Family solicitors don’t normally try very hard when they are defending a male because the odds are stacked aginst them from the word go, and they know that. The best in Manchester is the already mentioned Joan Fergusson, but for a male the evidence has to be overwhelming.
I’ve studied the family courts for years — and for various people investigated the backgrounds of social services employees. Not in Manchester or Sheffield I hasten to add, but generally female employees tend to be divorcees or single mums with axes to grind.