want to watch a programme which reflects my actual working day. There are no gripping storylines about people parking in the wrong place, tripping up the stairs, catching up with colleagues about their weekend of gardening, or huffing and puffing over emails. Drama needs, well, drama.

And War certainly provides that.

Episode one centres around an affair, with the wife setting out to prove her husband has been unfaithful. He makes a feeble effort to deny the act. The buzzword of gaslighting is thrown about. We are also introduced to the pre-nuptial agreement, with the tantalising suggestion that it may contain an “affair break clause”. The dusty file box came out of storage – I’m surprised the swanky law firm’s budget hasn’t stretched to scanning old paper files yet.

For the non-family lawyers watching, the programme quickly tells the viewer why the pre-nup might not be as watertight as certain people hoped it was. The legal reality is, of course, rather more complicated — but this is television, not a training seminar.

Poor Johnny is trying to get employed and thinks he says all the right things in interviews, such as “what matters is the client, especially in family law.” I hope solicitors in all areas of law are thinking that the client matters, not just in family law. But I admire the sentiment. His wise words get him a job eventually, phew.

Johnny announces that he wants to “get his teeth into a big case”. I hear you Johnny! We then learn a sneaky twist courtesy of actor Miles Jupp. Anyone else struggle to take the Balamory actor seriously?!

Discussion about the serving of divorce papers also gets its moment. No-one bothers to tell Sienna Miller about the mundanity – and sometimes frustrations – of using the court portal. Perhaps watching someone complete an online divorce application would not quite have the same cinematic appeal.

I have to remind myself that War is not trying to show us a typical day in the life of a family solicitor. It is giving us infidelity, money, competing loyalties, questionable ethics, ambitious lawyers and secrets. In other words, it is giving us exactly what we need to keep watching.

Is War the best title for a family-law drama? I’m not entirely convinced. Family solicitors already know that matrimonial proceedings can sometimes feel like a war, although as a member of Resolution, I wouldn’t dare use that language with clients, even if they used it themselves.

And having seen the synopsis for episode two, I see mediation is coming. So, to all my mediator colleagues: brace yourselves!

I’ll be watching. Probably with another cup of tea.

If you need legal advice, without the drama, contact us today.