He Said, She Said
On sale
1st May 2025
Price: £20
Genre
Nonfiction / Domestic Violence / Gender & The Law / Gender Studies: Women / Memoirs
If you and your family needed help, could you trust the law to be on your side?
Award-winning barrister Charlotte Proudman has dedicated her working life to representing women who find themselves in need of help from the family law courts. Time and again, she has watched as these women – many of whom have experienced the very worst traumas imaginable – are let down by the system that is supposed to protect them. Seeking only justice and safety, they have instead been met with cruelty and disdain, deemed unreliable witnesses compared to the men who abused them.
From family courts failing to protect victims from abusers to the misogynistic bullying Charlotte herself receives from senior members of her profession, the problem is clear: no matter their circumstances, women across the country are suffering at the hands of a legal system built by men.
But change is on the horizon. In He Said, She Said, Proudman gives voice to the women whose stories are all too often brushed aside in the name of giving abusers ‘the benefit of the doubt’. Through real-life cases spanning forced marriage, domestic abuse, child abduction and female genital mutilation, Proudman highlights the troubling biases and shocking prejudice that underlie our legal system – and in a book that is at once thrilling, engaging and deeply compassionate, puts forward her own inspiring vision for long-term change.
Award-winning barrister Charlotte Proudman has dedicated her working life to representing women who find themselves in need of help from the family law courts. Time and again, she has watched as these women – many of whom have experienced the very worst traumas imaginable – are let down by the system that is supposed to protect them. Seeking only justice and safety, they have instead been met with cruelty and disdain, deemed unreliable witnesses compared to the men who abused them.
From family courts failing to protect victims from abusers to the misogynistic bullying Charlotte herself receives from senior members of her profession, the problem is clear: no matter their circumstances, women across the country are suffering at the hands of a legal system built by men.
But change is on the horizon. In He Said, She Said, Proudman gives voice to the women whose stories are all too often brushed aside in the name of giving abusers ‘the benefit of the doubt’. Through real-life cases spanning forced marriage, domestic abuse, child abduction and female genital mutilation, Proudman highlights the troubling biases and shocking prejudice that underlie our legal system – and in a book that is at once thrilling, engaging and deeply compassionate, puts forward her own inspiring vision for long-term change.
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Reviews
Proudman's eloquent arguments, scholarship and first-hand experience of fighting for justice for women and their children makes this book essential reading. As inspirational as it is shocking in its revelations of prejudice and misogyny, Proudman gives us an invaluable bird's eye view into processes that, until recently, were conducted in secrecy. Combining memoir with case illustrations, the book is beautifully written, informative and rightfully disturbing
Do you care about justice? Then this is the book for you. He Said, She Said takes us on a courageous and compassionate journey highlighting women failed by a legal system that should have protected them. Proudman poignantly amplifies their voices, shedding light on the injustices they endure and offering changes for the future. A profoundly important book
Dr Charlotte Proudman lays bare the harsh realities of a legal system built by men and stacked against women. Through gripping, real-life cases and her own experiences as a family law barrister, she exposes the urgent need for reform. He Said, She Said offers a rare glimpse into the secretive world of the family courts and the brutal ways in which women and children are let down. A must-read for anyone who cares about justice
A triumph. Proudman is a brave outspoken barrister. Here she exposes the rooted biases that harm women and children in the family courts; her searing analysis puts the system in the dock but also provides a roadmap for reform. Press this book into the hands of policy makers, politicians . . . and every judge
This important book will shock you. And you will also be inspired and uplifted by the countless women who don't and won't give up
An indictment of a legal system that protects abusers at the expense of survivors. Charlotte Proudman exposes the biases and institutional failures that silence women and endanger children with clarity and conviction. He Said She Said is a call to action
Phenomenal. An exposè of the misogyny embedded in the family court system, exposing how it routinely fails to protect victims while enabling abusers. Drawing on real accounts from women forced to navigate these hostile legal battles, Proudman reveals a system where survivors are disbelieved, silenced and retraumatised. This is an urgent and necessary read, one that shows the truth surrounding family courts and demands change
Proudman carefully dissects the misuse of the family courts by perpetrators to pursue domestic abuse survivors and their children. A must read for anyone seeking to build a society safe for women and girls
Proudman is a fearless campaigner for women's rights, unafraid to tackle misogyny wherever she sees it. Her indictment of the inequalities in the legal system should be required reading by lawyers and lawmakers alike