We have just had a solar maximum and recent solar missions (e.g. SDO, Hinode, IRIS) have provided a wealth of observations of flares of all classes. In this session we aim to review what we have learned about flares and discuss the latest results, in particular from the spectroscopic instruments and their measurements of plasma flows, a fundamental aspect in flare evolution. However, we welcome contributions on all observational and theoretical aspects of solar flares.