Lawyer Marilyn Stowe uncovered the evidence that freed Sally Clark, wrongly jailed for the murder of her two sons.

Her latest project aims to help people through the pain of divorce. She talks to Women's Editor Christen Pears.

IN January this year, Sally Clark was dramatically freed from life imprisonment for the murders of her two baby sons. The Court of Appeal ruled that the conviction against the 38-year-old lawyer from Cheshire was unsafe but without the efforts of Marilyn Stowe, Sally could still be in jail.

Marilyn, who is based in Leeds, is one of Britain's busiest divorce lawyers but when she read about Sally's case in the Sunday newspapers, she volunteered to help.

"I was very concerned about the evidence against her," she says. "It's a world away from my usual work but I began to investigate and uncovered a medical report that had never been disclosed. That showed that the second child died of meningitis and it completely destroyed the prosecution case."

Sally Clark's was not an isolated case. Other parents have been convicted on incomplete or inaccurate medical evidence. Some have had their children taken away from them.

"It is frightening that this sort of thing happens, especially as there are so many cases which rely on an independent medical expert," says Marilyn.

"I found the whole thing fascinating and it was incredibly rewarding when Sally was released."

She is currently looking at scientific evidence in the case of a man in Durham prison for murder, although she continues to specialise in divorce. Her latest project is Chrysalis, a club to help divorcees get their lives back on track.

Divorce can be a traumatic experience. Even the most amicable settlements result in enormous changes to lives of those involved in both practical and emotional matters.

Chrysalis is a family law aftercare club, formed to provide practical and emotional support for men and women who have been through divorce or painful legal proceedings. It will be holding its first meeting in North Yorkshire next week.

The name symbolises the creation of new life out of a previous existence and is thought to be the first forum of its type created by a law firm. It holds regular meetings where the audience hears from experts on issues ranging from the practical, such as financial planning and re-entering the employment market, to learning how to form new relationships.

Marilyn is head of the Family Law Unit at Grahame Stowe Bateson. The firm's headquarters is in Leeds but it also has offices in Mount Parade, Harrogate.

Marilyn is also the chief assessor/chief examiner of the Law Society's Family Law Panel and has just published her latest book, No Looking Back, a practical guide to building a new life after divorce.

She says that writing the book convinced her of the need for a forum that could provide help and support for people who had been through the emotional trauma of divorce or painful family law proceedings.

"Divorce and family law proceedings, including disputes over children, property and finance, can often be painful and distressing. For the partner who is being divorced, the realisation that they are no longer loved or wanted can be shattering to their confidence and their general outlook on life," she says.

"Whilst the divorce is taking place, the divorcing couple are at the centre of attention. They are busy with their lawyers, friends will try to help and extended family will be concerned. But once the marriage is ended and the immediate drama is over, people tend to want to get on with their own lives and then the world can suddenly feel a very lonely place."

Chrysalis allows people in similar situations to meet regularly to share their problems and emotions in a sympathetic environment.

As well as being open to people who have been through divorce or family law actions, it also offers support for those who are going through or about to start proceedings.

Marilyn believes the number of people affected by family breakdowns is often underestimated. In 2000, for example, there were 141,135 divorces and they involved 142,457 children under 13. Of that number, 36,000 were aged under five.

Marilyn says: "When you take into account grandparents, aunts and uncles, and nephews and nieces, as well as close friends, then you begin to appreciate the full impact of divorce.

"For instance, how do loving grandparents cope when they are suddenly cut off from children they have doted on when their son's wife brings the marriage to an end? And if you are a woman with children taking on a second husband with his own children, how do you make sure the new family works as a single unit?

"All these problems, as well as the purely practical issues of finance, buying a house and making new friends can all appear daunting if you are facing them alone. As a firm, we have access to experts in a wide range of issues who can be on hand at Chrysalis meetings to provide practical and emotional help. It will also be a forum where those who have been through such proceedings can bring friends who are facing the same situation."

* The first meeting of Chrysalis in North Yorkshire will take place tomorrow, between 7pm and 9pm in the Byron Room at the Bridge Inn Hotel at Walshford, near Wetherby, and people can just turn up.

Further information about Chrysalis can be obtained by calling Grahame Stowe Bateson's Family Law Unit on (0113) 260 6191 or by writing to: Serena Gillott, Chrysalis, Family Law Unit, Grahame Stowe Bateson, 178 Selby Road, Leeds LS15 0QL