'Respect for diverse cultural beliefs and practices and the administration of just and equal treatment before the law is nowhere more challenging than in the sensitive realm of family law'. The author reflects on articles appearing in this issue of Family Matters (no.42 Spring/Summer 1995) which offer examples of the dilemmas of law in a pluralistic society. Issues addressed include access to justice for Aboriginal people and recognising Aboriginal cultural diversity, the undervaluation of women's contributions to marriage through their unpaid work in matrimonial property distribution, whether the gender of judges affects the delivery of justice, and the child support scheme and the non-payment of child maintenance.